Władysław Gizbert-Studnicki (15 November 1867 – 10 January 1953) was a Polish politician and publicist. Throughout his life, Studnicki was famous for his strongly pro-German stance, and in the
Polish People's Republic all his books were banned from publication. He was the older brother of historian
Wacław Studnicki.
Before 1918
Władysław Gizbert-Studnicki was born on 15 November 1867 in
Dünaburg,
Vitebsk Governorate,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(current
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
), into a Polish
szlachta family of the
Kresy region. Both his parents fought in the
January Uprising. His political career started in late 19th century at the Kronenberg Trade School in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, in the Socialist organization
Proletariat, for which Russian authorities sent him first to the
Warsaw Citadel (7 December 1888), and then to Eastern
Siberia, where he spent six years. After returning from exile in 1896, he became activist of the
Polish Socialist Party, but left it, choosing the national movement, in which he was the main ideologist. However, unhappy about the pro-Russian program of the nationalists, deserted them and in 1904 wrote a book ''From Socialism to Nationalism'', in which he explained reasons for the change in his ideals. In 1901, after visiting
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
and
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
, he settled in
Austrian Galicia. In 1903 Studnicki moved to
Lwów, where he founded the Lwów Weekly news magazine.
In 1910 he authored another publication, ''Polish Case'', in which he presented the case for reconstructing Poland, with the support of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
and the
German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
. Also, at that time Studnicki proposed changing
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
into the Austrian-Hungarian-Polish federation. He was strongly anti-Russian, emphasizing that
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
occupied 80% of the territory of the 1772
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
(see:
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...
).
In the mid-1910s, Studnicki became one of the most important pro-German politicians in Poland. On 10 May 1916 he met
Hans Hartwig von Beseler,
Governor General of Warsaw, to whom he presented a blueprint of independent Poland, with eastern borders along the
Dvina and
Berezina rivers and western borders unchanged, leaving
Poznań
Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
,
Bydgoszcz and
Upper Silesia in German possession. Later, he became a member of the
Provisional Council of State, a German-sponsored government, existing in
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
in the years 1916–1918, see
Kingdom of Poland (1916–18). Studnicki was so influential in Polish politics in the late 1910s, that
Matthias Erzberger called him the "spiritual father of the
Act of 5th November, 1916". Therefore, Studnicki can be regarded as one of "founding fathers" of the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
, together with
Roman Dmowski and
Józef Piłsudski.
Interbellum Poland
In the Second Polish Republic Studnicki devoted his time to writing. He authored a number of books, among them ''Political System of Europe and Poland'' (1935), ''A Question of Czechoslovakia and Polish Raison d’Etat'' (1938) and, finally ''Facing the Oncoming Second World War'' (1939) in which he correctly assessed and anticipated the events of the conflict.
In ''Political System of Europe and Poland'' (''System polityczny Europy a Polska''), Studnicki wrote: "Poland and Germany can become the foundation of a large Central European bloc, together with Austria, Hungary, Czech, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Greece and the Baltic states: altogether, 200 million people".
In his view, this bloc would oppose the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Studnicki correctly predicted the
Anschluss
The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938.
The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...
and the collapse of
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, but in his opinion, stated in 1939, the annexation of
Trans-Olza into Poland was an inadequate reward for not allowing the
Workers' and Peasants' Red Army to pass through Polish territory.
Apart from writing, Studnicki worked as a civil servant. He was established and managed the Statistical Office of the
Civil Administration of the Eastern Lands (1919–1920). Later he was consultant at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (1922–1926) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1928–1930). Furthermore, he lectured at the Institute of Trade and Economic Sciences in
Wilno. In 1935 and 1938 he stood in elections 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' ...
, but failed to convince Polish voters.
In a manner similar to
National Democracy politicians, Studnicki espoused the view that Jews were "parasites on the healthy branch of the Polish tree". His work ''Sprawa polsko-zydowska'' was filled with anti-Semitic idioms, and advocated for the emigration of 100,000 Jewish Poles per annum with the goal of "dejudaization of Poland" in thirty years. Studnicki called for the establishment of a Polish protectorate in
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine.
After ...
.
