The Grunwald Tradition in the Political Activity of the World Power Legion

Dariusz Radziwiłłowicz

The Grunwald Tradition in the

Political Activity of the World Power

Legion

Echa Przeszłości 12, 157-164

2011

D ariusz R adziw illow icz

THE GRUNWALD TRADITION IN THE POLITICAL

ACTIVITY OF THE WORLD POWER LEGION

T he W orld P ow er L egion (L eg ia M ocarstw ow a) w a s one o f th e few, i f n ot th e only, n a tio n a l o rg a n iza tio n lin k e d to J ó z e f P iłsu d sk i th a t drew u p on the tra d itio n o f P o la n d ’s victory in th e B a ttle o f G runw ald. It w a s a r eflectio n on th e W orld P ow er W ork U n io n 1 (Z w iązek P racy M ocarstw ow ej) w h o se m ain g oal w a s to prom ote “th e sp irit o f g e n e r o sity and th e con cep t o f th e P o lish World P ow er across a ll social str a ta ”2.

In a n effort to p u rsu e th is goal, th e U n io n organ ized le c tu res, m e e tin g s, rea d in g room s, lib raries, co m m u n ity cen ters, e d u ca tio n a l an d sp o rts fa c ilitie s for w orkers. It in itia te d an d su p p orted social, econom ic, cu ltu ra l, e d u ca tio n a l and m ilita r y tr a in in g o rg a n iza tio n s. H iera rch y an d d iscip lin e w ere h ig h ly resp ected v a lu e s in th e W orld P ow er W ork U n io n . Its a u th o r itie s, e x cep t for th e H ig h C om m ittee, w ere e lected by n om in ation .

T he U n io n p laced sp ec ia l e m p h a sis on th e W orld P ow er L egion w h o se m em b ers h a d to e n lis t for m ilita r y tr a in in g to lea rn “g e n u in e m ilita r y sk ills and b ecom e w orth y su c ce sso rs to th e k n ig h ts w ho fo u g h t in G runw ald,

1 T h e w o rld p ow er m o v em e n t e n te re d th e P o lish p o litical scene a f te r th e coup d ’e ta t of M ay 1926. T h e “W orld P o w er T h o u g h t” a cad em ic a sso c ia tio n w a s e s ta b lis h e d b y R ow m und P iłs u d s k i a n d J e r z y G iedroyc. T h e ir a m b itio n w a s to c re a te a p a n -n a tio n a l o rg a n iz a tio n t h a t w ould re a c h o u t to o th e r y o u th c o m m u n itie s in th e S econd R epublic o f P o la n d . T h is m issio n w a s e n tr u s te d to th e W orld P o w er W ork U n io n c re a te d in 1928. T he u n io n re c ru ite d su p p o rte rs a n d e x p an d e d its sp h e re of in flu en ce th ro u g h p o litic a l o rg a n iz a tio n s in v a rio u s c o m m u n ities. T he W orld P o w er T h o u g h t a sso c ia tio n u n ite d u n iv e rs ity s tu d e n ts . T h e W orld P o w er L egion w a s a s p o rts a n d e d u c a tio n a l o rg a n iz a tio n o p en to a ll y o u th s . Ref. T. S e lim o w sk i, P o l­

skie legalne stro n n ic tw a p o lity c z n e , W arsz a w a 1934, p. 25; D. R adziw iłłow icz, T ra d yc ja g r u n ­ w a ld z k a w św ia d o m o ści p o lity c z n e j sp o łeczeń stw a p o lskieg o w la ta c h 1 9 1 0 -1 9 4 5 , O lsz ty n 2003,

pp. 1 3 3 -1 4 6 ; R. Tomczyk, M y ś l M o carstw ow a. Z d ziejó w m łodego p o k o le n ia I I R zeczypospolitej, Szczecin 2008.

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C hocim an d V ien n a , th e h ero es o f R a cław ice, S o m o sierra an d Grochów, P o lish so ld iers o f th e G reat W ar an d th e w a r over th e e a ste r n border”3.

T he W orld P ow er W ork U n io n p roclaim ed P iłsu d sk i to be it s leader, and it hop ed to “a c tiv e ly su p p ort H im in H is lab oriou s, o n g o in g effort to la y th e fo u n d a tio n s for a p ow erfu l S ta te ”4.

