Władysław Studnicki

Władysław Gizbert-Studnicki, a Polish politician and publicist, was born in 1867 in Daugavpils (Latvia) and died in 1953 in London. Throughout his life, Studnicki was famous for his strongly pro-German stance, however, above all, he was a Polish patriot.

His political career started in late 19th century in the Socialist organization Proletariat, for which Russian authorities sent him to Siberia. After returning to Poland, became activist of Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (Polish Socialist Party), but left it, choosing the national movement, in which he was the main ideologist. However, unhappy about pro-Russian program of the nationalists, deserted them and in 1904 wrote a book “From Socialism to Nationalism”, in which Studnicki explained reasons for change of his ideals.

In 1910 he authored another publication “Polish Case” in which presented the need of reconstruction of Poland, based on Germany and Austria-Hungary. Also, at that time Studnicki came up with a concept which stipulated changing the dual, Austro-Hungarian Empire into the Austrian-Hungarian-Polish federation. He was strongy anti-Russian, emphasizing that Russian Empire occupied 80% of the territory of the 1772 Rzeczpospolita (see: Partitions of Poland).

In the course of time, Studnicki became one of the most important pro-German politicians in Poland. On May 10, 1916 he met Hans von Beseler, a Governor of the Congress Kingdom, to whom he presented a project of an independent Poland, with eastern borders on the Dvina and Berezina rivers and western borders as for 1914, leaving Poznan, Bydgoszcz and Upper Silesia in German hands. Later, he became member of the Temporary Council of State, a German-sponsored government, existing in Warsaw in the years 1916 - 1918.

In the Second Polish Republic Studnicki devoted his time to writing. He authored a number of books, among them “Political System of Europe and Poland” (1935), “A Question of Czechoslovakia and Polish Raison d’Etat” (1938) and, finally “Facing the Oncoming Second World War” (1939) in which he correctly assessed and anticipated the events of the conflict.

In October 1939, after Polish September Campaign, Studnicki wrote a memo to the Germans in which he emphasized the necessessity of recreating the Polish Army, which, allied with the Wehrmacht, would free the nations of the Soviet Union. In January of 1940 he issued an appeal to the German Government, protesting against policies of Nazi administration in occupied Poland. All of his appeals were ignored, and later Studnicki was imprisoned by the Germans in Warsaw’s infamous Pawiak prison. He died in London in 1953.