Second Polish Republic: Map & History
The Second Polish Republic, officially known at the time as the Republic of Poland, was the Polish state that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939 after being established in the final stage of World War I.
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The Second Polish Republic, officially known at the time as the Republic of Poland, was the Polish state that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939 after being established in the final stage of World War I. The Second Republic was taken over in 1939 on the eve of its twenty-first anniversary, after it was invaded by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Republic, marking the beginning of the European theatre of the Second World War. The Polish government-in-exile was established in Paris and later London after the fall of France in 1940.
Modern Countries Once Part of Second Polish Republic
At its mapped extent, Second Polish Republic covered territory in 4 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Poland1919–1939 CE · a large part
- Belarus1920–1939 CE · a large part
- Lithuania1920–1939 CE · a small part
- Ukraine1920–1939 CE · a small part
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Second Polish Republic's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Second Polish Republic in Depth
Politics and government
The Second Polish Republic was a parliamentary democracy from 1919 (see Small Constitution of 1919) to 1926, with the President having limited powers. The Parliament elected him, and he could appoint the Prime Minister as well as the government with the Sejm's (lower house's) approval, but he could only dissolve the Sejm with the Senate's consent. Moreover, his power to pass decrees was limited by the requirement that the Prime Minister and the appropriate other Minister had to verify his decrees with their signatures. Poland was one of the first countries in the world to recognise women's suffrage. Women in Poland were granted the right to vote on 28 November 1918 by a decree of General Józef Piłsudski.
Economy
After regaining its independence, Poland was faced with major economic difficulties. In addition to the devastation brought by the First World War, the exploitation of the Polish economy by the German and Russian occupying powers, and the sabotage performed by retreating armies, the new republic was faced with the task of economically unifying disparate economic regions, which had previously been part of different countries and different empires. Within the borders of the Republic were the remnants of three different economic systems, with five different currencies (the German mark, the Imperial Russian rouble, the Austrian krone, the Polish marka and the Ostrubel) and with little or no direct infrastructural links.
Education and culture
In 1919, the Polish government introduced compulsory education for all children aged 7 to 14, in an effort to limit illiteracy, which was widespread, especially in the former Russian Partition and the Austrian Partition of eastern Poland. In 1921, one-third of the citizens of Poland remained illiterate (38% in the countryside). The process was slow, but by 1931 the illiteracy level had dropped to 23% overall (27% in the countryside) and further down to 18% in 1937. By 1939, over 90% of children attended school.
Geography
The Second Polish Republic was mainly flat with an average elevation of 233 m (764 ft) above sea level, except for the southernmost Carpathian Mountains (after the Second World War and its border changes, the average elevation of Poland decreased to 173 m (568 ft)). Only 13% of the territory, along the southern border, was higher than 300 m (980 ft). The highest elevation in the country was Mount Rysy, which rises 2,499 m (8,199 ft) in the Tatra Range of the Carpathians, approximately 95 km (59 mi) south of Kraków. Between October 1938 and September 1939, the highest elevation was Lodowy Szczyt (known in Slovak as Ľadový štít), which rises 2,627 m (8,619 ft) above sea level. The largest lake was Lake Narach.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Second Polish Republic (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Second Polish Republic: Key Facts
| Capital | Warsaw |
|---|---|
| Official language | Polish |
| Form of government | one-party state |
| Currency | złoty |
| Founded | 16 November 1918 |
| Dissolved | 5 July 1945 |
Preceded by
- Kingdom of Poland
- Rada Narodowa Księstwa Cieszyńskiego
- Regency Council
- Austria–Hungary
- Cisleithania
- Lithuanian–Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
Succeeded by
- Polish People's Republic
- Polish Underground State
- Polish government-in-exile
- General Government
- Soviet Union
- Slovak Republic
Facts from Wikidata Q207272 (CC0).
Interactive map
Second Polish Republic on the World War I map →
See Second Polish Republic on the day-by-day map of World War I.
Second Polish Republic: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Second Polish Republic exist?
The Second Polish Republic is dated to 1919 CE – 1939 CE, in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of the Second Polish Republic?
The capital of the Second Polish Republic was Warsaw.
How large was the Second Polish Republic at its peak?
At its peak in 1939 the Second Polish Republic covered about 374,080 km².
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