T he u n io n d eem ed it s e lf a su ccesso r o f in su r g e n t o rg a n iz a tio n s. A t th e sa m e tim e , it a ttem p ted to a m a lg a m a te d iv erse tr e n d s on th e P o lish p o litica l aren a. B efore P o la n d reg a in ed it s in d ep en d en ce, th e n a tio n a lis t cam p and le ft-w in g in su r g e n ts h a d receiv ed pu b lic acclaim . “N a tio n a lism m a in ta in ed P o la n d ’s n a tio n a l id en tity , w h ile so cia lism d am p en ed th e in v a d e r s’ sp irits th ro u g h su b v e r siv e a ctio n ”5, w rote M o c a rstw o w ie c , a p u b lica tio n o f th e W orld P ow er W ork U nion.

T he u n io n ists cla im ed th a t th e n a tio n a lis t cam p (r e p r e se n ta tiv es o f N a ­ tio n a l D em ocracy) an d th e P o lish S o c ia list P a r ty (P S P ) b eca m e h a rm fu l for th e s ta te a fter P olan d h ad r e g a in ed its in d ep en d en ce. T he n a tio n a l d em o­ cra ts prom oted slo g a n s w h ich d istan ced “P o les from th eir fellow cou n trym en o f different n ation ality, p rev en tin g th em from w orking in u n io n for th e good of th e N a tio n ”. T h ey accu sed th e P S P o f prom oting cla ss stru ggle ideology th a t und erm in ed th e c o h esiv en ess o f th e “P o lish S ta te ” and argued th a t by su c­ cum bing to th e in flu en c es o f “th e in tern a tio n a l u n ion governed by G erm an so cia lists, th e P S P exp osed P oland to its g r e a te st e n e m ie s”6. A ccording to the union, social and ed u cation al a sso cia tio n s sup p ortin g n a tio n a list or so cia list ideology w ere u n ab le to produce citize n s th a t “P oland is in dire n eed o f tod ay”.

T he World P ow er L egion w a s created to p u rsu e th a t m issio n “th a t had n o t y e t b e e n fu lfille d ”. Its e d u ca tio n a l a c tiv itie s em p h a siz e d “th e in te r e s ts of th e S ta te are th e su p rem e la w to w h ich th e in te r e s ts o f a ll social c la s s e s and grou p s sh o u ld be su b o rd in a ted ”. T he u n io n ists argu ed th a t o w in g to its critica l lo ca tio n b e tw e e n tw o a g g r e ssiv e pow ers, R u ssia and G erm any, P o ­ la n d could m a in ta in it s so v e reig n ty o n ly by a tta in in g th e s ta tu s o f a w orld power. For th is rea so n , th e W orld P ow er L egion w a s a stro n g ad vocate o f th e G ru n w ald tra d itio n . P o la n d ’s victory in th e B a ttle o f G ru n w ald la id the fo u n d a tio n s for th e “P o lish In term a ru m ” str e tc h in g from th e B a ltic S e a to th e B la ck S ea. A ccording to th e u n io n ists, th e “w orld p ow er” sch em e could be im p le m e n te d “on ly i f th e P o lish so c iety is p erm ea ted w ith th e sp ir it o f it s fello w S la v s w ith in th e c o n fin es o f on e g r e a t S ta te ”7. R ow m u n d P iłsu d sk i, J ó z e f P iłsu d sk i’s n ephew , b eca m e th e C h ie f C om m an d er and H ead o f th e W orld P ow er L eg io n8.

