Jozef
Pilsudski was born in Zulowa, Russia, in
1867. While studying in the University of Kharkov he became a socialist
and joined the People's Will organization.
He was arrested in 1887 and sent to Siberia.
On
his release in 1892 he founded the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) and
edited the underground and left-wing newspaper, Robotnik
where he promoted socialism and Polish nationalism. The paper was
suppressed in 1900 and Pilsudski was once again arrested.
Pilsudski
escaped and formed a PPS Military Unit that carried out bank raids
and killed members of the Tsarist police. On 26th September, 1908,
his gang stole 200,000 rubles from a mail train in Bezdany. Pilsudski
used this money to build up a new revolutionary army.
Roman Dmowski, the main leader of the
Polish nationalist movement, believed the best way to achieve a unified
and independent Poland, was to support
the Triple Entente against the Triple
Alliance. Pilsudski disagreed and saw Russia
as the main enemy.
Pilsudski began building a private army that he hoped would enable
Poland to fight for its independence
from Russia. In 1914 Pilsudski and his
10,000 men fought with the Austrians
against the Russian Army but after the
Russian Revolution his loyalty was questioned
and he was arrested and imprisoned in July 1917.
On his release in 1918 Pilsudski became provisional head of state
and leader of all Polish troops. Pilsudski represented Poland at the
Versailles Treaty and his army successfully
defended Poland against the Red
Army (1919-20).
During
the Russian Civil War Pilsudki's army
made considerable gains and the Soviet-Polish Treaty of Riga (1921)
left Poland in control of substantial areas of Lithuania, Belorussia
and the Ukraine.
Pilsudski
remained in charge of the army until 1923. After three years retirement,
Pilsudski staged a military coup in May 1926. For the next nine years
Pilsudski was the virtual dictator of Poland. Jozef Pilsudski died
in 1935.
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