Topic: What do we remember about the Second Polish Republic? (revision)

Target group

7th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

7th‑grade students of elementary school

XXVI. Polish case during the First World War. Pupil:

1. characterizes the relations between the partitioning powers and the Polish cause on the eve of the war and the outbreak of the war;

2. discusses the internationalization of the Polish cause: the act of November 5, 1916, the role of the United States and the Russian Revolutions, the declaration of June 3, 1918;

3. assesses Polish armed and diplomatic efforts, lists state‑building works during the war.

XXVIII. The rebirth of the Polish state after the First World War. Pupil:

1. discusses the formation of a central center of state authority - from the October declaration of the Regency Council to the „Small Constitution”;

2. presents the process of forging borders: the decisions of Versailles and the phenomenon of the Wielkopolska Uprising and the Silesian uprisings (west) - a federal dilemma and the incorporation effect (east);

3. describes the Polish‑Bolshevik war and its consequences (the Riga room).

XXIX. Second Polish Republic in 1921‑1939. Pupil:

1. characterizes the scale and consequences of wartime destruction and industrial heritage;

2. characterizes the political system of Poland based on the March constitution of 1921;

3. discusses the crisis of parliamentary democracy in Poland - the causes, course and effects of the May coup;

4. describes Polish authoritarianism - the rule of sanation, systemic changes (April Constitution of 1935);

5. presents the main directions of the foreign policy of the Second Polish Republic (system of alliances and the policy of balance).

XXX. Society and economy of the Second Polish Republic. Pupil:

1. characterizes the social, national and religious structure of the Polish state;

2. discusses the effects of the global economic crisis in the Polish lands;

3. assesses the economic achievements of the Second Polish Republic, especially the Gdynia, coal and Central Industrial District;

4. gives the most important cultural and scientific achievements of Poland in the interwar period.

General aim of education

The student acquires knowledge and skills about the topics discussed in the classes

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• about the most important events from 1918‑1939;

• about new facts from the history of interwar period of Poland;

• about the most important Poles of the Second Polish Republic.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. Students should recall the most important facts from previous lessons about the history of Poland in 1918‑1939.

Introduction

1. The teacher states the subject of the lesson, explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

2. Referring to the previous lessons, teacher asks the students – How did it happen that Poland regained its independence after 123 years of partitions? Which of the politicians contributed to this and how? Asking questions, the lecturer remembers that they should be formulated to be key questions.

Realization

1. The teacher draws a table on the board that will accompany the students throughout the entire lesson and will be gradually filled during the course of the lesson. The table consists of tour fields: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Fillin the table will help students to characterize the Second Polish Republic, its history and functioning.

2. Beginning the repetition lesson, teacher asks the students about what the country was like after regaining independence – what challenges, problems and possibilities did it face? Students should mention issues related to the creation of Poland from the lands of the three partitions, war destruction, struggle for borders and recognition of independence, weak and diversified economy, numerous minorities, political problems, etc. All the remarks mentioned by the students should be put in appropriate places with the help of the teacher.

3. The teacher begins to discuss particular issues, starting, for example, from the population and minority issues living in the reborn Poland. At the same time, he mentions a huge group of Poles (7‑8 million) living outside its borders, a small percentage of urban residents (only 30 percent in 1938) and eastern borderlands, where national consciousness practically did not exist (declaring itself in census as „local”). Students will get acquainted with interactive photography describing the issue of minorities (** Task 1 **) and fill the table on with gained information.

4. Not only quarrels and fights ... - referring to one of the previous lessons, the teacher asks students about the successes that have been achieved in the short existence of interwar Poland. The task of students (pairs) is to search the Internet (for 5 minutes, time is very important), looking for information about the successes of the Second Polish Republic. The teacher then complements the students' answers, listing several successes, eg the Nobel Prize for Władysław Reymont (1924); Żwirko and Wigura's victory at Challenge Air Competition (1932), etc. Students look at the political caricature (** Command 2 **), then they perform ** Exercise 1 ** and ** Exercise 2 **. The teacher makes sure that the tasks have been correctly completed and gives feedback.

5. The teacher asks students about the most important event of the Second Polish Republic, an event that completely changed its character and influenced every aspect of life. Students should mention the May Coup. The teacher asks, starting the discussion: can the events of May 1926 be considered a success or a failure? The answer can be ambiguous and land in several parts of the table.

Summary

1. To summarize the lesson, the teacher asks students to analyze the table they have created throughout the entire lesson. He asks about successes and failures as well as unused opportunities. By moderating the discussion, the teacher concludes with the conclusions on which he would like to focus.

2. Students use the random machine to match the names and descriptions to the pictures (** Exercise 3 **).

3. The teacher assesses the students' work during the lesson, taking into account their input and commitment. For this purpose, he may prepare a self‑assessment questionnaire.

Homework

1. The willing students with homework: One of the most important achievements of the Second Polish Republic was the construction of the Central Industrial Region. Look for information about what facilities were in it and what they produced. Try to find some interesting videos about this venture.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What do we remember about the Second Polish Republic? (revision)

World War I (or the Great War) broke out in 1914 as a result of the conflicting interests of European powers. It ended in the autumn of 1918 with the defeat of Central Powers. Millions of soldiers died, European countries plunged into an economic crisis. A wave of revolution swept through Europe, which resulted in the abolition of the Russian, German and Austro‑Hungarian monarchies. Thanks to Józef Piłsudski and Roman Dmowski, and as a result of favorable circumstances, Poland regained its independence.

Initially, the Polish state was limited to the western parts of the Austrian and Russian partitions. The fight for the changing of borders lasted several years. A successful uprisings against Germany broke out in Greater Poland. As a result of three uprisings and the plebiscite in Upper Silesia, Poland obtained a third part of these areas. The reborn Polish Army took the fight to the east, first with the Ukrainians over Lviv, and then with the Soviet Russia. The Polish victory at the battle of Warsaw in August 1920 (the so‑called Miracle on the Vistula) was of vital importance.

The reborn Polish state was experiencing an internal crisis. Economic difficulties were hard to overcome. Poland was ravaged by the war and partitions, which coincided with the post‑war crisis. The Second Polish Republic was a state of many nations and religions, which also caused tension.

After regaining independence, Józef Piłsudski assumed temporary power as the Chief of State. The parliament chosen in the general elections was divided – there were many groups and it was difficult to create a majority government. Cabinets fell one after another. After the end of the wars for the borders, the first president of the Republic of Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz (1922), was elected. However, after only a week he was murdered. Dissatisfied with the situation in the country, Piłsudski, together with his faithful troops, rebelled against legal power and overthrew it (the so‑called May Coup in 1926). He assumed power as a dictator, although he was formally only the commander of the army. Pilsudski's rules are called Sanation (from Latin sanatio – healing).

The Second Polish Republic was a state composed of three partitions, which differed from each other. The specialists cabinet, created by Władysław Grabski, overcame the inflation and the crisis after the First World War. A new currency has been introduced (Polish zloty). Construction of the port in Gdynia started, which turned this small village into a developing city. Poland suffered as a result of the Great Depression.

Marshal Jozef Pilsudski died in 1935. Power was transferred to his colleagues. The main roles were performed by President Ignacy Mościcki, Army Commander Edward Rydz‑Śmigły and Minister of Foreign Affairs Józef Beck. Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski became the Minister of the Treasury. He started the implementation of a large construction plan for the Central Industrial District in southern Poland. Numerous factories and industrial plants were built. Kwiatkowski focused on the active role of the state in the economy, the fight against unemployment, the development and modernization of the country.