3 Ib id em .

4 Ib id em .

5 K u cze m u d ą ż y L e g ia M o c a rstw o w a , M ocarstw ow iec, 1929, No. 3.

6 Ib id em .

7 Ib id em .

8 R. J u c h n o w s k i, R o w m u n d P iłs u d s k i 1 9 0 3 -1 9 8 8 . K o n cep cje p o lity c z n e i sp o łe cz n e, W rocław 2009; R. Ju c h n o w s k i, Koncepcje fed e ra listyc zn e R o w m u n d a P iłsu d sk ie g o , in: E u ro p a

Similarly to the national democrats, the World Power Legion argued

th a t Germany would always pose a th rea t to Poland. In anticipation of the

unavoidable armed conflict with the Germans, the unionists wrote: “During

the war, Germany will take no prisoners, and it will not make any allowances

for the hum an feelings of any party to the conflict. Through its conduct in

the war, Poland will take the world by surprise. It takes superhum an com­

m itm ent and bloody sacrifice to wipe away the indignity and the suffering

wrought on us by the Germans”. S tarting with the eight issue, the Mocarst-

wowiec monthly magazine was to be dedicated in its entirety to the war with

Germany until the arrival of “the new Grunwald Victory Day”9.

According to Rowmund Pilsudski, by instilling the spirit of “world power

thinking” into the nation, the generation of young Poles would “put an end to

the culture of weakness, suffering and pain”. The Polish society should draw

the strength for its “work on behalf of the S tate” from “memories of the

Polish Nation’s inexhaustible strength, not its moments of weakness”. The

World Power Legion chose “the most im portant date in the history of Po­

land”, the anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald, as the symbol of “faith in

the glowing future of a resurrected Polish S tate”10. “Grunwald m arked the

birth of the Polish World Power, it was a trium ph of peaceful coexistence

between the Polish people and fellow Slavs within one great Polish State.

Grunwald is the Nation’s conscious desire to exercise undivided control of

the Baltic. Grunwald is a symbol of a victorious Poland, not Casmir’s Poland

which was weak and thrown upon the mercy of German nobles. Grunwald

means Polish leadership throughout all Slavic lands and protection from

Germanic aggression. Bearing this historical testam ent in mind, the young

generation of Poles can look into the future with optimism despite the adver­

sities of the present day”11.

The cult of the Grunwald tradition gave rise to several publications devo­

ted to this victorious m ilitary event. Grunwald was perceived as the ideal

example of m ilitary action th a t was untainted by “political foibles”. “The

granite foundations of Poland’s powerful statehood have been chiseled by

swords, not diplomacy - as it has always been the case throughout our

history”. This statem ent is a reflection on the essence of the conflict between

Pilsudski’s camp and the national democrats. Pilsudski’s call for military

action was juxtaposed against Dmowski’s diplomatic measures: “It was not

political small talk, but our soldiers’ bloodshed th a t resurrected Poland”. The

World Power Legion stood in agreem ent with the national democrats only

over a single m atter, namely Poland’s claim to the territories annexed by

Prussia. “J u s t as it was the case more than 500 years ago, the foundations of

a new Poland rest in the ruins of the Prussian empire. We are gathering our

9 O d u c h a o fen syw y, M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 9, 28 F eb ru ary . 10 N a czasie, M ocarstw ow iec 1930, No. 8.

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stren g th , and g u id ed by th e sh in in g beacon o f G ru n w ald , w e k n ow w h ich road to ta k e to tu r n th e R epublic o f P o la n d in to a glob al pow er”12.

On th e te n th a n n iv e rsa ry o f th e referen d u m in W arm ia and M azury, th e u n io n ists declared th a t th e G erm an s h ad co m m itted “h id e o u s frau d ” d u rin g th e p leb iscite. In th e b a llo ts, th e v o ters h a d to ch oose betw een:

“P o la n d ” “E a s t P r u ssia ”

A ccording to th e L egion , th e p eop le h ad v o ted to r e m a in in E a s t P ru ssia , n o t G erm any. If “E a s t P r u s s ia ” w ere rep laced w ith “G erm an y” in th e b allot, th o u sa n d s o f in h a b ita n ts from th e reg io n o f W arm ia an d M azu ry w ou ld h a v e v o ted for P olan d . T he r e su lts o f th e referen d u m w ere n o t a reflectio n on th e P o lish p eo p le’s choice, th erefore, th e y w ere n o t le g a lly b in d in g , c la im ed th e u n io n is ts 13.

