Pilsudski and the left

In May 1926, Polish marshal and war hero Jozef Pilsudski carried out a military coup against the democratic institutions of the Polish republic, replacing it with his own strongman rule, which became progressively more authoritarian and repressive. By the time of his death in 1935, Pilsudski was the de facto dictator of Poland.

Curiously, Pilsudski, an ex-socialist military leader who had fought Soviet Russia in 1920, was initially seen as a man of the Left, at least by the Polish socialist groups. Even the Communists backed his power bid in 1926. Indeed, one of the main reasons for the coup's success was a national strike among railway workers, which stopped the right-wing Polish government in Warsaw from getting reinforcements during the decisive battle against Pilsudski's troops. After the coup, Pilsudski quickly moved to the right, reaching an accommodation with the old Polish aristocracy and the Catholic Church. Yet, many socialist groups vainly continued to back him, at least until 1930, when Pilsudski's regime carried out mass arrests of political opponents, including those of the Left.

“Pilsudski's Coup d'Etat” is a thorough study of the May events in 1926 and follows the story until 1930. I admit that I found the book rather boring, but I suppose it's unfair to accuse a strictly historical study for not being as exciting as an action film on TV! It contains both detailed descriptions of the coup and its political aftermath, and attempts at analysis. There are chapters on economic policy, foreign policy and an appendix on the role of the Polish Communists in the relevant events. One thing Rothschild's study never really explains, however, is why Pilsudski was so widely believed to be a leftist or potential leftist, even at a time when his rightist orientation should have been obvious. Here, I suppose a more detailed description of Pilsudski's rhetoric, or the political psychology of the Polish leftist groups, might have been in order.

Although “Pilsudski's Coup D'Etat” isn't suited for the general reader, I nevertheless give it four stars due to its obvious interest for serious students of Polish history.