1921 alliance between France and Poland
The
Franco-Polish Alliance
was the
military alliance
between
Poland
and
France
that was active between the early 1920s and the outbreak of the
Second World War
. The initial agreements were signed in February 1921 and formally took effect in 1923. During the
interwar period
the alliance with Poland was one of the cornerstones of
French foreign policy
.
Background
[
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]
During the
France-Habsburg rivalry
, which began in the 16th century, France tried to find allies to the east of
Austria
, hoping to ally with Poland. Polish King
Jan III Sobieski
also had the intention to ally with France against the threat of Austria, but the greater threat posed by the Muslim-led
Ottoman Empire
made him fight for the Christian cause in the
Battle of Vienna
. In the 18th century,
Poland was partitioned
by
Russia
,
Prussia
and
Austria
, but
Napoleon
recreated the Polish state in the
Duchy of Warsaw
. With the rise of a united
German Empire
in the 19th century, France and Poland found a new common enemy.
Interwar period
[
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]
During the
Polish?Soviet War
of 1920, France, one of the most active supporters of Poland, sent the
French Military Mission to Poland
to aid the Polish army. In early February in Paris, three pacts were discussed by
Polish Chief of State
Jozef Piłsudski
and
French President
Alexandre Millerand
: political, military and economic.
The political alliance was signed there on February 19, 1921 by
Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs
Count
Eustachy Sapieha
and
French Minister of Foreign Affairs
Aristide Briand
, in the background of the negotiations that ended the Polish?Soviet War by the
Treaty of Riga
. The agreement assumed a common foreign policy, the promotion of bilateral economical contacts, the consultation of new pacts concerning Central and Eastern Europe and assistance in case one of the signatories became a victim of an "unprovoked" attack. As such, it was a
defensive alliance
.
[1]
The secret military pact was signed two days later, on February 21, 1921, and clarified that the agreement was aimed at possible threats from both
Germany
and the
Soviet Union
.
[2]
An attack on Poland would make France keep lines of communication free and Germany in check but not require it to send troops or to declare war.
[3]
Both political and military pacts were legally not in force until the economic pact was ratified,
[3]
which occurred on August 2, 1923.
[4]
The alliance was further extended by the Franco?Polish Warrant Agreement, signed on October 16, 1925 in
Locarno
, as part of the
Locarno Treaties
. The new treaty subscribed all previously-signed Polish?French agreements to the system of mutual pacts of the
League of Nations
.
[5]
The alliance was closely tied with the Franco-Czechoslovakian Alliance. France's alliances with Poland and
Czechoslovakia
were aimed at deterring Germany from the use of force to achieve a revision of the postwar settlement and ensuring that German forces would be confronted with significant combined strength of its neighbours. Although Czechoslovakia had a significant economy and industry and Poland had a strong army, the French?Polish?Czechoslovakian triangle never reached its full potential. Czechoslovakian foreign policy, under
Edvard Bene?
, avoided signing a formal alliance with Poland, which would force Czechoslovakia to take sides in
Polish?German territorial disputes
. Czechoslovakia's influence was weakened by the doubts of its allies as to the trustworthiness of its army, and Poland's influence was undermined by fighting between supporters and opponents of
Jozef Piłsudski
. France's reluctance to invest in its allies' industry (especially Poland's), improve trade relations by buying their agricultural products and share military expertise further weakened the alliance.
[6]
In the 1930s, the alliance remained mostly inactive and its only effect was to keep the
French Military Mission to Poland
, which had worked with the Polish General Staff ever since the Polish?Soviet War of 1919?1920. However, with the German threat becoming increasingly visible in the latter part of the decade, both countries started to seek a new pact to guarantee the independence of all contracting parties and military co-operation in case of a
war with Germany
.
1939
[
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]
Finally, a new alliance started to be formed in 1939. The Kasprzycki?Gamelin Convention was signed May 19, 1939 in
Paris
. It was named after
Polish Minister of War Affairs
General
Tadeusz Kasprzycki
and Commander of the
French Army
Maurice Gamelin
.
[7]
The military convention was army-to-army, not state-to-state, and was not in force legally, as it was dependent on signing and
ratification
of the political convention.
[8]
It obliged both armies to provide help to each other in case of a war with Germany. In May, Gamelin promised a "bold relief offensive" within three weeks of a German attack.
[9]
The treaty was ratified by France on September 4, 1939, on the fourth day of
German offensive on Poland
.
However, France provided only token help to Poland during the war in the form of the
Saar Offensive
, which has often been considered an example of
Western betrayal
. However, the political convention was the basis of the recreation of the
Polish Army in France
.
Piotr Zychowicz quoted the memoirs of the
French ambassador to Poland
,
Leon Noel
, who wrote as early as October 1938, "It is of utmost importance that we remove from our obligations everything that would deprive French government the freedom of decision on the day when Poland finds itself in war with Germany". Foreign Minister
Georges Bonnet
reassured Noel by writing that "our agreement with Poland is full of gaps, needed to keep our country away from war".
[10]
See also
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References
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]
- ^
Umowa polityczna francusko?polska, podpisana w Pary?u 19 lutego 1921 r. (
Dz.U. 1922 nr 63 poz. 563
), registration July 2, 1923: France and Poland - Political Agreement, signed at Paris, February 19, 1921 (
1923 LNTSer 87; 18 LNTS 11
)
- ^
Accord militaire franco?polonais Paris, 19 fevrier 1921:
Documents Diplomatiques Francais: 1921 - Tome I (16 Janvier - 30 Juin)
,
Secret Milit Convention between France and Poland
- ^
a
b
Piotr Stefan Wandycz (1 January 1962).
France and Her Eastern Allies, 1919?1925: French?Czechoslovak?Polish Relations from the Paris Peace Conference to Locarno
. U of Minnesota Press. pp. 217?.
ISBN
978-0-8166-5886-2
.
- ^
Dz.U. 1923 nr 106 poz. 833
- ^
Traktat Gwarancyjny pomi?dzy Polsk? a Francj?, podpisany w Londynie 1 grudnia 1925 r. (
Dz.U. 1926 nr 114 poz. 660
), registration September 14, 1926: France and Poland - Treaty of Mutual Guarantee, done at Locarno, October 16, 1925 (
1926 LNTSer 250; 54 LNTS 353
)
- ^
This paragraph is based on a review of Zandycz book by Detlef Brandes, from
Slavic Review
, Fall 1990 issue
- ^
Protocole Franco?Polonais 1939 Gamelin-Kasprzycki :
Contre-temoignage sur une catastrophe
,
Protokoł ko?cowy francusko?polskich rozmow sztabowych 15?17 maja 1939
- ^
Anita J. Prazmowska (12 February 2004).
Britain, Poland and the Eastern Front, 1939
. Cambridge University Press. pp. 103?.
ISBN
978-0-521-52938-9
.
- ^
Nicole Jordan (22 August 2002).
The Popular Front and Central Europe: The Dilemmas of French Impotence 1918?1940
. Cambridge University Press. pp. 294?.
ISBN
978-0-521-52242-7
.
- ^
pages 279-280
[
full citation needed
]
External links
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Further reading
[
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]