MARSHAL JOSEPH PILSUDSKI AND REBORN POLAND

Abstract

May 12 this year, it has been 80 years, since one of the greatest of Poles, our homeland has ever had – Marshal Joseph Pilsudski has departed to the eternal watch. That is he, more than anybody else, undertook efforts to restore to political being Polish Republic, which did not exist politically for 123 years. It was on October 24, 1795 that three neighboring powers: Russia, Prussia and Austria shared the rest of the territory of the Polish Republic in its third partition. Signed two years later the partitions convention in St. Petersburg on January 26 1797 has permanently legitimized this state of affairs. Uprisings such as Kosciusko Insurrection of 1794, November Uprising of 1830, and the January Uprising of 1863 were not able to reverse this state of affairs. Hopes connected with French-Russian war of 1812 proved to be too barren hopes. Poles had to wait for the arrival dreamed by Mickiewicz “war of the nations” and take advantage of this incredible coincidence, that at one time three invaders suffered military defeat. This favorable situation predicted and fully took advantage of it, the future Head of State – Joseph Pilsudski. He was for the whole galaxy of patriots’ inspirer and leader in those very complicated times. He was a man of great capacity, able to answer to challenges of those years.