first parts of "Bitter Glory" present what I found to be a fascinating look at the events of WWI from Poland's perspective, a point of view most of us may never have considered.
Pilsudski accurately predicted the major flow of the war, and then positioned Poland in a way that led to Polish independence at Versailles,
After the war, the reunited and free for the first time since roughlyPoland faced a daunting series of tasks, Watt describes the attempts of theperiod, when a plethora of political parties and interests prevented government from acting decisively,
Next comes a dramatic presentation of Pilsudski's Maycoup, where he returned from 'retirement' and in three days took control of Poland's government, after which he was elected President and declined to serve, although he remained very much in charge.
It occurred to me, although Watt does not address them, that there are some interesting similarities and differences between Pilsudski's objectives and accomplishments and Hitler's failed coup attempt in Munich three years before.
"Bitter Glory" is written, not in academic style, but in many ways like a novel, and is therefore very accessible to those who don't usually like to read straight history.
What I have read so farpages will carry me through the time period of the next section of my new novel, Time to start writing!
UPDATE, . .
I've now read through the events of, It's just as good as the earlier chapters, Particularly fascinating are the interchanges between Poland and Germany in the yearsafter Hitler became Chancellor, . .
After Hitler became Chancellor, Pilsudski did not believe Poland was in any immediate danger he felt Hitler would first have to consolidate his internal position and deal with a host of domestic problems
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. . Pilsudski decided to test his view of Hitler by forcing a direct confrontation with Germany through the Danzig Harbor Police Force the Polish naval transport ship Wilja appeared near Danzig and disembarkedPolish troops to reinforce the garrison, thus exceeding the agreed upon number of Polish troops permitted.
. . this was done without consultation with the league of Nations or anyone else, . . This created an international incident, after which Poland withdrew the extra troops, . . Pilsudki and Beck believed they had accomplished their objectives, which was to show that Poland was unpredictable, aggressive and alert, . . they had thrown down the glove and Hitler had not picked it up
, . . Pilsudski and Beck instructed the Polish minister in Berlin, Dr, Alfred Wysocki, to meet with Hitler and discuss Danzig Wysocki was to ask Hitler to issue a press communiqué stating that he was against any action directed against Polish rights and legal interests in the free city of Danzig.
. . To his astonishment Wysocki got a meeting with Hitler and Hitler agreed to issue the requested statement, somewhat watereddown, . . This appearance of a detente between Poland and Germany created intense surprise throughout Europe, . . Why did Hitler agree Hitler feared a determined alliance between France and Poland which he prevented by giving peaceful assurances to Poland,
Polish Minister Lipski was summoned from Berlin to Warsaw to consult with Pilsudski as another test Lipski was instructed to ask for an interview with Hitler and to seek reassurance that Germany had no aggressive intentions regarding Poland Hitler responded surprisingly with a declaration of nonaggression that was signed in Berlin on January,creating another great surprise throughout Europe when it was announced.
Some accounts state that Pilsudski sent certain private persons to France to make an
unofficial suggestion that the time to stop Hitler was now and that this could be done by a preventive war The French did not agree
CONCLUSION.
. . In the early years of Hitler's rule, when Germany was still weak and Hitler's power not fully accomplished, it would have been relatively easy to shut him down, No political or religious leader had the courage to do so, Pilsudski, Poland's hero, seems to be the only one who even tried,
Watt tells the story of the painful birth, tormented life, and cataclysmic death of the independent Poland of, He also gives the definitive account in English of the dominant figure in this story, the Polish freedom fighter and strongman Jozef Pilsudski, whose admirers included Poland's Jews and Adolf Hitler.
Poland existed foryears between itsrd andth partition, This books provides a detailed and balanced account of the struggles external and internal that created the state evntually chrushed by Hitler and Stalin, This has been my first book focused entirely on the history of Poland, the reading of which was inspired both by the great number of friends I have of Polish ancestry and my own family history in Europe during the first half of theth century.
As with many books treating a subject I am not very familiar with, this one was pleasantly enlighteningand very well written also,
This history of interwar Poland is substantially a biography of Josef Pilsudski, revolutionary, military leader and often, during the years up to his death in, the effective head of state.
Whether this emphasis on his life, opinions and activities is disputable is beyond me, I'll have to read more books on the subject,
Beyond it's service as both interwar history and biography, 'Bitter Glory' also goes into some detail as regards the causes of WWII and its consequences as regards Poland, arguably the country most damaged by the war.
An excellent introduction to the interwar tragic history of Poland, A drama slowly unfolding, caused by shortsightedness at its best, fueled by narrowminded selfinterest, I learned a lot about Poland and its population through this book, It is now easier to understand where they come from and why they think like that today, In spite of his many faults, I found myself admiring Marshall Pilsudski,
What a contrast to the Poland we know today and which brings to mind admiration and respect,
Anybody who wants to know more about WW II and its causes should absolutely read this book, Dla mnie ciekawa lektura. Nie czytałam więcej o Polsce międzywojennej, Ciekawie podana historia tego okresu, Richard Martin Watt was born inin La Grange, IL but spent the majority of his childhood and adult years living in northern New Jersey, He graduated from Dartmouth College inand was commissioned an ensign in the US Navy, subsequently promoted to lieutenant junior grade, Following the Navy, he worked as an executive foryears at Crossfield Products Corp, a construction industry manufacturing firm, in Roselle Park, NJ, retiring as President and then serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors until his death in, He authored several books on the subject of European history: Dare Call It Treason, pub,about the French Army mutinies in World War I The Kings Depart, pub,about Germany between the wars, and Richard Martin Watt was born inin La Grange, IL but spent the majority of his childhood and adult years living in northern New Jersey.
He graduated from Dartmouth College inand was commissioned an ensign in the US Navy, subsequently promoted to lieutenant junior grade, Following the Navy, he worked as an executive foryears at Crossfield Products Corp, a construction industry manufacturing firm, in Roselle Park, NJ, retiring as President and then serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors until his death in, He authored several books on the subject of European history: "Dare Call It Treason," pub,about the French Army mutinies in World War I "The Kings Depart," pub,about Germany between the wars, and "Bitter Glory," pub,the history of a free Poland fromto, His books were published in eight different languages and were reviewed favorably by The New York Times, Time magazine and others, He also wrote overbook reviews for The New York Times, The London Book, The Christian Science Monitor and others, He was awarded the prestigious Waclaw Jedrzejewics History Medal infrom The Pilsudski Institute of America, While he would say he was lucky to have never experienced the "starving author desperate to be published" he did feel the work of writing, while something he loved and found immensely satisfying, was hard work.
He passed away on January,in Glen Ridge, NJ, sitelink.