Stanislaw Wojciechowski
Encyclopedia
Stanisław Wojciechowski (staˈɲiswaf vɔjt͡ɕɛˈxɔfskʲi; 1869–1953) was a Polish
politician and scientist. In 1922 he was elected the second President of the Republic of Poland
following the assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz
. He was ousted by the May Coup d'État of 1926.
Stanisław Wojciechowski was born on 15 March 1869 in Kalisz
, and died near Warsaw
on 9 April 1953 at the age of 84. He was born into a family of Polish nobility, and the intelligentsia
. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Warsaw
, from 1888–1891. At the university, he was a member of two underground organizations: the Zet ("Polish Youth Union") and the Workers Union. Wojciechowski was arrested in 1891 for his involvement in the Polish Socialist movement, a group agitating heavily for independence from Imperial Russia. After being released from prison, Wojciechowski moved to Paris, where he participated in the Paris Congress.
In 1893, Stanislaw Wojciechowski helped co-found the Congress of the Polish Socialist Party
in Vilnius
. There he met and befriended Józef Piłsudski. Wojciechowski had always spoken out against terror as a political tool, but was arrested and expelled from France in 1895. He stayed in France illegally until 1899. In 1899, Wojciechowski moved to London, where he studied the cooperative movement while helping to publish the Polish Socialist periodical Przedswit (“The Dawn”).
In 1905, he and Pilsudski edited and published the Robotnik (“Worker”) together. Amidst political turmoil in 1906, Wojciechowski returned to Poland. Wojciechowski had bought into the cooperative movement and withdrew from the Polish Socialist Party as he worked to establish Polish cooperatives. He founded a weekly named Spolem (“Together”).
During World War I, Stanislaw Wojciechowski, believing that Germany posed the biggest threat to Poland, moved to Moscow and after the fall of the Tsarist regime was elected President of the Council of Polish Parties’ Union. After helping to create the Polish Army in Russia in 1918, Stanislaw Wojciechowski was forced to leave Moscow under threat of arrest. From 1919 to 1920, Wojciechowski served as Minister of the Interior for three different Polish governments. During this time, Wojciechowski also participated in the drafting of the Polish constitution.
In 1922, Wojciechowski was elected to the Sejm
as a member of the Polish People's Party "Piast". Only a month later he was chosen by the National Assembly to succeed the assassinated Gabriel Narutowicz
as President of the Polish Republic. Stanislaw Wojciechowski served as President from 1922–1926. In 1926, after disputes over the direction of the government (Wojciechowski favoring a continuation of parliamentary democracy over increased authoritarianism), his old friend Józef Piłsudski staged a coup d’etat and Wojciechowski resigned from office. Stanislaw Wojciechowski retired to private life and died in Golobki in 1953, at the age of 84.
Stanislaw Wojciechowski experienced a political life not unlike that of many Eastern European politicians during the early 20th century. They initially were radicals in their youth, but as they matured, they changed or modified their ideology. He was at the forefront of over a quarter-century of Polish political development. Stanislaw Wojciechowski is considered one of the founders of the modern independent Polish state.
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...
politician and scientist. In 1922 he was elected the second President of the Republic of Poland
President of the Republic of Poland
The President of the Republic of Poland is the Polish head of state. His or her rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Poland....
following the assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz
Gabriel Narutowicz
Gabriel Narutowicz was a Lithuanian-born professor of hydroelectric engineering at Switzerland's Zurich Polytechnic, and Poland's Minister of Public Works , Minister of Foreign Affairs , and the first president of the Second Polish Republic....
. He was ousted by the May Coup d'État of 1926.
Stanisław Wojciechowski was born on 15 March 1869 in Kalisz
Kalisz
Kalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
, and died near 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...
on 9 April 1953 at the age of 84. He was born into a family of Polish nobility, and the intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
, from 1888–1891. At the university, he was a member of two underground organizations: the Zet ("Polish Youth Union") and the Workers Union. Wojciechowski was arrested in 1891 for his involvement in the Polish Socialist movement, a group agitating heavily for independence from Imperial Russia. After being released from prison, Wojciechowski moved to Paris, where he participated in the Paris Congress.
In 1893, Stanislaw Wojciechowski helped co-found the Congress of 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...
in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. There he met and befriended Józef Piłsudski. Wojciechowski had always spoken out against terror as a political tool, but was arrested and expelled from France in 1895. He stayed in France illegally until 1899. In 1899, Wojciechowski moved to London, where he studied the cooperative movement while helping to publish the Polish Socialist periodical Przedswit (“The Dawn”).
In 1905, he and Pilsudski edited and published the Robotnik (“Worker”) together. Amidst political turmoil in 1906, Wojciechowski returned to Poland. Wojciechowski had bought into the cooperative movement and withdrew from the Polish Socialist Party as he worked to establish Polish cooperatives. He founded a weekly named Spolem (“Together”).
In 1922, Wojciechowski was elected to 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 ....
as a member of the Polish People's Party "Piast". Only a month later he was chosen by the National Assembly to succeed the assassinated Gabriel Narutowicz
Gabriel Narutowicz
Gabriel Narutowicz was a Lithuanian-born professor of hydroelectric engineering at Switzerland's Zurich Polytechnic, and Poland's Minister of Public Works , Minister of Foreign Affairs , and the first president of the Second Polish Republic....
as President of the Polish Republic. Stanislaw Wojciechowski served as President from 1922–1926. In 1926, after disputes over the direction of the government (Wojciechowski favoring a continuation of parliamentary democracy over increased authoritarianism), his old friend Józef Piłsudski staged a coup d’etat and Wojciechowski resigned from office. Stanislaw Wojciechowski retired to private life and died in Golobki in 1953, at the age of 84.
Stanislaw Wojciechowski experienced a political life not unlike that of many Eastern European politicians during the early 20th century. They initially were radicals in their youth, but as they matured, they changed or modified their ideology. He was at the forefront of over a quarter-century of Polish political development. Stanislaw Wojciechowski is considered one of the founders of the modern independent Polish state.
See also
- List of Presidents of Poland