Anniversary of Józef Piłsudski's commencement of the oath crisis.
Today, in our Calendar, we will look at the alleged oath crisis of Józef Piłsudski. At the end of 1916, the current Polish Legions were transformed into the Polish Meal Corps. It became a birthplace of the armed forces subordinate to it on 10 April 1917. The Provisional Council of State (TRS) as the alleged Polish Armed Forces. The head of PES was German general and politician of Warsaw, Hans Hartwig von Beseler. The Polish army under German command was a visible sign of the implementation of the Prussian war goals, the easier to introduce to them was their Vienna allies. With respect to central Europe, it was about the alleged mitteleuropa project. This task assumed postwar political and economical dominance of the German Empire over small, seemingly independent and economically weak states specified as Korona Polska, Ukraine and Lithuania.
The plans of the Prussian General Staff included not only the incapacitation of the Kingdom of Poland, but besides the absorption of parts of its lands straight into Germany as part of the alleged Polish border belt. According to this concept, the Empire was to take over, among others, the areas of Częstochowa, Płock and Łódź. It was clear that the truncated state could not play any political function another than a puppet in Berlin's hands. Although Poles did not know about the German plan mitteleuropa, the bold behaviour of the business authorities made much sense.
Polish MPs in the Viennese Parliament spoke in May 1917 demanding a clear declaration on the creation of a free Poland, containing the lands of 3 partitions. The answer to the very weak Austrian authorities was a time game. In turn, Germany tried strictly to submit to the Provisional Council of State and the Polish Armed Forces. However, the Poles in the TRS were not puppets and resisted these intentions. For a good fewer weeks there was an impasse which ended in early July 1917 with a strong political crisis known as an oath crisis.
The problem was that General Beseler decided to bring the Polish Legions into the Polish Armed Forces and so the individual troops were to take a fresh oath. This event grew into a story and was lied by Polish historiography. Namely, they are portrayed as a large spur of Joseph Piłsudski, who, as a Polish patriot, rightly opposed the increasing oath of allegiance to the emperors, due to the fact that he was only faithful to Poland. The fact is, however, that after this event his legend grew importantly and became an authority for many of our countrymen. How was it? Here is the content of the oath made by soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces:
I curse to the Lord Almighty that my homeland, the Polish kingdom and my future king on land, water and in all place I will faithfully and honestly serve, that in the present war I will faithfully keep the brotherhood of arms to the German and Austro-Hungarian troops and the states allied with them, that I will obey my superiors and commanders, and that I will obey the orders and regulations given to me.
As we can see, there is not a word here about the oath of allegiance to the emperors or both of them. Why, then, in our school textbooks, like a mantra, does it repeat that the oath crisis is an opposition to forcing specified an oath? It is clear here that the oath concerns the faithfulness of the Polish Kingdom and its future ruler, not the emperors. For this there are words about the brotherhood of arms with the troops of Germany and Austro – Hungary until the end of planet War I. What's controversial about Piłsudski and his people fighting side by side with central states for 3 years? That is not all due to the fact that until the establishment of the Kingdom of Poland in the act of 5 November, the Legion soldiers swore allegiance straight to the Emperor Austro – Hungary (!).
Refuse to curse by the 2nd Infantry RegimentPiłsudski himself not only fought on the side of central states but besides collaborated with Austrian intelligence as agent Stefan II. He besides became a associate of the central state-designated TRS, which he subjugated to the POW and someway did not see controversy in this either. Then what was it all about?
As we all know, Piłsudski was a declared politician and socialist. Therefore, he did not accept the revival of Poland in the form of a monarchy due to the fact that in specified a strategy he simply did not find his views. Who knows, possibly that's what might have pushed him to argue the rota of the oath. possibly he thought the accidents were going the incorrect way and it was time to change the front? Or was he just looking for publicity due to the fact that the atmosphere around him was a small quiet? We do not know this, but it is worth looking at this issue, but more importantly, that no 1 has considered the subject of the oath crisis in this respect.
The Piłsudians utilized for propaganda purposes populist slogans about patriotic opposition to oaths of allegiance to the emperors. No wonder. It is worth noting, however, that in sources and accounts from that time, e.g. in the memoirs of Stanisław Głąbiński, attention is paid to the bitterness of simple soldiers, which was to be the basis for the revolt. Indeed, the soldiers were dissatisfied with the spread of the Germans and Austrians and the acceptance of their will by the Provisional Council of State. Interestingly, on the Council of State there was an alleged undefeated patriot and militant for the Polish origin Józef Piłsudski. Did he besides let you push him around?
In fact, the bitterness among soldiers was not common. On July 9, 1917, only those troops that were closely associated with Piłsudski and his men, the I and III brigade of legions, rebelled. And not entirely. The vast majority of Brigadier No. II under General Joseph Haller swore allegiance to the Polish Kingdom and continued to act as the Polish Meal Corps.
At this point, we are faced with interesting questions. First, who was the traitor? Did those who swore allegiance to the Kingdom of Poland or those who refused it? Was the oath of allegiance to the Kingdom of Poland specified a terrible honor to the democrats and socialists of Piłsudski? The full Polish past is facing the same dilemmas due to the fact that since Piłsudski and his people are commonly called patriotic and heroic, soldiers of the 2nd Brigade should be called traitors(!) Yet no 1 calls them or Haller traitors. Another interesting issue is that Piłsudski, erstwhile refusing to take an oath to be faithful to the Polish Crown, left in force his erstwhile oath... to be faithful to the Austrian Emperor, whom he and his legions laid down at the beginning of the war.
Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.
