SEPTEMBER 6 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

SEPTEMBER 6

1939

The German Army occupied Kraków. As German forces entered into Krakow on September 6, 1939,  Stanislaw Klimecki, the city's Mayor was there to save the city from attack. Because of his courageous appeals to the Germans that the city was defenseless, the Wehrmacht spared the city of Krakow from attacks and destruction. The Germans made Krakow the capital city of the new German administrative district of the General Gouvernment, under the leadership of Hans Frank. Despite their immediate surrender, the people of Krakow suffered greatly under the totalitarian regime; in the Sonderaktion, 184 Polish professors of the Jagiellonian University including Rector Lehr-Splawinski, were arrested by the Germans during a meeting ordered by the Gestapo Chief Muller. On the same evening, Klimecki was taken from his home and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, then later to Dachau. Three years later he was executed by the Gestapo in the Niepołomice Forest. The Germans pillaged the medieval city of Krakow of its priceless treasures, and destroyed many relics and monuments of historical value. (the bronze statue of Adam Mickiewicz was stolen for scrap) The Jews of Krakow were confined to ghettos, and later deported to Plaszow and Auschwitz death camps. Many Poles were among the inmates. (note: several specific events which occurred in the Krakow ghetto were portrayed in the film, "Schinlder's List".)


Warsaw Fought Back:  The Polish Pursuit Brigade initially had great success in the defense of Warsaw. On September 6, 1939, Polish pilots successfully shot down 43 German aircraft, and Polish anti-aircraft artillery shot down an equal number of enemy bombers. Despite these victories, the Polish Brigade suffered heavy casualties. By the next day, the Poles lost more than 38 pieces of war materiel, consisting of about 70% of its overall strength. The Polish Air Force flew the famous PZL fighter planes which matched maneuverability of the German planes, but were not as fast. However, they were greatly outnumbered by the Germans. Many PZL fighters were destroyed, but others were withdrawn and taken to Romania. The Germans also captured a few of the Polish planes to use as trainers.  Warsaw capitulated on September 28, 1939. (Editors note:  Nazi German war propaganda claimed that they had destroyed all Polish aircraft while the planes were still on the ground. This is not obviously not true.)

1940

The National Legionary State was a totalitarian dictatorship of the Romanian government. It was controlled by Prime Minister Ion Antonescu and his fascist Iron guard. The Romanian government passed 70 laws imposing anti-Jewish regulations, and by the end of October 1940, the Iron Guard had launched a massive anti-semitic campaign consisting of brutal beatings and torture of Jews, looting their shops, and a pogrom in which 125 Jews were murdered.

1941

Vilna Ghetto:  Nazi Germans forced Jews out of their homes and herded them into two ghettos. Of the 20,000 Jews arrested,  3,700 were murdered.  Half-Jews, spouses of Jews, and even converts were subjected to arrest and imprisonment.  From September 6 to 7, the German action was conducted very quickly, and prevented the Jews from using any transportation. They were permitted to take only what they could physically carry.  The location chosen by the Nazis for the ghetto was in the center of Vilna, traditionally a Jewish center.  The Ghetto was split into two sections, the Large Ghetto and the Small Ghetto, with a corridor running through both sectors, which allowed the Nazis to continually survey any activity going on.

1944

Martyr of the Warsaw Uprising:   Jan Franciszek Czartoryski was among the Catholic religious, executed by the Nazi Germans during World War two. He was a Polish noble and military chaplain.  Czartoryski is among the list of 108 Blessed Polish Martyrs of World War II beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 13, 1999.  Among them were 3 bishops, 52 priests and 26 members of male religious, 3 seminarians, 8 female religious, and 9 lay people.  The liturgical feast day is observed on June 12th. Two parishes  have been named for the 108 Martyrs of World War II  (in Powiercie in Koło County, and in Malbork, Poland)

