Józef Piłsudski's cult of personality

Piłsudski statue, Piłsudski Square, Warsaw

A

communist rule of Poland

. In modern Poland, Piłsudski is recognized as an important and a largely-positive figure in Polish history.

Origins

Piłsudski's popularity, described as a

First World War^[2]^[3] and his leadership in the subsequent Polish–Soviet War.^[1] He had, however, already been a popular figure even before the start of the war^[4]

Piłsudski seized power in Poland again in 1926 after his

Wilno to Piłsudski's child nickname, Ziuk).^[4] In 1938, the Polish Parliament passed a decree criminalising any defamation of Piłsudski.^[8]

Piłsudski's cult is tied to

Polish Army, but that relation has lost some of its strength with the progression of time.^[3]^[10]

Despite those efforts, his cult began to wane shortly after his death, according to some, as early as 1937.[9]

Piłsudski's cult was not universal and was opposed by several factions from the very first days of its emergence; the most notable of its early opponents included the

sanacja faction. Critics of Piłsudski faced some persecution from the state and its supporters.^[11]

The cult was particularly strong in the Polish Army. During the

Polish government in exile, such as Władysław Sikorski, were opposed to it.^[13]

Piłsudski became even in his lifetime to a namesake of the Polish Navy's gunboat ORP "Komendant Piłsudski" and of the motor transatlantic liner "Piłsudski". The latter, built in Italy, was the first Polish modern transatlantic liner, was launched in December 1934 and entered service in September 1935.

Later years

Piłsudski's cult was suppressed during the time of

fascist and as responsible for much of the Poland's ills.^[13]^[14] The fond memory of Piłsudski persisted among the segments of Polish population, nonetheless, and he became an important figure for many Solidarity activists, including Lech Wałęsa.^[15] Piłsudski was also respected abroad.^[13] By the late 1980s, the Polish communists changed tack and attempted to integrate Piłsudski's popularity into their own propaganda but to little effect.^[13]

At the time of the

Golden Age of Piłsudski's popularity.^[18]

Piłsudski's cult and legend is still present in Polish political and cultural discourse; for example, Piłsudski was declared as the most influential politician by both Donald Tusk and Lech Kaczyński in the 2005 Polish presidential election,^[19]^[20] and he was positively referenced by Polish president Bronisław Komorowski in his electoral campaign in 2010.^[21] However, there are groups in the modern Polish society that are highly critical of Piłsudski and his legacy.^[22]