Activities of the cabinet of Leopold Skulski on the basis of the minutes of the Council of Ministers’ Meetings (13th December 1919 – 9th June 1920) and the role of the government in the period of preparations for the Kiev offensive

The government of Leopold Skulski had been active under the pressure of war preparation but was mainly occupied by internal issues. Foreign policy was under the control of the country’s leader, Marshal J. Piłsudski. The cabinet of Leopold Skulski had little roomfor maneuver, the expenses connected with the war campaign represented 60% of the country’s total budget. Even though war orders had a very positive influence on industrial and agricultural output growth, the bulk of that output had been absorbed by the army, which automatically created problems in the open market. Similarly, the country’s foreign trade balance was significantly overloaded by the burden of military expenditure with inflation providing a source of solid revenue income for covering war expenses. The Skulski government tried to stabilize the internal balance; on 1 April 1920 it unified the various state treasury and taxation systems and on 29 April, it unified the country’s five currencies into a single currency. On 1 June, a unified railway tariff covering the whole country was introduced. During the activity of this government, parliament had to agree an eight hour working day and a 46 hour working week for the workers, as well as providing them with a social security system.Uniwersytet Wrocławsk

Bartosz Borkowski, Ku wojnie, Warszawa 2021, ss. 397

Recenzja książki Bartosza Borkowskiego Ku wojnie (Warszawa 2021)

The Government of Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski october 13, 1935 – May 15, 1936 : the first cabinet appointed during the period of force of the april constitution

The Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski Government, was the first appointed cabinet after the entry into force of the April constitution of 1935. Deputy Prime Minister Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski played a decisive role in many of the government’s economic cases. The government concentrated on the economic recovery of the country. A certain economic recovery took place in the agricultural sector; a rise in the prices of plants grown for industrial purposes was registered, as well as of animals, and, from the spring of 1936, cereal crops. After a certain stagnation, the department of agriculture hastened the completion of agricultural reform. As a result of the rise in the incomes of agricultural producers and the increases in purchases of manufactured goods by the population of the villages, a growth in industrial manufacturing accelerated automatically. Apart from that the Council of Ministers decided to introduce a reform of the income tax system (including the extraordinary payroll tax), as a measure to increase the income of the state treasury. This brought additional earnings of 288 m PLN into the state treasury. The budget balance for 1935/1936 amounted to a deficit of 263 m PLN, but the budget for the following year was drawn up in such a way that the deficit was liquidated entirely (!) since the cuts in expenditures, and the limited reform of taxes made up for more than 100 m PLN. The government’s announcements of anticipated rapid improvements in the economic situation of the society in the autumn of 1935 turned out to be a big mistake. When the expected recovery failed to materialize, a wave of protests poured over the country in the spring of 1936. Admittedly, the government, through increased taxes and quite drastic cuts in state expenditures, succeeded in reducing the country’s budget deficit, but it simultaneously produced universal dissatisfaction in the society which had to incur serious costs due to such policies. As a result, in spite of the growth in industrial production and a reduction in unemployment, the population started withdrawing its deposits on a large scale, and exchanging them for gold and foreign currencies. In the spring of 1936 the government implemented a ban on the transport of mottos, as well as one on trade in foreign currencies and gold. It also put sharp restrictions on the exchangeability of Polish currency into gold and mottos, and suspended the transfer of foreign loans. All these measures were admittedly necessary, but they came too late to save the country from hemorrhaging foreign exchange. In commercial litigation cases, however, this was the first government to overcome a profound economic crisis

Rząd Władysława Grabskiego (23 VI–24 VII 1920 r.), skład, działalność i pozycja wobec Rady Obrony Państwa