1982

Polish dissidents seized Polish Embassy in Switzerland:  Four gunmen of Polish nationality stormed the Polish Embassy on September 6, 1982,    (Marek Michalski, 20; Miroslaw Plewinski, 23; and Krysztof Wasilewski, 33, lead by Florian Kruszyk, 42 who was a Polish spy) They threatened to blow up the Embassy unless martial law was lifted in Poland within 48 hours. It was later discovered that they had no explosives and that their only weapons were 4 Remington 870 repeating rifles, 4 bayonets and gas masks. Swiss police charged into the embassy amidst a barrage of stun grenades and tear gas, rescuing the hostages and capturing the gunman. The operation was conducted with "clockwork" precision and was completed in twelve minutes. Swiss officials refused to agree to the extradition of the four men. According to Swiss Justice Minister, the gunmen would be tried in a Swiss court rather than be subjected to the Soviet brand of "justice."

2013

The Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Poland has posthumously promoted Witold Pilecki to the rank of Colonel.  Pilecki was  awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1994, and the Order of the White Eagle in 2006 (the highest Polish decoration.) Witold Pilecki led the Polish underground resistance movement, and fought in the Warsaw Uprising. He was one of the greatest heroes of World War Two.  He allowed himself to be arrested by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, where he observed first hand the Nazi German atrocities against the Jews.  When he escaped two years later, he submitted his report to Polish Intelligence. The allies were informed of the horrific details of the camp, but did not believe him.

AUGUST 6 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

AUGUST 6

1939

Nazi officers murdered 36 villagers in the town of Żywocice, in the  Zaolzie area of Czechoslovakia. In the early hours of August 6, 1939, the town was surrounded by the German Army and the Landwache. The townspeople were ordered to register as ethnic Germans and be documented on the "Volkslite".  Those who refused to comply were singled out and were hunted down by the Landwache and Gestapo. They were dragged out of their homes and executed with one gun shot in the nape of the neck. Some tried to flee but were shot on sight. The prelude to the massacre occurred two days earlier when members of a local Polish resistance unit (Armia Krajowa) under the command of J. Kamiński killed two officers of the Teschen command of the Gestapo and their driver.  The Gestapo retaliated against the village residents when a search for the Polish fighters turned up fruitless. The liquidation operation was under the command of Q. Magwitz,  head of the Teschen headquarters of Gestapo. He targeted innocent victims who had no involvement in the guerilla operation and whose only demand was the preservation of their Polish or Czech identity.

1942

Fifteen thousand Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were deported to Treblinka in a single day as a result of the German food giveaway.  The Jews lined up for several days for the chance to get some bread. But they were deceived by the Nazis, as there was no bread, but only deportation to the death camp. By August 27, there were a total of 53,750 Jews deported. This was called the Gross-Aktion Warsaw, the secret Nazi plan of mass extermination of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto. It began on July 22,  1942 during which the Nazis made daily patrols rounding up Jews, marched them through the streets of the Ghetto to Umschlagplatz station square, from where they were "resettled". Unbeknownst to the Jews, the trains were destined for Treblinka death camp.

1944

Polish Ambassador called on the Lt. General McNarney to present an urgent request from the President of Poland for supplies to be furnished to the Polish Underground Army fighting the Germans in Warsaw. The Polish requested that either General Eisenhower be authorized to send in supplies by air or that German munitions captured by Soviet forces be sent to Warsaw from the United States bases in the Soviet Union. The Ambassador's memorandum also stated that arms and ammunition which Churchill had promised to parachute to Warsaw had not been sent because of technical difficulties.