1939
In March 1939 Studnicki wrote in ''Słowo'' that
German occupation of Czechoslovakia was a mistake, as it provoked anti-German feelings among Poles, and worsened Poland's geostrategic situation. Nevertheless, he continued to advocate a Polish-German alliance. On 6 April, a Polish-
British communiqué was issued (see
Anglo-Polish military alliance
The military alliance between the United Kingdom and Polish Second Republic, Poland was formalised by the Anglo-Polish Agreement in 1939, with subsequent addendum, addenda of 1940 and 1944, for mutual assistance in case of a military invasion from ...
), regarding mutual guarantees. Studnicki knew well that a Polish-German conflict was imminent, trying to do everything he could to prevent it. On 13 April 1939, he wrote a letter to Minister
Józef Beck, warning that acceptance of British guarantees meant catastrophe for Poland. In his opinion, Poland should remain neutral in the oncoming war. He correctly predicted that the victory of Western Allies would draw Poland into the Soviet sphere of influence, loss of her independence and
eastern territories. According to him, the Polish government should end all kinds of anti-German activities and try to peacefully settle all mutual problems. Studnicki proposed that the
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig (; ) was a city-state under the protection and oversight of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) and nearly 200 other small localities in the surrou ...
should be handed over to the
Third Reich, in exchange he expected the lease of the port of
Liepāja in
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
and German agreement of a Polish protectorate of independent
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
.
On 5 May 1939, Studnicki wrote "Memo Against the War with Germany", sending it to all members of the Polish government, except for
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski. He warned that acceptance of British guarantees increased the risk of armed conflict and as a result of this step, Poland would be the first victim of German attack: "When one faces an enemy on two fronts, the weaker enemy is liquidated first. And we are the weaker enemy in this case (...) Poland should pledge neutrality, renounce the alliance with Britain and move its army eastwards, to protect the Soviet border".
Studnicki claimed that Poland should promote the notion of "
armed neutrality", as her priority should be not to allow the Red Army to enter Polish territory. Nevertheless, the declaration of neutrality would end the Central European bloc, and was only a desperate attempt to postpone the conflict and preserve Poland's independence.
In June 1939, Władysław Studnicki published his last book of the interwar period, ''Facing the Oncoming Second World War''. All copies of the book were immediately confiscated by the government censorship office, and Warsaw authorities planned to send the author to the
Bereza Kartuska concentration camp. Studnicki precisely predicted the events of the oncoming conflict. He claimed that the Free City of Danzig in itself was not the sole reason of Polish-German disagreement. The conflict was about the Polish role in the war, whether she would join Germany or the Allied camp. British guarantees were aimed at drawing Poland to the Allied camp, but their acceptance meant that Germany would attack Poland first. To avoid this, Poland should hand Danzig over to Germany and agree to the construction of an extraterritorial highway and rail line through the
Polish Corridor.
As for the British guarantees, Studnicki claimed that during the 1920s and early 1930s, Great Britain never expressed any interest in Poland, so the sudden change of mood in London was, in his opinion, insincere: "This alleged British concern over Polish interests along the
Baltic Sea has a well-defined foundation. The British want German military power to attack Poland first, at the beginning of the war, when Britain is not yet ready for the conflict". In Studnicki's opinion, the Anglo-Polish alliance was very dangerous to Poland, as London wanted to draw the Soviet Union into the war as its ally. The Soviets would be rewarded with eastern Polish territories.
Second World War
During the war Władysław Studnicki, whose pro-German stance was well known to German authorities, frequently intervened in support of arrested and executed Polish activists. Due to his efforts,
Bolesław Piasecki, creator of
National Radical Camp Falanga, was released from German prison.
In most cases, however, Studnicki's interventions did not help. As a result, in January 1940 he decided to issue a "Memo to the German Government", in which he expressed his opposition to the policy of German occupational authorities, based on bloody terror. In his view, this stance would result in growing anti-German feelings among ethnic Poles, which would make it impossible to create an agreement between Poles and Germans, aimed at the Soviet Union.
Furthermore, a few weeks after the
Invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
, Studnicki presented to German military authorities the "Memo on Recreation of Polish Army and the Oncoming German - Soviet War". In this document, he proposed recreation of Polish Army, which would fight the Red Army alongside the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
. Furthermore, he suggested that a Polish Government should be recreated. To make this happen, German authorities should cease killings and repression of Polish activists. Polish Army, in cooperation with the Wehrmacht, was to seize the territories west of the
Dniepr river, while Germans were to march further east, to the
Caucasus.
