May Coup (Polish: Przewrót majowy or zamach majowy) was a coup d'etat successfully carried out during the Second Polish Republic by Józef Piłsudski, May 12 – May 14, 1926. The coup replaced the government of President Stanisław Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Wincenty Witos with a new prime minister, the Lwów Polytechnic professor Kazimierz Bartel. Piłsudski was offered the presidency, but declined in favor of Ingacy Mościcki. Piłsudski, however, remained the most influental politician in Poland — indeed, a semi-official dictator.

Lead-up to the coup

In November 1925 the goverment of prime minister Władysław Grabski has been replaced by the government of prime minister Aleksander Skrzyński, which have received support from National Democratic Party (Narodowa Demokracja or endecja) and Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalityczna , PPS). General Lucjan Żeligowski became the Minister of Military Affairs of the new government. However after PPS withdrew its support this government has also fallen and been replaced by that of the prime minister Wincenty Witos, formed by PSL Piast and Chrześcijański Związek Jedności Narodowej (Chjeno-Piast ). However this newest government had even less popular support then the previous ones, and the rethoric of far right parties supported by Józef Piłsudski, which viewed the constant power shifts in the Sejm (Polish Parliament) as an extremly chaotic and damaging, highlighted a chance for a coup d'etat.

In addition to the domestic turmoil, the Polish politics have been shaken up by the trade war with Germany started in June 1925 and by the signing on 16 October of the Treaty of Locarno, in which the World War I Western European Allied powers and the new states of central and Eastern Europe sought to secure the post-war territorial settlement, in return normalising relations with defeated Germany.

The coup d'etat

On 10 May 1926 the government of Chjeno-Piast was formed, and on the same day Józef Piłsudski in an interview with Kurier Poranny newspaper said that he is ..ready to fight the evil (of Sejmocracy) and promised a sanitation (a play of words based on the Sanacja movement) of the political life. The newspaper edition was confiscated.

On the night from 11 May to 12 May in Warsaw militatry garrison a state of alert was declared, and some units marchet to Rembertów where they pledged themself under Piłsudski's commands. On the 12 May they marched on the capital and captured bridges over Vistuala . In the meantime, the legal goverment of Wincenty Witos declared a state of emergency.

About 1700 on the bridge of Poniatowski, Marshall Piłsudski have met the president Stanisław Wojciechowski. Piłsudski demanded resignation of the Witos cabinet, while president demanded Piłsudski's capitulation. With no result in this round of negotiations, fighting erupted around 1900 hours. On the next day a new round of negotiations was started with the mediation of archbishop Aleksander Kakowski and Marshall of the Sejm Maciej Rataj, however they brought no change to the stalemate. On the 14 May PPS has declared their support for the rebels and called for a general strike, supported by the Związek Zawodowy Kolejarzy. This has significantly delayed movement of the armed forces loyal to the government. Eventually Wojciechowski and Witos decided to resign in order to prevent the Warsaw fighting from turning into a country-wide civil war.

215 soldiers and 164 civilians have been killed during those events, and approximately 900 people were wounded.

A new government lead by prime minister Kazimierz Bartel was formed, and Piłsudski became the Minister of Military Affairs in that government. On 31 May Zgromadzenie Narodowe nominated Piłsudski for the presidency, but he has declined the offer. Eventually Ignacy Mościcki became the new president, however Piłsudski's wielded unofficial power much larger then his single Ministry legally gave to him.

Aftermath

Piłsudski initiated Sanacja government (1926-1939) — conducted at times by authoritarian means — directed at restoring moral "health" to public life. Although till his death in 1935 he played a preponderant role in Poland's government, his formal offices — apart from two stints as prime minister in 1926-28 and 1930 — were for the most part limited to those of minister of defense and inspector-general of the armed forces. The adoption of a new Polish constitution in April 1935 (the April Constitution), tailored by Piłsudski's supporters to his specifications — providing for a strong presidency — came too late for Piłsudski to seek that office; but the April Constitution would serve Poland to the outbreak of World War II and would carry its Government in Exile through to the end of the war and beyond.

References

• Joseph Rothschild , Pilsudski's Coup D'Etat, Columbia University Press, 1967, ISBN 0231029845.