Maritime and Colonial League
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
social organization, created in 1930 out of the Maritime and River League (Liga Morska i Rzeczna). In the late 1930s it was directed by general Mariusz Zaruski
Mariusz Zaruski
Mariusz Zaruski was a Brigadier-General in the Polish Army, a pioneer of Polish sports yachting, an outstanding climber of the winter and caves of Tatra Mountains...
and its purpose was to educate the Polish nation about maritime issues. It also actively supported the development of both a merchant fleet and navy, as well as the creation of Polish colonies and overseas possessions.
Among countries regarded as suitable for Polish overseas settlements, there were such nations as Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
), Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Portuguese Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and French possessions in Africa, with Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. The organization enjoyed widespread popularity and in 1939 had around one million members.
Origins
The roots of the League can be traced back to the fall of 1918, the first days of the Second Polish RepublicSecond Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
. On October 1, 1918, a group of 25 young men founded an organization called Polska Bandera (Polish Flag), whose purpose was to popularize the sea among the Poles and to encourage the youth to participate in navigation.
The organization, supported by influential politicians, quickly grew, and in May 1919 it was changed into the League of Polish Navigation (Liga Żeglugi Polskiej). Five years later the name was changed again, into the Maritime and River League (Liga Morska i Rzeczna), then, in late 1925, it published its first monthly magazine, “The Sea” ("Morze") (in 1939 magazine’s name was changed into “The Sea and Colonies”).
The first demands for Polish colonies were issued at the first convention of the League (Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, October 1928) Two years later, at the third and last convention in Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, the organization got its most famous name, the Maritime and Colonial League.
Activities
Originally, the League was a public body, with limited membership. Soon afterwards, it was taken over by the government and became a tool of its propaganda. In 1933, Prince Janusz Radziwiłł, member of the Polish ParliamentSejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
, declared that if Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
was to get back its former colonies - a demand advanced at the time by such German bodies as the Reichskolonialbund
Reichskolonialbund
The Reichskolonialbund was a collective body that absorbed all German colonial organizations during the time of the Third Reich...
- Poland should receive a share proportionate to its succession to the former German Empire.
Furthermore, some Polish politicians argued that the debt, which the world owed to Poland from saving Europe from communist invasion
Polish-Soviet War
The Polish–Soviet War was an armed conflict between Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine and the Second Polish Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic—four states in post–World War I Europe...
, should be paid off with colonies.
Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego
Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego was a Polish political party founded in 1937 by leaders in the Sanation movement.A year after the 1935 death of Poland's Chief of State Marshal Józef Piłsudski, in mid-1936, one of his followers, Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły, attempted to unite the various Sanation...
), accepted colonial aspirations.
In the summer of 1937, Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepared a document called “Colonial Theses of Poland”, and in September of the same year, Poland officially demanded colonies, during the session of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
.
Polish demands, however, were ignored by the Western Powers, as neither France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, nor Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
wanted to relinquish their possessions. Furthermore, Polish government advanced its demands even well into 1939, on the eve of Polish September Campaign. However, Poland never considered possibility of armed capture of overseas lands, counting on a customs union with smaller and less important colonial powers, such as Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Some historians argue that the Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
government promoted colonialism to solve the problem of chronic overpopulation and unemployment of some areas of the country. Also, the Poles expressed a desire for raw materials like minerals and timber, especially those found in Liberia.
Apart from colonies, activities of members of the League were concentrated on development of Polish Navy
Polish Navy
The Marynarka Wojenna Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej - MW RP Polish Navy, is the branch of Republic of Poland Armed Forces responsible for naval operations...
. In early 1930s the League started a special fund, which within 2 years collected 5.000.000 zlotys. The money was handed to the Government of the Polish Republic for the purpose of possibly fast construction of a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
for the Polish Navy. Thus, the legendary ORP Orzeł
ORP Orzeł
Three boats of the Polish Navy have been named ORP Orzeł :* ORP Orzeł was an commissioned in 1939 and lost in 1940.* ORP Orzeł was a commissioned in 1962 and decommissioned in 1983....
was funded.
Brazil
See also: Polish BrazilianPolish Brazilian
A Polish Brazilian is a Brazilian person of full or partial Polish ancestry, who is aware of such ancestry and remains connected, in some degree, to Polish culture, or a Polish-born person permanently residing in Brazil. The number of Polish descendants in Brazil is estimated at 1.8 million...
In 1930, 135 Polish families left for the state of Espirito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In June 1934 the League sent its messenger, retired general Stefan Strzemienski
Stefan Strzemienski
Stefan Marian Strzemieński was a general of the Polish Army, who participated in the Polish September Campaign. Born in 1885 in unknown location, in early 1920s he was commandant of a cavalry brigade, then of the garrison of Warsaw. Retired in 1932, he was recalled to the army in 1939, becoming...