In response to the Warsaw Uprising that broke out on August 1st, the Nazi Germans attempted to prevent a similar uprising in Krakow, by rounding  up all young Polish men.  Karol Wojtyla (who later became Pope John Paul II) narrowly escaped capture. He and other seminarians took refuge in the Bishops Palace in Krakow at the invitation of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha.  On August 1st, 1944, the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa, or AK) launched the Warsaw Uprising, Operation Ostra Brama, and Operation Tempest had previously been launched in July 1944 by the AK, as part of a Polish national uprising to take back control of Nazi-occupied cities and regions, ahead of the arrival of Soviet troops. The Lwow Uprising started on July 23, 1944 against the German occupation of the city of Lwow (now Lviv, in Ukraine). Although the Krakow Uprising was planned, it was never carried out. Archbishop Sapieha opposed the idea of an uprising and asked German General Harpe to proclaim Krakow an "open city", in the hopes that it would save the civilians and historic buildings.  The next day Harpe agreed to safeguard the city and the buildings, but warned that if there were an uprising, Krakow would then be destroyed.  The Nazis had chosen Krakow as the capital of the General Gouvernment, where there were about 10,000 German troops stationed. Krakow dates back to the 7th century and has been the center of Polish academia, literature, culture, and artistic life. Jagiellonian University, situated in Krakow, is one of the oldest universities in the world and among the most distinguished institution of higher learning.

1945

U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima: At precisely 08:15 on August 6, 1945, the "Little Boy" atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  It fell for 44.4 seconds, at which time the barometric triggers set off the firing mechanism.  The bomb detonated at an altitude of 1,968 ± 50 feet (600 ± 15 m) with an explosive energy of about 15 kilotons of TNT (63 TJ).  Civilian casualties were about 66,000 people killed and 69,000 injured in varying degrees.   The bomb was dropped by a Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets Jr.  commander of the 509th Composite Group of the USAAF.  Sixteen hours later,  President Harry Truman warned Japan to "expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth" unless they submitted to an unconditional surrender. The Japanese remained defiant publicly, though secretly were making entreaties to the Soviet Union to mediate more favorable terms on behalf of Japan.

2015

Polish President Vetoed Constitution: Andrzej Duda became President of The Republic of Poland:  Duda is the sixth and current President of Poland, holding the office since August 6,  2015.  Before his tenure as President, Duda was a member of Polish Lower House (Sejm) from 2011 to 2014 and the European Parliament from 2014 to 2015. His presidency has not been without controversy: On November 16, 2015, based on Art. 139 of the Constitution of Poland, Duda pardoned former Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA) head Mariusz Kamiński and three CBA officers convicted by a court of 1st instance in the so-called Land Affair, making this the first pardon granted by a president before reaching a final verdict.  According to some lawyers (including Professors Jan Zimmermann. Andrzej Duda's doctorate promoter, Leszek Kubicki, former Minister of Justice, and Andrzej Zoll,  former president of the Constitutional Tribunal) Duda has breached the Constitution of Poland. In other instances, President Duda has refused to swear in the five Constitutional Tribunal judge candidates selected by the Sejm of the VII cadence, and the three of those mentioned that were selected since November  7, 2015 whose election was declared constitutional.  In July 2017, about 50,000 people demonstrated in Warsaw against changes in the justice system. On July 24, Duda informed the public he had decided to veto two controversial judicial bills backed by the government and passed by both houses of the Polish parliament.
 

JANUARY 18 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

JANUARY 18

1919

Ignacy Jan Paderewski was the Prime Minister of Poland as well as Foreign Minister from January 18 to November 27, 1919 and represented Poland at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He played an important role in meeting with President Woodrow Wilson and obtained the explicit inclusion of establishing an independent Poland as point 13 in Wilson's peace terms in 1918 (the Fourteen Points). Paderewski was also a renown Polish pianist and composer and fervent spokesman for Polish independence. He was a favorite of concert audiences around the world.

1940

Palmiry Massacre: 255 Jews in Warsaw were arrested at random by the Nazi Germans. Over the next week they would be taken to the Palmiry Forest outside the city and shot dead. (Note: Between December 1939 and July 1941 more than 1700 Poles and Jews – mostly the inmates of Pawiak prison – were executed by the SS and the Ordnungspolizei in the forest glade near Palmiry. The best documented of these massacres took place on 20–21 of June 1940, wherein 358 members of the Polish political, cultural and social elite were murdered in a single operation.)

