May Coup
Encyclopedia
The May Coup d'État was a coup d'état
successfully carried out in Poland
by Marshal
Józef Piłsudski between 12 and 14 May 1926. The coup overthrew the government of President Stanisław Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Wincenty Witos
. A new government was installed, headed by Lwów Polytechnic Professor Kazimierz Bartel
, and supported by the Sanation
political movement.
Initially Piłsudski was offered the presidency, but he declined in favor of Ignacy Mościcki
. Piłsudski, however, remained the most influential politician in Poland, and became its de facto dictator
until his death in 1935.
, which had received support from the National Democracy and the Polish Socialist Party
(PPS). General Lucjan Żeligowski
became the new government's minister of military affairs. However, after the PPS withdrew its support, this government also fell and was replaced by that of Prime Minister Wincenty Witos
, formed by PSL Piast and Chrześcijański Związek Jedności Narodowej (Chjeno-Piast
). However, the new government had even less popular support than the previous ones, and pronouncements from Józef Piłsudski, who viewed the constant power shifts in the Sejm
(Polish parliament) as chaotic and damaging, set the stage for a coup d'état
.
Apart from domestic turmoil, Polish politics had been shaken by a trade war
with Germany
, begun in June 1925, and by the signing of the Treaty of Locarno on October 16. Under the terms of the treaty, the World War I
western Europe
an Allied powers and the new states of Central
and Eastern Europe
sought to secure a postwar territorial settlement in return for normalized relations with defeated Germany
.
(the Morning Courier), said that he was "ready to fight the evil" of Sejmocracy and promised a "sanation" (restoration to health) of political life. The newspaper edition was confiscated by the authorities.
The night of 11 May to 12 May a state of alert was declared in the Warsaw military garrison, and some units marched to Rembertów
, where they pledged their support to Piłsudski. On 12 May they marched on Warsaw and captured bridges over the Wisła River
. Meanwhile Wincenty Witos' government declared a state of emergency
.
At about 17:00 hours, Marshal Piłsudski met President Stanisław Wojciechowski on the Poniatowski Bridge
. Piłsudski demanded the resignation of Witos' cabinet, while the President demanded Piłsudski's capitulation. With no result in this round of negotiations, fighting erupted about 19:00 hours.
Next day a new round of negotiations was begun, mediated by Archbishop
Aleksander Kakowski and Marshall of the Sejm
Maciej Rataj
. These negotiations, however, brought no change to the stalemate. On 14 May the Polish Socialist Party
declared its support for the rebels and called for a general strike
, supported by the Railwaymen's Union (Związek Zawodowy Kolejarzy). The strike by socialist railwaymen paralyzed communications and prevented pro-government military reinforcements from reaching Warsaw
.
Eventually, to prevent the Warsaw fighting from turning into a country-wide civil war
, Wojciechowski and Witos resigned their offices.
During these events, 215 soldiers and 164 civilians were killed, and some 900 people were wounded.
A new government was formed under Prime Minister Kazimierz Bartel
, with Piłsudski as minister of military affairs. On 31 May the National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe) nominated Piłsudski to be president, but he declined to accept. Eventually Ignacy Mościcki
became the new president; Piłsudski, however, wielded much greater de facto power than his military ministry nominally gave him.
government (1926-39) — conducted at times by authoritarian means — directed at restoring moral "health" to public life. Although until his death in 1935 Piłsudski played a preponderant role in Poland's government, his formal offices — apart from two stints as prime minister
in 1926-28 and 1930 — were for the most part limited to those of minister of defense and inspector-general of the armed forces
.
The adoption of a new Polish constitution in April 1935 (the April Constitution), tailored by Piłsudski's supporters to his specifications — providing for a strong presidency — came too late for Piłsudski to seek that office. But the April Constitution would serve Poland until the outbreak of World War II
and would carry its Government in Exile
through the war and beyond.