Wladyslaw Grabski government (from 23rd of June to 24th on July, 1920) (Summary) After establishing a new government with Prime Minister Wladyslaw Grabski, because of the fear from the Red Army coming closer to the border, one of the most signifying ideas was to create the Council for the Defence of the State, which could seize part of the Parliament duties and privileges. The Parliament bill, enacted rapidly, defined very wide authority of the Council, including passing regulations and ordinances, which ought to be fulfilled immediately. It was obligatory, that those ordinances, which needed to be fulfilled by Parliament, were to be approved during the next session. That means, the whole system of constituting the law by the Parliament was not restrained, but limited, because the Council got authority to make decisions and force governing bodies to act rapidly. The Council was not “a government”, but it enabled to coordinate all state functions with an economic activity and the headquarters’ work. Not violating the basis of political system, it was possible to intervene on all fields of state duties. The fact is, that establishing the Council for the Defence of the State weakened the government, as well as the Prime Minister’s position. But also his fatuous decision about going to Spa for the meeting with British Prime Minister, with humiliating proposition of conditions of a truce, if only Russian invasion would be stopped, had weakened the position of whole government. Despite the Council for the Defence of the State, government still worked, and after the 1st of July it made eight sessions. Nevertheless, international politics pursued by W. Grabski, especially the case of a Spa meeting, considerably weakened the position of whole government, criticized for the whole period of its shortly existence, and even fought by left-centre factions.

Andrzej Chwalba, Przegrane zwycięstwo. Wojna polsko-bolszewicka 1918-1920, Wołowiec 2020, ss. 387.

Recenzja książki Andrzeja Chwalby   Przegrane zwycięstwo. Wojna polsko-bolszewicka 1918-1920, Wołowiec 2020, ss. 387

Prezydium Rady Ministrów w latach 1918-1939. Struktura, zakres kompetencji i działalność projektodawcza. (Zarys problemu)

Prezydium Rady Ministrów w latach 1918-1939. Struktura, zakres kompetencji i działalność projektodawcza. (Zarys problemu

Gabinety Królestwa Polskiego 1917–1918. Skład, funkcjonowanie i działalność

The Governments of the Kingdom of Poland ( 1917–1918 ). Members and modes of functioningThe process of restoration of the Kingdom of Poland was started by the Act of 5th November 1916, issued by the governments of Germany and Austria-Hungary (after pushing out the Russian army from Polish territory and establishing the Regency Council). The foundations of Polish state administration were laid by the Regency Council through establishing Polish governments with Prime Ministers. The competencies of the government were delineated by the Act of 3rd January 1918 “about the temporary organization of the head authorities in the Kingdom of Poland”. The act differentiated the executive power into the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministry and the Ministers themselves. The scope of Prime Minister’s duties was defined the Patent of 12th September 1917 and the act of 03th January 1918. Neither of the documents made it clear, however, what authority, and according to what procedure, should appoint the Prime Minister. The new government was approved by the Regency Council only as requested by the already appointed Prime Minister. For sure it highlighted the independency of the “Ministers’ President” from the rest of the government, whose work he supervised. During the time of the Regency Council five cabinets were established, including two provisional governments. Evaluating the cabinets, it should be highlighted that the cabinet of Jan Kucharzewski was the one which actively sought practical experience in managing the Council of Ministry, which later was used by their successors. Their other big achievement was preparation of a lot of projects of legal acts necessary for the development of the new Polish State. The cabinet of Jan Steczkowski continued this process, but after establishing the Council of State in June 1918 (whose role was overestimated) it slowed down in its work of overtaking the successive parts of country administration, and instead started establishing diplomatic offices, which turned out nothing but a faint attempt to show the illusory independency of the Kingdom of Poland. The cabinet of Józef Świeżyński struggled to demonstrate the independency of the Polish government in front of the German and Austrian governments, trying even to distance itself from the Regency Council. It is worth emphasizing the intense work of the provisional governments on taking over the state issues by Polish political subjects. Even though the possibilities of the first cabinets were very limited, they did establish the beginnings of Polish regular state administration and in this way educated the regular state administration officers for the future Polish State

Andrzej Chwalba, Przegrane zwycięstwo. Wojna polsko-bolszewicka 1918-1920, Wołowiec 2020, ss. 387.

Recenzja książki Andrzeja Chwalby   Przegrane zwycięstwo. Wojna polsko-bolszewicka 1918-1920, Wołowiec 2020, ss. 387