1943

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising:  The Nazi Germans began their second deportation of the Jews, which set off a violent armed uprising by the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto.  Jewish fighters of the ŻZW, joined by elements of the ŻOB, put up an armed resistance, engaging the Germans in direct exchanges of gunfire. Though the ŻZW and ŻOB suffered heavy losses (including some of their leaders), the Germans also took casualties, and within a few days the Germans halted the deportation. Only 5,000 Jews were removed, instead of the 8,000 planned by SS Globocnik. Hundreds of Jews in the Warsaw ghetto were ready to fight, adults and children, though sparsely armed with handguns, homemade molotov cocktails, and a few weapons that were smuggled into the Ghetto by the Polish underground. Many of the Jewish insurgents knew that their actions was a futile effort to save themselves, but that they fought the battle for the honour of the Jewish people, and a protest against the silence and apathy of its allies. The ZZW and ZOB were Jewish resistance organizations. The former had close ties to Armia Krajowa.

1945

The Germans ordered the evacuation of the remaining 60,000 inmates of Auschwitz concentration camp ahead of the advancing Soviets. Some were deported by rail while others were forced to march in freezing temperatures.


The Soviet-controlled Polish Committee of National Liberation moved from Lublin to Warsaw.


Soviet troops captured Krakow, Poland

POLAND CONSTITUTION DAY MAY 3

Poland enacted its first Constitution on May 3, 1791 - the first European nation and the second nation in the world after the United States to do so. The Act was instigated by the Polish government which was then adopted by the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Its scope was quite radical for its time - that is, the introduction of political equality between the townspeople and the nobility (szlachta) and protecting the rights of peasants from abuses of serfdom. Most notable was the abolishment of the liberum veto of the parliamentary institutions. By such veto any deputy could easily usurp all legislation passed by the Sejm and create utter havoc and anarchy. The Polish Constitution of May 3rd sought to resolve the chaos and imbalances with the introduction of egalitarian laws and democratic constitutional monarchy.

May 3rd Constitution (painting by Jan Matejko, 1891). King Stanisław August (left, in regal ermine-trimmed cloak), enters St. John's Cathedral, where Sejm deputies will swear to uphold the new Constitution; in background, Warsaw's Royal Castle, where the Constitution has just been adopted.

Ignacy Potocki

The development of these bold reforms provoked considerable animosity and hostility from Polands neighbours, as well as from a cabal of Polish magnates seeking to maintain the status quo. It ultimately led to the Second Partition in 1795 in which Poland was invaded and defeated by Prussia, Russia and Austria.  Despite Poland''s defeat its Constitution was exemplary and influenced other democratic movements in other parts of the world. For the next 123 years the Polish Constitution was a beacon of hope to a nation under siege and struggling to restore its sovereignty. Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Kollataj, the co-authors of the Constitution, referred to it as "the last will and testament of the expiring Fatherland".

Hugo Kollataj

In fact Poland has had several constitutions in its long and tumultuous history. In the 19th century the Duchy of Warsaw enacted its own
Constitution which was quite liberal for its time. It established a bicameral Sejm consisting of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies, with an executive body consisting of the Council of Ministers. Although it established Roman Catholicism as the state religion, religious tolerance was also guaranteed. Moreover egalitarian ideals were instituted and serfdom was abolished.

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland in 1815 promised freedom of speech and religious tolerance and was considered to be the most liberal of all of Europe.  Its constitution contained 165 articles in seven titles.

The Free City of Krakow, in 1815 was a city-state though not sovereign by any means. It was controlled by Russia, Prussia and Austria until 1846 when it was annexed to the Austrian Empire after the Krakow Uprising was defeated.  However, the Krakow Constitution, enacted in 1815 did provide the city with a significant degree of autonomy.

During the Second Polish Republic there were three Constitutions:  The Small Constitution, adopted on February 20, 1919 declared the Poland government as a parliamentary system, but omitted to declare itself a Republic.  The Chief of State held executive power and could only appoint ministers with the consent of the the Sejm. All were responsible before the Sejm, and did not have the power to dismiss the legislature.  Moreover, all Acts required the signature of the minister relevant to such a portfolio.