, who wanted to buy 2 million hectares of land in Brazilian state of Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
(part of its population, around 100,000, had already been Polish, due to mass emigration of Poles from Galicia in the 19th century). An agreement was signed with the state government, which agreed to hand the land to the Poles, in exchange of construction of a 140-kilometer rail line Riozinho
Riozinho
-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
-Guarapuava
Guarapuava
Guarapuava is a city in the mid south of Paraná state in Brazil. It is the largest city in that state by area.Guarapuava is located at 25°23'36" south and 51°27'19" west. The region is known as the centre of the state of Paraná, in the third plateau, also called of the Plateau of Guarapuava...
However, the Poles bought only 7000 hectares and created there a settlement called Morska Wola
Morska Wola
Morska Wola was a Polish settlement, located in Brazil, in the state of Paraná. It was founded by the Maritime and Colonial League in 1934. The League purchased land from local Indian tribes and carried out an extensive promotional campaign in Poland, trying to lure settlers...
. Also, they purchased additional 2000 hectares and planned to found another settlement, “Orlicz-Dreszer” (as a gesture to director of the League, general Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer
Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer
Gustaw Konstanty Orlicz-Dreszer was a Polish general, and a political and social activist.Before World War I, Orlicz-Dreszer was involved in pro-independence activities in partitioned Poland. In 1914-17 he served in the 1st Brigade of the Polish Legions. He was arrested during the Oath Crisis...
, who died in Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
in a plane crash in 1936). In August 1935 first Polish settlers left for Brazil, around 350 people.
However, in spite of initial success, Polish activities in Parana were noticed by the Brazilian public opinion. In Curitiba
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
, local daily Correio do Parana alarmed that Poland was planning to conquer a few Brazilian states (Parana, Santa Caterina
Santa Caterina
-Places:* Santa Caterina state, Brazil*Santa Caterina Albanese, in the Province of Cosenza, Italy*Santa Caterina dello Ionio, in the Province of Catanzaro, Italy*Santa Caterina Villarmosa, in the Province of Caltanissetta, Italy...
and Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
), and establish its own colony, dependent on Warsaw. As a result, anti-Polish demonstrations took place in Curitiba. Polish newspapers described events in faraway Brazil, in April 1934 Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny
Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny
Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny was a Polish daily as well as a publishing house, founded in 1910 in Kraków by Marian Dąbrowski...
mocked the conflict, writing on main page “We expect arrival of Polish Army headquarters in Parana”.
Soon afterwards, Brazilian government under Getulio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
, began limiting Polish immigration, also Poles themselves were no more interested in settling in Brazil and in 1938 the project was cancelled.
Liberia
On August 28, 1933, Polish government signed a cooperation treaty with the government of Liberia, at the request of Liberian government, represented by Leo Sajous. Next year, Polish specialist went to MonroviaMonrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
and consulates were established in both capitals. General Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer
Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer
Gustaw Konstanty Orlicz-Dreszer was a Polish general, and a political and social activist.Before World War I, Orlicz-Dreszer was involved in pro-independence activities in partitioned Poland. In 1914-17 he served in the 1st Brigade of the Polish Legions. He was arrested during the Oath Crisis...
, then director of the League was planning to promote large-scale Polish settlement there, with Polish farms in African countryside, but due to lack of funds, this project was abandoned soon afterwards.
Madagascar
A special interest was shown in MadagascarMadagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, with a kind of historical claim provided by the 18th Century Polish adventurer Maurice Benyovszky who had spent some years on that island and on one occasion been chosen a ruler by some of its inhabitants. Polish interest in Madagascar was fueled by the 1937 visit of Polish popular writer Arkady Fiedler
Arkady Fiedler
Arkady Fiedler was a Polish writer, journalist and adventurer.He studied philosophy and natural science at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and later in Poznań and the University of Leipzig...
to the Madgascar town of Ambinanitelo
Ambinanitelo
Ambinanitelo is a town and commune in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Maroantsetra, which is a part of Analanjirofo Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 30,000 in 2001 commune census....
, where he lived for several months and on whose people's culture he later wrote a book which had considerable success among the Polish public. However, as France had no inclination to give up its rule of Madagascar in favor of Poland, this had no practical consequences.
Outcome
The League ceased to exist in September 1939, following joint German and Soviet aggression on Poland. After World War II , the new communist government was not interested in colonialism and the organization was reestablished in 1944 as Maritime League. In 1953 it was dissolved, then in 1981 recreated again as Maritime League. Since 1999 it has been called Maritime and River League.In the spring of 2006, Polish artist Janek Simon went to Madagascar, looking back to the ideas of the interbellum period. He wanted to organized there the “Polish Year in Madagascar”, instead, two exhibitions took place.