Poland's Power and Others vs. the Revolution

The Institute of World Politics

About the lecture: It took Poland 123 years to regain its independence in 1918. Since 1772 each generation witnessed lost wars, uprisings, conspiracies, and defeats. Each new generation would continue the struggle afresh. And so it was again in 1905 and between 1914 and 1921. The Poles fought to restore the Old Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania-Ruthenia. They benefitted from the collapse of the three empires: Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary; however, they also had to contend with folk nationalism of the non-historic nationalities, peasant nations of the Intermarium, who asserted their rights to self-determination. Warsaw was thus forced to fight several border wars, including against Germany. But it was the war against the Soviet Union that proved to be the most existential challenge not just to Poland, but to everyone else in the Intermarium. Unfortunately, the Bolshevik menace failed to unite the successor states and the Poles faced Lenin's legions virtually alone. About the speaker: Dr. Marek Chodakiewicz currently serves as a Professor of History at The Institute of World Politics, where he holds the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. He also leads IWP’s Center for Intermarium Studies. At IWP, Dr. Chodakiewicz teaches courses on Contemporary Politics and Diplomacy, Geography and Strategy, Mass Murder Prevention in Failed and Failing States, and Russian Politics and Foreign Policy. He was formerly an assistant professor of history of the Kosciuszko Chair in Polish Studies at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He also served as a visiting professor of history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.