Władysław Raczkiewicz
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| Władysław Raczkiewicz | ||
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| Term of Office | from September 30, 1939 until June 6, 1947 |
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| Profession | Lawyer | |
| Political Party | none (BBWR) | |
| First Lady | not married | |
| Date of Birth | January 28, 1885 | |
| Place of Birth | Kutaisi, Georgia | |
| Date of Death | June 6, 1947 | |
| Place of Death | Wales, United Kingdom | |
Władysław Raczkiewicz (January 28, 1885–June 6, 1947) was a Polish political figure and the first president of the Polish government in exile from 1939 until his death in 1947.
Władysław, the son of a judge, was born in Russia. He studied in St. Petersburg were he joined the Polish Youth Organization. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Dorpat he worked as a lawyer in Minsk. On the outbreak of World War I he joined the underground movement for Polish freedom. He served under Józef Piłsudski, who built a private army that would gain Poland independence from Russia.
During the Russian Civil War, Pilsudski appointed Raczkiewicz as his Minister of Internal Affairs. Later he became Speaker of the Senate. When Poland was invaded by the German Army in 1939, he escaped to London, where he joined Władysław Sikorski and Stanisław Mikołajczyk to establish a Polish government in exile.
In February, 1945, Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt held the Yalta Conference. Poland was the main debating point. Stalin explained that only a strong, pro-Communist Government in Poland would be able to guarantee the security of the Soviet Union. As a result of the conference the Allies withdrew their recognition for the Polish Government in Exile.
Raczkiewicz died in 1947.
| Preceded by Ignacy Mościcki or Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski |
President of the Polish Republic in Exile 1939–1947 (or 1945) |
Succeeded by Bolesław Bierut (Chairman of the People's Council in Poland) or August Zaleski (President of the Polish Republic in Exile) |
| Presidents of Poland | |
|---|---|
| Republic of Poland | Gabriel Narutowicz · Maciej Rataj (acting) · Stanisław Wojciechowski · Maciej Rataj (acting) · Ignacy Mościcki |
| Government in Exile | Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski · Władysław Raczkiewicz · August Zaleski · Council of Three · Stanisław Ostrowski · Edward Raczyński · Kazimierz Sabbat · Ryszard Kaczorowski |
| People's Republic of Poland | Bolesław Bierut · office superseded · Wojciech Jaruzelski |
| Republic of Poland | Wojciech Jaruzelski · Lech Wałęsa · Aleksander Kwaśniewski · Lech Kaczyński |
