Second Polish Republic

“”Hello, hello. Can you hear us? This is our final message. Today, German troops has entered Warsaw. We send brotherly regards to all, Polish soldiers fighting in hell. And all those fighting, wherever they are, Poland has not perished yet! Long Live Poland!

— Poland's final message, Polskie Radio

Second Polish Republic, officially known at the time as the Republic of Poland or just Poland, was a nation and Polish historical entity in Central and Eastern Europe that existed from 1918 to 1939. He is known for his bravery against the Germans and Russians .

History

Restored after 1918 from ruins of WWI, Poland was back after 123 years of occupation by foreign powers. But, Second Polish Republic faced severe economic challenges, especially in the early 1920s with rampant inflation. But by the late 1920s and early 1930s, Poland began modernizing his industries and infrastructure.

In 1919, Soviet Russia invades Poland and tries to turn him into communist, but Poland was strong and kicked Soviet out of his clay in 1921. He was very strong until some failed painter scum invaded him in 1939 with his revolutionist buddy from both sides trying to take all his clay (even encircled, he fought better than Frenchie).

The United Kingdom and France didn't want to mobilize, because after WWI, mobilization was seen as an act of aggression, and Poland himself didn't want to mobilize because it would insure that Poland was seen as the victim and maybe receive more clay once Germany was defeated. Germany got boo'ed by the international stage, and he was really hoping the Poles would do something aggressive to go alongside all the other aggressions the Germans fabricated. But the late mobilization of Poland was disastrous, and Poland quickly got destroyed so he fled east, only to meet the Red Army who wants to take revenge for the failed Polish-Soviet War back in the early 1920s.

Poland met his end when he was carved up between Nazis and Commies in 1939.

Demographics

Historically, Poland was almost always a multiethnic country. This was especially true for the Second Republic, when independence was once again achieved in the wake of the First World War and the subsequent Polish– Soviet War. The census of 1921 shows 30.8% of the population consisted of ethnic minorities, compared with a share of 1.6% (solely identifying with a non-Polish ethnic group) or 3.8% (including those identifying with both the Polish ethnicity and with another ethnic group) in 2011.

Poland was also a nation of many religions. In 1921, 16,057,229 Poles (approx. 62.5%) were Roman (Latin) Catholics, 3,031,057 citizens of Poland (approx. 11.8%) were Eastern Rite Catholics (mostly Ukrainian Greek Catholics and Armenian Rite Catholics), 2,815,817 (approx. 10.95%) were Orthodox, 2,771,949 (approx. 10.8%) were Jewish, and 940,232 (approx. 3.7%) were Protestants (mostly Lutheran).

Status of Ethnic Minorities

The Second Polish Republic wanted all minorities to assimilate into Polish culture. Relations with minorities were often tense, especially with the biggest minorities, the Ukrainians in the Eastern Borderlands (Kresy) and the Jews.

Jews

From the 1920s, the Polish government excluded Jews from receiving government bank loans, public sector employment, and obtaining business licenses. From the 1930s, measures were taken against Jewish shops, Jewish export firms, Shechita as well as limitations being placed on Jewish admission to the medical and legal professions, Jews in business associations and the enrollment of Jews into universities. This was because the political movement National Democracy (Endecja, from the abbreviation "ND") often organized anti-Jewish business boycotts because they wanted to create a Polish middle class, and they thought the key was trade, but Jews already dominated trade.

Following the death of marshal Józef Piłsudski in 1935, the Endecja intensified their efforts, which triggered violence in extreme cases in smaller towns across the country. In 1937, the National Democracy movement passed resolutions to further limit Jewish influence within Poland. In response, the Polish government the Camp of National Unity (OZON) to oppose the Endecja, and in 1938 the OZON took control of the Polish Sejm and subsequently drafted laws about limiting number of Jewish students in universities. However, these laws weren't nowhere comparable to Germany's, contrary to what some extremists claim. The Endecja even supported a Jewish state on Madagascar, which was proposed by some Zionists. Poland's main issue with the Jews was still "they're not assimilating"—it was the issue in case of other national minorities, not just the Jews. The Jews were simply just the biggest minority in Poland.

According to William W. Hagen, by 1939, prior to the war, Polish Jews were threatened with conditions similar to those in Nazi Germany, but this claim was an over-exaggeration. While Jews faced discrimination economically, the Second Polish Republic is considered a golden age for Jewish culture. There were hundreds of Yiddish-language newspapers, Jewish theatres, schools, universities, literary movements, and political parties. Jewish artists, writers, poets, religious scholars, and activists thrived, and Warsaw became one of the biggest centres of Yiddish culture in the world. Poland had the largest Jewish population in Europe (about 3.3 million Jews, about 10% of the population).

Ukrainians

The pre-war Polish government also restricted the rights of people who declared Ukrainian nationality, belonged to the Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic. Non-assimilating Ukrainians were seen by Polish authorities as disloyal and even subversive. Ukrainian was restricted in every field possible, especially in governmental institutions, and the term "Ruthenian" was enforced in an attempt to ban the use of the term "Ukrainian".

After 1935, Polish policy towards Ukrainians shifted focus from state consolidation to the ethnic assimilation of part of the Ukrainian population through Polonization and conversion to Roman Catholicism.

Quotes

“”OH KUUUUUR-

— Poland's last words before being carved up

Relationships

Friends

• Polish Underground State - Keeps alive my legacy by fightings both Nazi and Soviets.
• White Movement - Thanks for of distractings Soviet!
• Kingdom of Romania - Of good friends, he allows my soldiers to escape. Unfortunately, he would become allies with German Third Reich 2 years later.
• Regency Hungary - Polak Węgier Dwa Bratanki! Helped me in 1920 and took my refugees in 1939 :), but very unfortunately, he later joined to the wretched Axis Powers.
• United Kingdom & France - The Germans are here! Please send military support!
  • Ehhh… we'll wait until the war's over and restore your independence.
  • We believe in you!

Enemies

• German Third Reich - He wants to destroy me, my people and my culture. My worst enemy.
• Soviet Union - He enjoys massacring my people.
• Empire of Japan - I thought we are on good terms but then you ally with him! I declare war on you!
  • I do not accept your declaration.
• Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists - I would not forget the Wołyń massacre!
• First Republic of Lithuania - Stop bickering over Vilnius!

How to draw

Flag of Poland

Second Polish Republic has a drawing rating of trivial.

1. Draw a ball.
2. Fill the top half of the ball with white, the bottom half with red
3. Add the eyes and you are done!

Color Name		HEX
	White	#FFFFFF
	Red	#E34234

Gallery

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