Bio of Polish statesman holds lessons on today's Ukraine - Danbury News Times

JOHN DANISZEWSKI, Associated Press

Nov. 18, 2022Updated: Nov. 18, 2022 1:38 a.m.

At a clip erstwhile galore Poles had fixed up connected the imagination for afloat independence, Piłsudski enactment a sovereign Polish authorities backmost connected the representation of Europe astatine the extremity of World War I, aft much than a century's erasure.

Piłsudski's story, implicit with flaws, accomplishments and echoes of today’s warfare successful Ukraine, is brought to beingness successful a caller biography, “Józef Piłsudski Founding Father of Modern Poland,” by Joshua D. Zimmerman, a prof of Holocaust Studies and eastbound European past astatine New York’s Yeshiva University. The book, published by Harvard University Press, besides reexamines Piłsudski's narration to Ukraine.

Thickly mustached, with dense brows and a hawk-like visage, Piłsudski lived modestly and inspired his troops by starring them successful battle. He was celebrated astatine location and overseas successful his day, but his representation extracurricular of Poland has faded.

After proclaiming a caller Polish republic, Piłsudski and his legionnaires fought a bid of wars to define, unafraid and support its borders, culminating with his top victory: turning backmost a Bolshevik service successful 1920 that was threatening to thrust each the mode to Berlin and transportation a Communist gyration to the bosom of concern Europe.

Before that battle, known arsenic the “Miracle connected the Vistula,” Piłsudski's forces had marched heavy into Ukraine and occupied Kyiv successful an confederation with nationalist person Symon Petliura, who besides was warring the Bolsheviks, amid Ukraine's short-lived independency successful 1918-21.

As Zimmerman recounts, Piłsudski had a imaginativeness of a multilingual and multiethnic Poland that respected the rights of minorities, particularly Jews. That earned him the enmity of nationalists who wanted a Poland tally for taste Poles.

After World War I, Piłsudski hoped Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine could signifier an confederation to antagonistic Russia successful the benignant of the Polish-Lithuanian national that existed for centuries anterior to 1795. But Ukrainians and Lithuanians were wary of Polish claims connected their territories, and Pilsudski's imaginativeness of an anti-Russian confederation ne'er became reality.

In connection that mightiness beryllium applied to today's discourse, Piłsudski conceived of a sovereign Ukraine not simply to forestall Russian aggression but arsenic an outpost of Western wide democracy.

“There tin beryllium nary autarkic Poland,” helium is quoted arsenic saying successful 1919, “without an autarkic Ukraine.”

Piłsudski launched a subject run successful 1920 to enactment Ukrainian nationalists against Bolshevik rule, an enactment condemned by immoderate arsenic an overreach. Zimmerman believed helium had a rationale that echoes today, erstwhile Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic countries, arsenic good arsenic Finland and Sweden, consciousness that Russia nether President Vladimir Putin indispensable beryllium contained.

On May 7, 1920, Piłsudski's cavalry entered Kyiv, followed by Polish and Ukrainian infantry. At the highest of his Ukrainian campaign, helium ordered his commanders to retreat “as soon arsenic possible" successful bid to found affable relations with the caller Ukrainian state. according to Zimmerman.

“My presumption is that helium intelligibly championed an autarkic Ukraine, 1 that would beryllium a antiauthoritarian outpost connected Russia’s border, a buffer betwixt Russia and the West, but besides a staunch Polish state that shared Piłsudski's antiauthoritarian values and the values of astatine slightest his followers,” the writer said.

Poland and Lithuania — 2 countries that emerged from Soviet regularisation — are among Ukraine’s strongest diplomatic champions against Putin's Russia.

Zimmerman’s publication makes a balanced and “significant contribution” to the knowing of Piłsudski, said Michael Fleming, a historiographer and manager of the Institute of European Culture astatine the Polish University Abroad successful London.

“Pilsudski was good alert of the challenges posed by Poland’s geography and concluded that an autarkic Ukraine would stock Poland’s involvement successful limiting Russia’s expansionist tendencies,” Fleming said by email. “At the aforesaid time, however, it is important to retrieve that occidental Galicia (including Lviv) was overmuch contested” betwixt Poles and Ukrainians.

Indeed Polish and Ukrainian nationalists clashed successful the aboriginal 1900s and again during and aft World War II, and immoderate taste animosities person lingered.

During Russia's civilian warfare betwixt the Red Army and the anti-Bolshevik White Army, Pilsudski resisted pleas for Poland to assistance the Whites. No substance who won, helium believed, Russia would stay “fiercely imperialistic."

There was small to summation from negotiations due to the fact that “we cannot judge thing Russia promises,” Piłsudski is quoted arsenic saying.

Piłsudski, calved successful 1867 and raised successful present-day Lithuania, was steeped successful the romanticism of Polish independence. He acquired a burning hatred of czarist authorization that held Poland, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine successful its grip, and helium and his member were implicated successful a crippled to assassinate the czar and imprisoned.

Zimmerman traces how, upon his release, Piłsudski became the starring activistic of the banned Polish Socialist Party, published its paper for years, made a daring flight from a 2nd Russian imprisonment aft helium was caught — by pretending to beryllium insane — and past turned to creating a subject unit successful Austrian-ruled Poland that yet fought against Russia during World War I.

Although they fought nether Austria and Germany, Piłsudski's insistence connected Polish independency yet led to his imprisonment by the Germans, a sacrifice that enhanced his fable among his chap Poles. Upon his release, helium was acclaimed the country's person and the de facto laminitis of modern Poland connected Nov. 11, 1918, present celebrated arsenic Polish independency day.

After Poland's borders were secured and a civilian authorities established, Piłsudski mostly stepped backmost from nationalist life. But aft respective years, helium followed with his ain crook to strongman rule.

Concerned that a antiauthoritarian Poland was slipping distant and disgusted by 13 failed Polish governments, helium led a 1926 subject putsch to reconstruct order. After imposing a strategy of “managed” ideology and brushed dictatorship, Piłsudski's last years were burdened by declining wellness and increasing worries astir however to presumption Poland betwixt a rising Soviet Union and Hitler's Germany.

Zimmerman captures the difficulties of knitting unneurotic Poland and details its conflicts, including pogroms against Jews by immoderate of Piłsudski's troops. Yet helium views Pilsudski arsenic a defender of Jews and pluralism.

The writer makes the lawsuit that Piłsudski, though flawed, possessed the judgement and skills to support Poland's interests. His decease successful 1935 near Poland with a vacuum successful leadership, incapable to stave disconnected the German and Soviet invasions of 1939.

Yet Piłsudski's instauration of an autarkic Poland aft World War I helped guarantee that erstwhile World War II ended and Soviet regularisation receded, determination would beryllium nary question that an autarkic Poland would reemerge.

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John Daniszewski, editor-at-large for standards and erstwhile elder managing exertion for planetary quality astatine The Associated Press, is simply a erstwhile Warsaw correspondent.