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
successfully carried out in Poland
Second 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...
by Marshal
Marshal of Poland
Marshal of Poland is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, this rank is equivalent to a Field Marshal or General of the Army in other NATO armies.-History:...
Józef Piłsudski between 12 and 14 May 1926. The coup overthrew the government of President Stanisław Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Wincenty Witos
Wincenty Witos
Wincenty Witos was a prominent member of the Polish People's Party from 1895, and leader of its "Piast" faction from 1913. He was a member of parliament in the Galician Sejm from 1908–1914, and an envoy to Reichsrat in Vienna from 1911 to 1918...
. A new government was installed, headed by Lwów Polytechnic Professor Kazimierz Bartel
Kazimierz Bartel
Kazimierz Władysław Bartel was a Polish mathematician and politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland three times between 1926 and 1930....
, and supported by the Sanation
Sanacja
Sanation was a Polish political movement that came to power after Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État. Sanation took its name from his watchword—the moral "sanation" of the Polish body politic...
political movement.
Initially Piłsudski was offered the presidency, but he declined in favor of Ignacy Mościcki
Ignacy Moscicki
Ignacy Mościcki was a Polish chemist, politician, and President of Poland . He was the longest-serving President of Poland .-Life:...
. Piłsudski, however, remained the most influential politician in Poland, and became its de facto dictator
Dictator
A dictator is a ruler who assumes sole and absolute power but without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship...
until his death in 1935.
Buildup
In November 1925 the government of Prime Minister Władysław Grabski was replaced by the government of Prime Minister Aleksander SkrzyńskiAleksander Skrzynski
Aleksander Józef Skrzyński |Galicia]] – 25 September 1931 in Łąkociny near Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland) was a Polish politician who served as the country's prime minister from 1925 to 1926...
, which had received support from the National Democracy and the Polish Socialist Party
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
(PPS). General Lucjan Żeligowski
Lucjan Zeligowski
Lucjan Żeligowski , was a Polish general, and veteran of World War I, the Polish-Soviet War and World War II. He is mostly remembered for his role in Żeligowski's Mutiny and as head of a short-lived Republic of Central Lithuania.-Biography:...
became the new government's minister of military affairs. However, after the PPS withdrew its support, this government also fell and was replaced by that of Prime Minister Wincenty Witos
Wincenty Witos
Wincenty Witos was a prominent member of the Polish People's Party from 1895, and leader of its "Piast" faction from 1913. He was a member of parliament in the Galician Sejm from 1908–1914, and an envoy to Reichsrat in Vienna from 1911 to 1918...
, formed by PSL Piast and Chrześcijański Związek Jedności Narodowej (Chjeno-Piast
Chjeno-Piast
Chjeno-Piast was an unofficial name of a coalition of Polish political parties formed in 1923. It included the Polish Peasant Party "Piast" and an older coalition 1922 Christian Association of National Unity . The merger was passed during a meeting in the manor of senator L...
). However, the new government had even less popular support than the previous ones, and pronouncements from Józef Piłsudski, who viewed the constant power shifts in the Sejm
Sejm
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 ....
(Polish parliament) as chaotic and damaging, set the stage for a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
.
Apart from domestic turmoil, Polish politics had been shaken by a trade war
Trade war
A trade war refers to two or more states raising or creating tariffs or other trade barriers on each other in retaliation for other trade barriers...
with 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...
, begun in June 1925, and by the signing of the Treaty of Locarno on October 16. Under the terms of the treaty, the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an Allied powers and the new states of Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
sought to secure a postwar territorial settlement in return for normalized relations with defeated 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...
.
Coup d'état
On 10 May 1926 a Chjeno-Piast government was formed, and that same day Józef Piłsudski, in an interview with Kurier PorannyKurier Poranny
Kurier Poranny can refer to one of the following Polish newspapers:*Kurier Poranny *Kurier Poranny...
