DISGUISED DICTATORSHIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22654, 20 August 1935, Page 15

DISGUISED DICTATORSHIP

POLAND’S GOVERNMENT PILSUDSKI’S LEGACY INDEPENDENCE AND STRENGTH By Aubrey L. Williams. Poland! The name long stood for freedom, or, to be precise, for a desire for freedom. For a century and a-half the territory of the ancient kingdom of Poland lay dismembered —parcelled out between Prussia (later Germany), Austria and Russia. By the fortune of the Great War, which brought those three Empires to the dust, Poland was reborn, this time a Republic, and was given one of the most liberal Constitutions enacted in that period of resurgent liberalism. - "

It is, a sad commentary on European parliamentarianism that the Polish State in less than two decades after her glorious' rebirth should resort to, a political system whose true denomination is but thinly ..disguised under such euphemisms as “'disguised dictatorship ’’ or “ controlled democracy.” .Political vicissitudes, however, Me a particular feature of Poland’s history. Much of that history is a matter of pride for a people which has shown remarkable tenacity throughout the ages. Twice, before Vienna in 1683 and before Warsaw in 1920, have Polish armies saved Europe by crushing invading hosts, the first Turkish, the second Bolshevist, whoso victories would have destroyed civilisation. At one time Poland was part of a Confederation which extended from the Baltic to the Black Seas. So early as the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries she had so liberal an institution, as an elective kingship, and a Parliament which- gave so much power to the individual deputy that the gift eventually destroyed the - State. The liberum veto had only to be used by one deputy and any proposed measure was defeated, this though all other deputies favoured its passage to the Statute Book. A prolonged succession of such failures brought Poland to such straits that her avaricious neighbours had little difficulty in effecting the partitions which ended, for a long period, her .separate existence. What personal individualism achieved late in the eighteenth century party individualism almost accomplished in the twentieth century. That the 1923 Constitution failed to work well was because of the numerous small parties and the - incompetence of politicians. Inexperience may have .contributed to the latter. Only in Austrian Poland was politicial training possible. She enjoyed regional autonomy. Beyond the few deputies sent respectively to the Reichstag and the Douma, German and Russian Poland offered no facilities as training grounds for Polish parliamentarians. The early years of the Republic were marked by an instability that imperilled the State, and it was only ended in 1926, when the late Marshal Pilsudski, who had held office as first President and had then gone sulking to his tent, once more assumed control. Henceforth until his death last May Pilsudski held supreme power. Although he only assumed the War Portfolio, he was virtually a dictator. He achieved discipline and efficiency by the sacrifice of the constitutional rights of individuals and parties. He realised that Poland’s position between Germany and Russia, was perilous, and that she must be powerful and morally united. The Poles resented- discipline,; but he enforced He' sought men capable of holding the highest offices in the Slate, trained them to be hi* successors. *lt has yet to be demonstrated whether Colonel Slawek, Prime Minister, Colonel Beck, Foreign Minister, General EydzSmigly, Commander-in-Chief of the army, and others justify his choice. Poland still has the appearance of a democracy. Opposition parties and even opposition newspapers exist. The deceit is maintained by the new Constitution, under which a new legislature will be elected in September. In fact, Poland is about to pass under a : political system which differs only in degree from those operating in Italy and Germany. It appears to ■he - democratic when 20,000,000 out of the 34,000,000 population have the right to elect l deputies to the Seym, the. Lower House, although but 400,000 may participate in the elections for the Senate. But the Poles will only be allowed to' vote for two persons in each of the 100 constituencies who have previously been selected by a board set up in the constituency. A system reminiscent of Fascist Italy. No political parties will be permitted. The fact that the three great opposition parties, which combined have 125 members out of 444 in the present Seym, have declined to participate in the coming elections is evidence that they regard them as a sham and a farce. While that is probably the case, the! majority of Poles appear to be content to sink their individuality to achieve a Poland strong and independent. Their history has taught them that only such a structure will make their neighbours realise that it will be prudent for them to be friends and dangerous for them to be enemies. Germany has shown foresight in accepting a 10-year pact of nonaggression, and Russia has also concluded a non-aggression pact. Pilsudski’s death has removed some of the obscurity long surrounding Poland’s foreign policy. Succintly put that is “ Ourselves alone.” Hence the resentment at French tutelage, and a cooling of the friendship, accompanied by a steady upbuilding of the army. The army it is that now ensures the respect of Poland’s powerful neighbours. Behind it the development of the national patrimony is being taken in hand, so that when" conditions change, as they must, she will be ready to face aggression, come whence it may. At present Poland is 70 per cent, agricultural. Her industry, such as exists, is German, Russian or Austrian, not national. But her resources in coal, minerals, metals and timber are great, if not over-abundant, and given prudent State direction they may be developed as the necessary, indeed essential, secondary bulwark of the nation. The future of the Polish republic is a matter for speculation. Standing where it does it can hardly be otherwise, but given the old tenacity and assuming that experience has tempered it with wisdom the Poles should survive and continue to make civilisation their debtor.