The Polish Anchor of Freedom
Karol NAWROCKI
History teaches us that an independent, dynamically developing Poland is an important pillar of the free world.
.On 22 January 1917, in the midst of the Great War ravaging Europe, the President of the United States delivered one of the most important foreign policy speeches in history. Standing before the Senate, he shared a bold vision for global peace. It encompassed a country that had been off the map for more than a century. ‘[…] statesmen everywhere are agreed that there should be a united, independent, and autonomous Poland,’ he said. Although his assessment was overly optimistic – neither Russia, Germany nor Austria-Hungary wanted a fully sovereign Poland at the time – his wish came true just a year and a half later.
DNA of a Free Nation
.When Russia, Prussia and Austria carved up Poland in the 18th century, they were resolved that it should never be reunited. The St Petersburg Convention, signed by the partitioning empires in January 1797, called for the ‘elimination of anything that could serve as a reminder of the Polish Kingdom’s existence.’ However, the Polish people, who had an innate love for freedom, never accepted the loss of their statehood and continuously fought to reclaim it. They initially joined forces with Napoleon and later rebelled against the partitioners in uprisings. Despite ending in defeat and repression, these rebellious outbursts strengthened national consciousness. Equally crucial were the arduous efforts to increase the strength and organisation of a society divided under different foreign rules.
From the Polish perspective, the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was a long-awaited geopolitical turning point. The powerful partitioning states were at each other’s throats. The Poles had to make the most of the situation. Józef Piłsudski, a prominent advocate for independence, took steps to establish the Polish Legions, joining forces with Germany and Austria-Hungary in their fight against Russia. An experienced politician, Roman Dmowski lobbied the Entente politicians for the Polish cause in Lausanne and later in Paris. Ignacy Jan Paderewski proved to be another very effective diplomat. This world-famous pianist managed to win the favour of both President Wilson and his advisor Edward Mandell House.
An effective combination of diplomacy and military effort finally restored Poland’s independence after 123 years of enslavement. On 16 November 1918, five days after the signing of the armistice at Compiègne that ended the First World War, Piłsudski sent out a telegram to the ‘belligerent and neutral governments and nations’ notifying them of ‘the existence of an Independent Polish State, within all the territories of the united Poland.’
From Independence to Independence
.However, it was not yet known whether the reborn state would survive and, if so, in what form. The Poles fought successfully against the Germans for a favourable western border – in the Greater Poland Uprising and three Silesian uprisings – and through peace negotiations in Paris, again led by Dmowski and Paderewski. Meanwhile, the army commanded by Piłsudski managed to defeat the Bolsheviks, who wanted to carry their bloody revolution to the West ‘over the corpse of white Poland.’ Lord Edgar D’Abernon of Britain described the Battle of Warsaw in 1920, in which the Poles defeated the Red Army, as the eighteenth decisive battle in world history.
Even during times of peace in the 1920s and 1930s, the Poles showed their capacity for greatness. The territories that had long been divided between the three partitioning states were efficiently reunited. The young state was not afraid to undertake major investments. Gdynia, once a sleepy fishing village on the Baltic coast, quickly became one of Europe’s largest and most modern ports. In the late 1930s, the Central Industrial District was built in central Poland, south of Warsaw, to enhance the country’s defence capabilities and drive modernisation. This highly advanced project was interrupted by the Second World War.
The vicious pact between two totalitarianisms concluded in August 1939 by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin pushed the world towards a new conflict, even bloodier and more terrible than that of 1914–1918. This time, Poland was invaded by two powers: Germany and the Soviet Union. The German occupation was marked by mass executions, round-ups, deportations to Auschwitz and forced labour. The Soviet yoke meant the gulags of Siberia, the steppes of Kazakhstan and Katyń, where the cream of the Polish intelligentsia was killed by being shot in the back of the head. In total, the hecatomb of the Second World War claimed the lives of almost 6 million Polish citizens, including the vast majority of Polish Jews. It has also brought the country enormous material losses, which today amount to hundreds of billions of dollars.
Just as during the First World War, the Poles took up arms to win back their independence once again. Under the occupation, a secret army was created and grew under the Polish government in exile – first as the Union of Armed Struggle and later as the Home Army. On 1 August 1944, the Home Army initiated the Warsaw Uprising, the largest urban uprising in Europe against German control. More than that, Polish soldiers fought on some of the war’s most decisive fronts: the Battle of Britain, Tobruk, Monte Cassino and Falaise. Like Casimir Pulaski and Thaddeus Kosciuszko, they fought for their own freedom and the freedom of other nations, earning the admiration of American general George Patton.
Sadly, the end of the Second World War did not bring Poland the long-awaited freedom, but rather a new form of enslavement. The country found itself under the rule of the Communists, brought to power by the bayonets and tanks of the Red Army. It was only at the end of the 1980s, with the prominent involvement of Pope John Paul II and the multimillion-strong Solidarity movement, that we managed to throw off our dependence on the Soviet Union.
A Strong Poland in a Safe Europe
.Poland is now where its heart has always been – in the political, economic and military structures of the West. After enduring years of plundering policies by occupying powers, an inefficient socialist economy and a challenging transition to market realities, our country has finally been presented with a new prospect for substantial progress. To achieve this, we need investments on par with the port of Gdynia and the Central Industrial District. Several notable projects have been completed or at least initiated over the past few years. The LNG terminal named after President Lech Kaczyński was built in Świnoujście. A canal was constructed across the Vistula Spit, opening a free route to the Baltic Sea for Elbląg. The previous government also launched plans to build a Central Transport Port that would connect Warsaw and Łódź, serving as the largest transportation hub in this part of Europe. The port would integrate the airport, road networks and high-speed rail.
With a population of almost 38 million, Poland has the potential to become a long-term leader in the region, not only in terms of economic growth rates but also in promoting shared development and security. Even before the Second World War, a concept of the Intermarinum had already developed, referring to an alliance of Central and Eastern European states situated between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas. This concept emerged from the belief that by working closely together, the countries in the region could safeguard themselves against the Soviet threat while also preserving their autonomy, a goal that would have been unattainable within the framework of German Mitteleuropa. Today, the Intermarinum, founded on the solidarity of Central and Eastern European states, could effectively counter the Russian threat and prevent excessive German influence in Europe.
The Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has made it abundantly clear that freedom is not a permanent achievement. Poland has provided unprecedented aid to Kyiv, from offering military support to hosting a large number of refugees. NATO countries can also count on Warsaw. We will spend 4.7 per cent of GDP on defence next year, which is well above the 2 per cent required of North Atlantic Treaty Organization members. The people of Poland have a deep understanding of the Alliance’s obligations, especially in such difficult times as these.
.Today, the independent and self-determining Poland, as mentioned by President Wilson, continues to reinforce the stability and security of the free world.