(the Morning Courier), said that he was "ready to fight the evil" of Sejmocracy and promised a "sanation" (restoration to health) of political life. The newspaper edition was confiscated by the authorities.
The night of 11 May to 12 May a state of alert was declared in the Warsaw military garrison, and some units marched to Rembertów
Rembertów
Rembertów is a district of the city of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Between 1939 and 1957 Rembertów was a separate town, after which it was incorporated as part of the borough of Praga Południe. Between 1994 and 2002 it formed a separate commune of Warszawa-Rembertów...
, where they pledged their support to Piłsudski. On 12 May they marched on Warsaw and captured bridges over the Wisła River
Vistula
The Vistula is the longest and the most important river in Poland, at 1,047 km in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is , of which lies within Poland ....
. Meanwhile Wincenty Witos' government declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
.
At about 17:00 hours, Marshal Piłsudski met President Stanisław Wojciechowski on the Poniatowski Bridge
Poniatowski Bridge
Poniatowski Bridge is a bridge in Warsaw. Originally built between 1904 and 1914, it was damaged in each of the World Wars and rebuilt afterwards. It spans the Vistula, connecting Powiśle with the Praga quarter on the other side. Its viaduct is an extension of Aleje Jerozolimskie.The 506 m...
. Piłsudski demanded the resignation of Witos' cabinet, while the President demanded Piłsudski's capitulation. With no result in this round of negotiations, fighting erupted about 19:00 hours.
Next day a new round of negotiations was begun, mediated by Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Aleksander Kakowski and Marshall of the Sejm
Marszalek sejmu
Marshal of the Sejm also known as Sejm Marshal, Chairman of the Sejm or Speaker of the Sejm is the speaker of the Sejm...
Maciej Rataj
Maciej Rataj
Maciej Rataj was a Polish politician, socialist activist and writer.Born in the village of Chłopy near Lwów on 19 February 1884, he attended a gymnasium in Lwów and studied classical linguistics at the University of Lwów...
. These negotiations, however, brought no change to the stalemate. On 14 May the Polish Socialist Party
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
declared its support for the rebels and called for a general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
, supported by the Railwaymen's Union (Związek Zawodowy Kolejarzy). The strike by socialist railwaymen paralyzed communications and prevented pro-government military reinforcements from reaching 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...
.
Eventually, to prevent the Warsaw fighting from turning into a country-wide civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
, Wojciechowski and Witos resigned their offices.
During these events, 215 soldiers and 164 civilians were killed, and some 900 people were wounded.
A new government was formed under Prime Minister Kazimierz Bartel
Kazimierz Bartel
Kazimierz Władysław Bartel was a Polish mathematician and politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland three times between 1926 and 1930....
, with Piłsudski as minister of military affairs. On 31 May the National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe) nominated Piłsudski to be president, but he declined to accept. Eventually Ignacy Mościcki
Ignacy Moscicki
Ignacy Mościcki was a Polish chemist, politician, and President of Poland . He was the longest-serving President of Poland .-Life:...
became the new president; Piłsudski, however, wielded much greater de facto power than his military ministry nominally gave him.
Consequences
Piłsudski initiated SanationSanacja
Sanation was a Polish political movement that came to power after Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État. Sanation took its name from his watchword—the moral "sanation" of the Polish body politic...
government (1926-39) — conducted at times by authoritarian means — directed at restoring moral "health" to public life. Although until his death in 1935 Piłsudski played a preponderant role in Poland's government, his formal offices — apart from two stints as prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
in 1926-28 and 1930 — were for the most part limited to those of minister of defense and inspector-general of the armed forces
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
.
The adoption of a new Polish constitution in April 1935 (the April Constitution), tailored by Piłsudski's supporters to his specifications — providing for a strong presidency — came too late for Piłsudski to seek that office. But the April Constitution would serve Poland until the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and would carry its Government in Exile
Polish government in Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile , was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which...
through the war and beyond.