Kazimierz Stanisław Świtalski (; 4 March 1886 – 28 December 1962) was a Polish politician, diplomat, soldier, military officer in the
Polish Legions and
Prime Minister of Poland
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only wa ...
between April and December 1929.
Early life and studies
Kazimierz Świtalski was born on 4 March 1886 as the son of Albin Świtalski, governor of
Rudki and
Sanok, and his second wife Marie Antoinette Veith, whose grandfather, by the order of
Emperor Francis I, arrived in
Austrian Poland in 1834, together with eight other German families. Between 1897 and 1904 Kazimierz attended the Queen Sofia High School located in Sanok (his classmates included Zdzisław Adamczyk, Witold Fusek, Bolesław Mozołowski and Bronisław Praszałowicz). At that time, the school was led by the Organization called "Radius" (also participating in the organization were brothers Stefan and Włodzimierz Mozołowski and Samuel Herzig). On 21 June 1904 Świtalski received a certificate of maturity with honors and began studying at the Faculty of Philology at the
Polish Academy in Lwów. After graduation, he received a doctorate of philosophy in 1910. In the same year he became a professor at a local high school called "gymnasium".
Polish Legions
Even in his youth Świtalski belonged to an organization of socialist independence parties called "Flame" and "Life". Along with
Stanisław Kot he directed the work of the Representative Commission of Progressive Youth. In 1910 Świtalski joined the
''Związek Walki Czynnej'' (ZWC), an underground organisation formed by future
Marshal of Poland and chief-of-state
Józef Piłsudski
Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...
and since October 1912 he was a member of the Rifle Association. In ZWC for the first time he met with Józef Piłsudski. Shortly before the outbreak of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he was an adjutant for Marian Kukiel at the Headquarters of the Rifle Associations in Eastern Galicia and Lwów. From 24 August until 27 October 1914 he was a soldier in the Polish Legions. On 4 November 1914, he was appointed to the rank of lieutenant. Since February 1915 he served as a military office clerk in the Military Department.
From 5 January 1916 he was the head of the office of the Legion Brigade Headquarters. He held this position until the
Oath crisis. On 9 July 1917, he was arrested, and four days later dismissed from service in the Legions. As a result, he went to Lwów, where on 1 September, he joined the Polish Military Organization. During the
Polish–Ukrainian War he became a member of the Polish National Committee, which played a major role in the conflict. Then he managed to escape from the besieged city with an aircraft. He went to a nearby city called
Przemyśl
Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...
, and later to
Kraków
, officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, where he sought help for Lwów. By mid December 1918 he took part in the work of the Polish Liquidation Committee and the Interim Governing Committee.
Political and diplomatic career
During the
1926 May Coup d'état in Poland, Świtalski supported Marshal Piłsudski, rather than President
Stanisław Wojciechowski
Stanisław Wojciechowski (; 15 March 1869 – 9 April 1953) was a Polish people, Polish politician and scholar who served as President of Poland between 1922 and 1926, during the Second Polish Republic.
He was elected president in 1922, followi ...
. Following the Coup, he was given several political posts. In the same year he appointed the Head of the Civil Chancellery of the President and between 1926 and 1928 he was the director of the Political Department of the Ministry of the Interior. In June 1928 Świtalski became Minister of Education and from April to December 1929 he served as
Prime Minister of Poland
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only wa ...
in competition with
Kazimierz Bartel. In 1930 he was elected to the
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
and between 1933 and 1935 he was its
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
.
He was appointed by the President to the Senate in 1935, where he was also Vice-Marshal. In parallel, he was also the
Voivode of Kraków
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
from December 1935 until April 1936.
After the
Polish Defensive War of 1939 Kazimierz Świtalski was taken
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
and taken to
Woldenberg camp, where he spent the entirety of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. His only child, Jacek Świtalski, was killed on the first day of the
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
. In 1945 he returned to
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
and was imprisoned by the communist authorities from 1948 to 1956. He died in Warsaw in 1962, following injuries in a tram accident.
Honours and awards
Kazimierz Świtalski was awarded the Silver Cross of the Order of
Virtuti Militari
The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...
, the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...
Classes I and IV,
Cross of Independence
Cross of Independence () was the second highest Polish military decoration between World Wars I and II. It was awarded to individuals who had fought actively for the independence of Poland, and was released in three classes.
History
The Cr ...
, the War Memorial Medal 1918 – 1921 and the Decade of Independence Medal,
as well as the Estonian
Order of the Cross of the Eagle Class I (1934).
See also
*
Sanation
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Switalski, Kazimierz
1886 births
1962 deaths
People from Sanok
People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Polish Austro-Hungarians
Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government politicians
Prime ministers of the Second Polish Republic
Education ministers of Poland
Marshals of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic
Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1930–1935)
Senators of the Second Polish Republic (1935–1938)
Polish Military Organisation members
Polish Army officers
Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Recipients of the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Cross of Independence
Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I
People detained by the Polish Ministry of Public Security
Polish People's Republic rehabilitations
Road incident deaths in Poland
Prisoners of Oflag II-C