Militaristic Poland from 1920-39?

In WW2 it is known that Poland was totally pwned by the nazis and even though their army was rather large it did not stand a chance against the blitzkrieg.

But Poland was a large nation with a fairly large population, area, and strong national identity. What if it were to undergo an ultra-nationalistic leadership similar to that of the Nazis (but without the ethnic slaughter and plans for taking the world), build up a powerful military-industrial complex, and become a major power in Eastern Europe? Perhaps the Polish government can even make a new ideology, similar to that of Juche in North Korea? Then we'd have a crazy totalitarian Poland with a powerful army, a crazy Germany, and a crazy USSR all in a line.

How would things go down? Was this possible?

My bet is that the French and Great Britain won't be as willing to help Poland in case of war. Hitler may actually to tempted to not attack Poland first, and stick to smaller nations. Or, Germany may waste all its energy on Poland and lose earlier.
 
In WW2 it is known that Poland was totally pwned by the nazis and even though their army was rather large it did not stand a chance against the blitzkrieg.

But Poland was a large nation with a fairly large population, area, and strong national identity. What if it were to undergo an ultra-nationalistic leadership similar to that of the Nazis (but without the ethnic slaughter and plans for taking the world), build up a powerful military-industrial complex, and become a major power in Eastern Europe? Perhaps the Polish government can even make a new ideology, similar to that of Juche in North Korea? Then we'd have a crazy totalitarian Poland with a powerful army, a crazy Germany, and a crazy USSR all in a line.

How would things go down? Was this possible?

Wasn't exactly that the Poland of OTL? Militaristic, authoritarian, uber-nationalist and quite antisemitic? It even wanted colonies in Africa! Poland was quite 'crazy' at the time, it's just that when compared with its two monster neighbours it seems smart. Your challenge calls more for an empowerement of Poland than an ideological change... in this case, keeping Pilsudski alive for another decade could be a start.

My bet is that the French and Great Britain won't be as willing to help Poland in case of war.

Not necessarily, Poland is still the wall containing Soviet expansion and the only (non communist) nation in a position to hit a resurgent Germany from the back.

Hitler may actually to tempted to not attack Poland first, and stick to smaller nations. Or, Germany may waste all its energy on Poland and lose earlier.

Remember Hitler was insane. If any, it's the second option.
 
This is pretty much what happened in OTL. Poland simply didn't have the military experience, infrastructure and economic relations to militarize as efficiently as Germany (and the Nazis still got lucky WRT the remilitarization of the Rhineland, Belgian neutrality, the Anschluss, the Munich Agreement, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and the Phoney War).
 
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Markus

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In WW2 it is known that Poland was totally pwned by the nazis and even though their army was rather large it did not stand a chance against the blitzkrieg.

1. The Polish Campaign was NO Blitzkrieg!
2. The Polish Army was only half mobilized.
3. The mobilized untis were widely dispersed.
 
Poland ceased to be a democratic state in 1926 (democratic only for the Poles, however, never for the various minorities), after 1926 until 1939 it was run by a military junta, which just possessed the required qualities: Ultra-nationalist and determined to become a major power in Europe. There also was a MIC, but with a basis much too small.
 
Poland ceased to be a democratic state in 1926 (democratic only for the Poles, however, never for the various minorities),
How it was not democratic for miniorites? :confused:
I mean the ethnic minorities parties regulary got large percent of parlamentarians and Poland was signatory of the Little Versaillies Treaty protecting the rights of minorities (such treaties were required from the new Eastern European countries but not the old empires - because obviously one could trust such civilized countreis like Germans, British and French to not mistrate their minorities in any way)
And the way from democracy to authoritarism was a gradual one, to 1930 at least.
 
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How it was not democratic for miniorites? :confused:
And the way from democracy to authoritarism was a gradual one, to 1930 at least.

Pogroms, discrimination, state supported boycotts of their businesses, pacification campaigns in the Ukraine... Vote fraud...

Want me to go on?
 
Pogroms, discrimination, state supported boycotts of their businesses, pacification campaigns in the Ukraine... Vote fraud...

Want me to go on?

Most of this is after 1926. And what Pogroms? :confused: I can only think of things like Myslenice Raid but this was done by anti-government right wing organizations...
 
Most of this is after 1926. And what Pogroms? :confused: I can only think of things like Myslenice Raid but this was done by anti-government right wing organizations...

The pogroms of Jews throughout the 1930s; the "voluntary departure" of thousands of Germans.

Ex.
 
The pogroms of Jews throughout the 1930s; the "voluntary departure" of thousands of Germans.

Ex.

Could you give me more detailis?
EDIT: Just to make it clear.
My problem is with the statement "Poland ceased to be a democratic state in 1926 (democratic only for the Poles, however, never for the various minorities),".
I don't deny that the governemnt flirthing with the far right in the 1930's, thought I coudn't find any info on the supposed governemnt-sponsored pogroms of ther Jews then.
 
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Poland was too poor to arm with anything like the success the OP requires. In its last years, it spent about 40 % of the budget on the military, and that didn't get it too far.
 
I agree, Poland wasn't an industrial country between the wars, so making it powerful would be difficult. I'm sure Poland's leaders all would have wanted a strong Poland etc., but I'd imagine that even without political hurdles to this aim they didn't have either domestic recources to build this themselves or the national income to import these tools of power.
 
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