This constitution  was supplanted by the March 1921 Constitution, the latter of which was based on the French one and considered very democratic. Foremost were articles which expressly ruled out discrimination on racial or religious grounds. It was amended in 1926 and superseded by the Polish Constitution of 1935.

The 1935 Constitution established a presidential system of government, albeit an authoritarian one. Despite its outright violation of its preceding constitution and the rule of parliament, it was fervently adopted in order to promote national interests rather than democratic ones.(Sanacja).  As a result the President held enormous power and was imbued with the right to handpick members of his government, who in turn would be held responsible to the parliament.  He could also dismiss parliament before the end of its term, appoint a third of the Senators, the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army, as well as the General Inspector of the Armed Forces.  In addition, the President could issue decrees and veto acts passed by the Sejm. Most notable was the right given to the President to name his successor in the event of war. This feature was used by the Polish Government-in-exile during World War II tol justify its existence. The Constitution was abolished by the Soviet-back Polish authorities in 1944.  In its place was the restoration of the March Constitution along with many laws based on the Stalinist regime.

During the period of 1945-1989, the Polish Committee of National Liberation issued a Manifesto outlawing the April Constitution (of 1935) as unlawful and fascist.  It held that the March Constitution of 1921 would be in force until it was replaced with the new "Small Constitution of 1947", later supplanted in 1952 by the constitution of the Peoples Republic of Poland.

Finally during the Third Polish Republic (1989 - present) the Small Constitution of 1992, was a major adjustment of the 1952 constitution and established Poland as a democracy with many democratic reforms including the establishment of legislative and executive branches and local self-government.
It was voted by Poland's first democratic government (elected in free elections) since 1928.  In the process, the Stalinist Constitution was annulled, and Poland emerged as a liberal democratic nation with a market economy.

This was replaced by the current constitution of Poland, adopted by the National Assembly on April 2, 1997 and approved by a national referendum on May 25, 1997 and came into effect October 17, 1997.

The Preamble of the current Polish Constitution expresses what is in the heart of the Polish nation and its people.  It speaks volumes. It looks ahead towards a future that is bright and promising for all its citizens, but never forgets at what cost such freedom was finally achieved.  Poland inspires awe and respect for the struggles she has overcome, most notably in rebuilding a great modern nation and forging democratic and international commitments.


PREAMBLE

Having regard for the existence and future of our Homeland which recovered, in 1989, the possibility of a sovereign and democratic determination of its fate, We, the Polish Nation - all citizens of the Republic, Both those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty,
As well as those not sharing such faith but respecting those universal values as arising

from other sources, 

Equal in rights and obligations towards the common good - Poland,
Beholden to our ancestors for their labors, their struggle for independence achieved at great sacrifice, for our culture rooted in the Christian heritage of the Nation and in universal human values,
Recalling the best traditions of the First and the Second Republic,
Obliged to bequeath to future generations all that is valuable

from our over one thousand years' heritage,

Bound in community with our compatriots dispersed throughout the world,
Aware of the need for cooperation with all countries for the good of the Human Family,
Mindful of the bitter experiences of the times when fundamental freedoms and human rights

were violated in our Homeland,
Desiring to guarantee the rights of the citizens for all time, and to ensure diligence and efficiency in the work of public bodies,

Recognizing our responsibility before God or our own consciences,
Hereby establish this Constitution of the Republic of Poland as the basic law for the State, based on respect for freedom and justice, cooperation between the public powers, social dialogue as well as on the principle of subsidiarity in the strengthening the powers of citizens and their communities.
We call upon all those who will apply this Constitution for the good of the Third Republic to do so paying respect to the inherent dignity of the person, his or her right to freedom, the obligation of solidarity with others, and respect for these principles as the unshakeable foundation of the Republic of Poland.

Recommended Links:
Official Website of the President of the Republic of Poland
The Constitution of the Republic of Poland
Polish Constitutions
The Radicalism of May 3rd Constitution
Polish American Journal - 3rd May
The White House, Statement of President Barack Obama