''Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego'' (, en, Camp of National Unity; abbreviated "''OZN''"; and often called "''Ozon''" (Polish for "

ozone Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the lo ...

") was a Polish

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...

founded in 1937 by sections of the leadership in the

Sanacja Sanation ( pl, Sanacja, ) was a Polish political movement that was created in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and came to power in the wake of that coup. In 1928 its political activists would go on ...

movement. A year after the 1935 death of Poland's Chief of State Marshal

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Naczelnik państwa, Chief of State (1918–1922) and Marshal of Poland, First Marshal of Second Polish Republic, Poland (from 1920). He was ...

, in mid-1936, one of his followers, Marshal

Edward Rydz-Śmigły Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły (11 March 1886 – 2 December 1941; nom de guerre ''Śmigły, Tarłowski, Adam Zawisza''), also called Edward Śmigły-Rydz, was a Polish politician, statesman, Marshal of Poland and Commander-in-Chief of Poland ...

, attempted to unite the various government factions under his leadership. The attempt failed as another (opposing) Sanacja politician,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Ignacy Mościcki, likewise had a large following; nevertheless, substantial numbers of people did throw their lot in with Rydz-Śmigły. On February 21, 1937, diplomat and Colonel Adam Koc formally announced the formation of ''OZN''. Its stated aims were to improve Poland's

national defense National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attac ...

and to safeguard the April 1935 Constitution. ''OZN'' was strongly pro-

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

, and its politicians sought to portray Marshal Rydz-Śmigły as Marshal Józef Piłsudski's heir, describing Rydz-Śmigły as the "second person in the country" after President Mościcki—a claim that had no foundation in the Polish Constitution. The party later went on to win the 1938 Legislative election. The OZN adopted 13 theses on the

Jewish question The Jewish question, also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national ...

. Modeled after the

Nuremberg laws The Nuremberg Laws (german: link=no, Nürnberger Gesetze, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of ...

, they labelled

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s as a foreign element that should be deprived of all civil rights and ultimately expelled altogether.Murray Baumgarten, Peter Kenez, Bruce Allan Thompson ''Varieties of Antisemitism: History, Ideology, Discourse'' University of Delaware Press, Jun 30, 200
p. 173
/ref> ''OZNs first official leader was Adam Koc, and its second was General Stanisław Skwarczyński. After the 1939 German invasion of Poland and the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, ''OZN'' leadership passed to Colonel Zygmunt Wenda. In 1937, ''OZN'' claimed some 40,000–50,000 members; in 1938, 100,000. During World War II and the German occupation of Poland, ''OZNs underground military arm, created in 1942, was known as '' Obóz Polski Walczącej'' (the Camp of Fighting Poland).

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Camp Of National Unity Political parties established in 1937 1937 establishments in Poland Defunct political parties in Poland Nationalist parties in Poland Antisemitism in Europe Antisemitism in Poland Polish nationalism Polish nationalist parties Right-wing antisemitism Political parties disestablished in 1940 1940 disestablishments in Poland

See also

References

Bibliography