Poland and The Second World War – the blue touch-paper was lit 20 years earlier

It is interesting that today we all look towards Poland on the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War and its subsequent invasions. A major consideration must also be the festering, bitter resentment of German reparations demanded and enforced territorial distribution of the vanquished states following the First World War.

During the Paris Treaties (1919-23) the Polish Question was an issue that divided the Central Powers in their approach to reparations, reconstitution of Poland's territories and self-determination of minorities within the newly re-created country. Lloyd George, Clemenceau and Woodrow Wilson all had strong opinions on Poland's political and geostrategic importance, as well as its fervent desire to reconstruct its historical land.

These questions are all addressed in Ignacy Paderewski: Poland by Anita Prazmowska, one of 32 books being published by Haus Publishing within the Makers of the Modern World series. This series describes the personalities, circumstances and events surrounding the countries that were remade after the Paris Treaties.

Poland, a country poised to be reborn after its multiple partitions between the Prussian, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empires, became a pawn for the Central Powers who all wanted a strong Poland for different reasons. Its restoration was seen as a problem which had wider European implications.

Ignacy Paderewski: Poland by Anita Prazmowska is published on 7th December 2009, the 90th anniversary of the date Paderewski resigned in 1919

(Picture Caption) Ignacy Jan Paderewski, pianist of international renown. His main repertoire included Chopin and Liszt. Polish delegate to the Paris Peace talks. Before the outbreak of the war he was associated with Polish exile groups campaigning for the restoration of Poland. The outbreak of the war led to his abandonment of his musical career and focus on highlighting the Polish case, mainly in the United States. On his arrival in Paris in April 1920 he could count on securing the support of the international statesmen for Poland’s aspirations, as he knew most of them personally and was very much socially at ease in the Paris salons.

Peace-meal