Historical calendar: November 2, 1932 – Józef Beck as abroad Minister

Historical calendar – the anniversary of Józef Beck taking the position of Minister of abroad Affairs in the sanctioning government of Alexander Prystor.

Today in our calendar we will look at the life and activities of the celebrated traitor and coward, whose inept policy led to the holocaust of the Polish population during planet War II.

Jóżef was born in the patriotic household of Józef and Bronisława Łuczkowska. In his youth, he frequently changed his place of residence. He graduated from junior advanced school in Krakow and then studied engineering in Lviv and trade in Vienna. In 1913 he joined the firearm Union and personally met Józef Piłsudski. After the outbreak of planet War I, he enlisted in the Polish Legions, in which he became an artilleryman. He fought in Galicia and Volyn.

During the oath crisis, he supported Piłsudski's political line and was removed from the army. He entered the secret structures of the POW in Lviv. He was sent to Russia to form Polish units. After they were broken up, he returned to Lviv. In November 1918, he stayed in Lublin, where he enlisted in the Polish Army. He fought against the Ukrainians for a while.

His acquaintance with Piłsudski weighed on his fast promotion. In 1920, he received a advanced position in the Division of the Second General Staff. He was besides sent with diplomatic missions to Romania, Hungary and Belgium. In 1922 he became a military attaché in France. In 1924 he completed a staff course at the Warsaw School of War. He then joined the War Council at the president of the Republic of Poland as a lieutenant colonel.

He participated in the preparations and conduct of the May bombing. He accompanied the delegation which received resignation from the office of president Wojciechowski and Prime Minister Witos. He then became head of the cabinet of Józef Piłsudski in the Ministry of Military Affairs. He held this function until 1930. He was then transferred to the position of Deputy Prime Minister, and somewhat later undersecretary of state in the Ministry of abroad Affairs.

Valuable by the marshal over time, he reached the very top of the sanitation hierarchy of the government. On November 2, 1932, he became abroad Minister. At the command of Piłsudski, he conducted a balance policy between Germany and the russian Union, while maintaining friendly relations with France and large Britain. He had any successes, including signing an act on non-aggression with the USSR and declaring non-violence with Nazi Germany.

After the death of the protector he remained in his position and almost independently directed the state's abroad policy. Unfortunately, he could not number on the substantive support of the another Sanitation leaders. For after the deceased marshal was a mediocre, even intellectual bluntness of the camp of power. This was due to the fact that Piłsudski cut people with independent and innovative reasoning out of government circles. Most of those who worked there got utilized to following orders and deficiency of decision-making sovereignty.

It was no different with Beck, who, forced to think for himself, began to become depressed and alcoholic. Meanwhile, the situation of the camp of power forced him to engage in the fight of sanitational parties for the strategy of Piłsudski. He couldn't think ahead, and his next moves were shortsighted. He led to what Piłsudski, the anti-Polish cooperation of Germany and ZSRS, was most afraid of.

Seeing Hitler's expanding strength, he rejected the balance policy and began working with him. Although he did not join the anti-comintern pact, he rejected the anticipation of entering the east Pact proposed by France. Co-operation with Hitler has brought immediate benefits. Beck has negotiated to respect the rights of the Polish number in Silesia and the Free City of Gdańsk. He besides utilized the minute of Austrian business to send ultimatum Lithuania.

This is not the end – the signing of the Munich Treaty, Beck utilized as an excuse to take Zaolzia. He did not realize Hitler's long-term policy, especially that his goal was to defeat France and the USSR. erstwhile the alliance was offered against Stalin in exchange for Gdańsk, he began to key and play on time. possibly specified an attitude was not a bad option, but he shortly accepted a decisive, non-alternative anti-German line.

In August 1938 to Poland he sailed on his luxury yacht Enchantress. First Admiralty Lord, Duff Cooper. He met with Beck in Gdynia, but the result of these talks is inactive unknown. In any case, the British's goal was to postpone the war in the West due to the fact that they were not prepared for it. It was in their interest to redirect Hitler to the east, that is, Poland. Beck ignored these rather clearly drawn goals of London and naively recognized British support for Poland as a good coin.

On 31 March 1939 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced unilateral and unconditional guarantees for Poland. On 6 April, during Beck's visit to London, a bilateral defence alliance was signed, which in secret protocol pointed out as a common enemy of the 3rd Reich. It is not rather clear what sparked a sharp political turn towards Anglophile.

Perhaps Joseph was a associate of the masonry. In any case, the adoption of the British guarantees meant the end of the Polish policy of larvaing between neighbours and falling into a one-way street, the final of which was the invasion of the 3rd Reich and the deaths of 6 million Polish citizens.

In the following months, Beck, like Hitler, escalated the conflict. He gave the Germans signals that in the event of an attack on France Poland would aid her. He spoke a lot about the honor of the state and the nation, in which Edward Rydz utilized to repeat to him, telling powerful slogans about not giving a button. In this way the first (and thus the strongest and most deadly) attack of German troops from France to Poland was redirected.

As if it wasn't enough, Beck was completely overcompensating the anticipation of Hitler working with Stalin.

In this way, like Blade-Rydz, he made almost all the mistakes that could be made in his position. He spoke a lot about honor on September 3, 1939, but he did not have it himself. shortly he began fleeing south with the president, the another members of the government, and the chief chief staff. Just as they crossed the border with Romania on the night of September 17 to 18. He was interned and placed in Braszów and then Bucharest.

In 1940 he tried to escape, but was captured. He never recognized the mistake of his policy, which indirectly proves that he besides calculated the anticipation of complete defeat. He died of tuberculosis on June 5, 1944.

His attitude toward religion is not entirely clear. He was baptized in 2 different rites (Catholic and Orthodox). He was buried in the Orthodox cemetery, and his ceremony was celebrated by a Calvinist pastor. He was married twice and had a boy named Andrew.

Joseph Beck, through his inability and shortsightedness, led to the largest national hecatomb since the Swedish Flood. He pushed Poland into the first fire of planet War II, which caused it to lose even more than the defeated Axis countries. There are many indications that secret arrangements with British diplomacy and masonry had a crucial impact on his conduct. In any case, he caused Poles to endure 5 years of German business and over 40 years of communism.

The consequences of Beck's destructive policy are visible today.

Previous entry from our calendar is available Here.