Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918)

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Królestwo Polskie
Königreich Polen
Kingdom of Poland

Client state of the German Empire
←
1916 – 1918 →
Flag Coat of arms
Flag Coat of arms
Capital Warsaw
Language(s) Polish, German
Government Monarchy
Regency Council Cardinal Kakowski
Prince Lubomirski
Józef Ostrowski
Prime Minister
 - 1917-1918 Jan Kucharzewski
 - 1918 Antoni Ponikowski
 - 1918 Jan Kanty Steczkowski
 - 1918 Ladislaw Wróblewski
Historical era World War I
 - Established November 5, 1916
 - Disestablished November 11, 1918
Currency Polish marka
The White Eagle, symbol of Polish statehood
Polish Statehood

The Kingdom of Poland, also informally called Regency Kingdom of Poland (Polish: Królestwo Regencyjne), was the state proposed by the Act of November 5 issued by Imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary. It was to be created within the former Russian territory of Congress Poland (however with no defined borders) in 1916 and would exist as a satellite state of Germany. The proposal never gained much support in Germany and in reality was aimed only at gaining a Polish Army for Central Powers[1].

Contents

[edit] Creation of the kingdom

The declaration of both emperors allowed the creation of the Regency Council (Polish: Rada Regencyjna) which was given limited administration on territories taken by Germany and was to elect a new monarch. The person who had the greatest chance to become its king was the Austrian Archduke Charles Stephen (Polish: Karol Stefan), whose two daughters were married to Polish aristocrats: prince Olgierd Czartoryski and Hieronim Radziwill, who spoke fluent Polish who resided in Żywiec in Galicia. The Archduke was more than willing to accept the crown, but as a member of Imperial House of Austria he needed a permission from the head of the family, Emperor and King Charles I, who hesitated, having himself planned to assume the Polish Crown. Polish language was reinstituted in all of the territory of the former Congress Poland and the educational and political institutions banned by Russia after the Polish uprisings of 1830 and 1863 were re-created. A Central Powers supported army (called in German: Polnische Wehrmacht) was created in order to help the German war effort, but the recruitement action (led by Colonel Władysław Sikorski) didn't receive the support of Polish people and gave rather insignificant results: in the final stage of the Regency the army counted only about 5,000 men. The Kingdom had its own currency, called Marka polska (Polish mark) and a Constitution was drafted on 12th September 1917 (monarchy, a two-chambers-parliament, no political responsibility of the ministers).

Archduke Karl Stephan with his family (about 1895)
Archduke Karl Stephan with his family (about 1895)
Ten Polish mark, 1917.
Ten Polish mark, 1917.

[edit] Aims of the Central Powers

The aim of the German policy was to create a region that could be easily exploited and in proper time germanised by reduction of Polish population through famine and forced labour with the final goal of making Poland a German province. During German control Poles were subject to forced labour and confiscation of food and property. Although early plans called for Austro-Polish solution, they were abandoned in February in face of growing dependence of Austro-Hungary on Germany[2] Control over Polish economy and raw resources was to be in Germany hands. Germans would also be in total control over Polish army. The borders of this "autonomous" Poland were to be changed in favour of Germany. German officials demanded the so-called "Polish Frontier Strip" which would lead to annexation of considerable parts of Polish territories that were part of Russian partition of Poland. By the end of 1916 Germany wanted to annex almost 30,000 square kilometers of Polish territory. These lands were to be settled by ethnic Germans and Polish population was to be removed in ethnic cleansing[3] Such plans were also proposed by members of German minority in Poland in the area of Łódź, who protested the Act of November 5, and demanded in a letter to the German government annexation of western Poland by Germany as well as settlement of ethnic Germans in those areas.[4]

[edit] Regents of the Kingdom (1916-1918)

The Regency Council never managed to elect a new monarch and never gained much significance, as its movements were inhibited by the German Governor General, Hans Hartwig von Beseler. On November 11, 1918 it ceded all responsibilities to Józef Piłsudski and dissolved itself three days later.

The Regents: from left to right: Ostrowski, Kakowski, Lubomirski, with some officers of Polish Armed Forces
The Regents: from left to right: Ostrowski, Kakowski, Lubomirski, with some officers of Polish Armed Forces

[edit] Prime Ministers of the Regency Kingdom

[edit] Quotes

"Starvation is here," said General von Kries. "Candidly, we would like to see it relieved; we fear our soldiers may be unfavourably affected by the things that they see. But since it is here, starvation must serve our purpose. So we set it to work for Germany. By starvation we can accomplish in two or three years in East Poland more than we have in West Poland, which is East Prussia, in the last hundred years. With that in view, we propose to turn this force to our advantage." "This country is meant for Germany," continued the keeper of starving Poland. "It is a rich alluvial country which Germany has needed for some generations. We propose to remove the able-bodied working Poles from this country. It leaves it open for the inflow of German working people as fast as we can spare them. They will occupy it and work it. "Then with a cunning smile, "Can't you see how it works out? By and by we shall give back freedom to Poland. When that happens Poland will appear automatically as a German province.

German General von Kries quoted from "An Account of Germany's Treatment of Poland by U.S. Member of Commission to Poland, Frederick C. Walcott", Records of the Great War, Vol. IV, ed. Charles F. Horne, National Alumni, 1923 [5]

[edit] See also

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