Both memos were confiscated by Germans. Desperate, Studnicki decided then to personally visit
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, and talk to
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. In late January 1940, he went to Berlin, and talked with
Joseph Goebbels, but without any fruits. After the conversation, he was interned at
Babelsberg, but was released following a plea of
Hermann Göring. In August 1940 Studnicki returned to Warsaw. He remained in touch with German authorities, and his continuous pleas for better treatment of Poles resulted in his arrest on 10 July 1941. Studnicki remained in
Pawiak Prison until August 1942, when he was released due to poor health and efforts of both
Maurycy Stanisław Potocki and the Hungarian ambassador.
In the final years of the war, Studnicki criticized both German terror and
Polish resistance, whose activities resulted in German reprisals and sufferings of the civilian population. In his opinion, the Soviet Union was the main enemy of Poland, and all Polish forces should concentrate their efforts on fighting the Soviets.
In July 1944 he left for
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, and then
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. In 1945 he went to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, and finally, in late 1946, Studnicki settled in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Due to his uncompromising stance and unpopular convictions, he was isolated by other Polish emigres. Furthermore, in 1948 he volunteered to defend ''
Generalfeldmarschall''
Erich von Manstein, but the court decided not to send for him. In 1951, the government of the Republic of Poland banned all his books.
After the war
Before his death, Studnicki published his Second World War memoirs. In ''Tragic Days'' he tried to explain and justify his pro-German stance. Originally, Studnicki's memoirs were titled ''How I did not become a Polish
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...
'', but Mieczysław Grydzewski, editor in chief of ''Polish News'', which published the book, decided to change the title.
Several contemporary Polish historians, such as
Jerzy Łojek, Andrzej Piskozub, and Paweł Wieczorkiewicz have stated that Studnicki was right back in the summer of 1939. They all claim that the only solution at that time was to sign an alliance with Germany, in order to avoid wartime destruction and
communism
Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
. Another historian, Tomasz Gabis wrote in his book ''Imperial Games'' (2008) that if, in the summer of 1939, Poland had come to an agreement with Germany, the war would have never taken place, as France and the United Kingdom would have had no reason to declare it on Germany. Instead of the
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a Central European anti-Soviet bloc would have been created.
Another supporter of Studnicki's views is Piotr Zychowicz in his book ''
Pact Ribbentrop - Beck''.
Władysław Studnicki died on 10 January 1953 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Works
* Władysław Studnicki Pisma wybrane, Tom 1 Z przeżyć i walk, Toruń 2001, Wyd. Adam Marszałek,
* Władysław Studnicki Pisma wybrane, Tom 2 Polityka międzynarodowa Polski w okresie międzywojennym, Toruń 2009, Wyd. Adam Marszałek,
* Władysław Studnicki Pisma wybrane, Tom 3 Ludzie, idee i czyny, Toruń 2000, Wyd. Adam Marszałek,
* Władysław Studnicki Pisma wybrane, Tom 4 Tragiczne manowce. Próby przeciwdziałania katastrofom narodowym 1939-1945, Toruń 2002, Wyd. Adam Marszałek,
Sources
* Polski Słownik Biograficzny, tom 45/1, wyd. 2007
* Jacek Gzella, Zaborcy i sąsiedzi Polski w myśli społeczno-politycznej Władysława Studnickiego: (do 1939 roku), Toruń 1998.
* Jan Sadkiewicz, "Ci, którzy przekonać nie umieją". Idea porozumienia polsko-niemieckiego w publicystyce Władysława Studnickiego i wileńskiego "Słowa" (do 1939), Kraków 2012.
* Gaweł Strządała, Niemcy w myśli politycznej Władsława Studnickiego, Opole 2011.
References
External links
Studnicki's archive at the Jozef Pilsudski Institute of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Studnicki, Wladyslaw
1867 births
1953 deaths
Christian Zionists
Politicians from Daugavpils
Writers from Daugavpils
People from Dvinsky Uyezd
People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent
Polish Socialist Party politicians
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Burials at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green
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