T he W orld P ow er L egion fu lly su p p orted th e in corp oration o f E a s t P r u s­ s ia in to P olan d . A lrea d y in 1930, it w a s one o f th e fir st P o lish o rg a n iza tio n s to su p p ort th e e sta b lis h m e n t o f th e n a tio n a l border on th e O dra an d N y s a Ł u życk a R ivers. T h e u n io n ists looked to th e G ru n w ald tra d itio n in th eir q u e st for th e n e w frontier. T h is n o tio n w a s fu rth er exp lored by H. J. S zyszk o in a n article e n title d “E a s t P r u s s ia for P o la n d ”, p u b lish ed in M o ca rstw o w iec: “W e k n ow th a t a n arm ed con flict w ith G erm an y is u n avoid ab le. We h a v e to g a th e r m o m en tu m for th is h isto rica l even t! O ur Lord, w ho h a s b e e n g u id in g P o la n d in th e la s t m ille n n iu m , is on our sid e. T he y o u n g g e n era tio n is on a m issio n to g iv e G ru n w ald a n e w n a m e in P o lish history. T he G runw ald tra d itio n w ill re ig n su p rem e in B erlin , b rin g in g d e fea t to G erm an y and p a ra ly z in g th e v e ry h e a r t o f P ru ssia! O ur go a l is to se a l P o la n d in th e W est a lon g th e n a tu r a l boundary o f th e Odra and N y sa Ł użycka R ivers, and to b ring P r u ssia n territory b e tw e en th e Spree and th e P regolya back into Poland! T h ru st tow ard th e W est - is an ab solu te order for th e P o lish N ation !”14.

A t th e tim e, e v e n th e m o st ra d ica l fa ctio n s o f th e n a tio n a lis t cam p did n o t h a v e su ch a fa r-reach in g territo ria l program . E v e n i f P o la n d scored a victo ry over G erm any, in 1930, su ch p la n s w ere con sid ered to be a pipe d ream , i f n o t sh e e r m a d n ess.

T he celeb ra tio n s o f th e 5 2 0 th a n n iv e rsa ry o f th e B a ttle o f G runw ald provided th e W orld P ow er L egion and oth er o rg a n iza tio n s w ith a n op p ortu n i­ ty to p op u larize th e G ru n w ald tra d itio n . T he fe s tiv itie s w ere o rg a n ized by th e W orld P ow er W ork U n io n , th e W orld P ow er L egion, th e L eg io n ’s factory w ork ers’ clubs, th e U n io n o f P eo p le’s G roups o f th e P o lish W orld P ow er and th e A cad em ic U n io n o f W orld P ow er T hought. T he ca m p a ig n w a s ad v ertised by p o ste rs in a ll P o lish c itie s. P o lsk a Z b ro jn a , th e P o lish A rm y’s d a ily n e w s ­

12 Ib id em .

13 P ru s y W schodnie d la P o lski, M ocarstw ow iec 1930, No. 8, p. 8; D r a n g n a c h W esten. M ocarstw ow iec, No. 7, 1930; K rzyża cy , M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 12.

paper, wrote th a t the initiative had been warmly welcomed “by all social

groups, except for the national democrats and the communists who sched­

uled their own celebrations for th a t day...”15.

In Warsaw, unionist celebrations opened with a service in the Bernadine

Church on Krakowskie Przedmieście. The sermon delivered by father Ed­

ward Detkiens carried a powerful message which promoted the Polish World

Power. He appealed to the congregation to join their forces in pursuit of the

Jagiellonian tradition, and he postulated th a t the Slavs and the Lithuanians

unite “under the scepter of the Republic of Poland against the hostile avarice

of the Teutons”. He pointed out th a t the aggressor across the western border

continued to pose a threat, and th a t Poland would face its enemy “when the

moment of the new Grunwald arrives in a not so distant future”16.

The Grunwald meeting was the high point of the celebrations. The n a ­

tional anthem was played, and Rowmund Piłsudski delivered a speech. He

postulated th a t the anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald should be a public

holiday. “As the first fruit of Jagiellonian ideology promoting the establish­

m ent of a Slavic state under the reign of the Polish nation, Grunwald m arks

the birth of the Polish World Power,” he said. Rowmund Piłsudski declared

th a t the authorities of the World Power Work Union and the World Power

Legion would celebrate the anniversary of the Grunwald Battle as an organi­

zational holiday “to freshen the public’s memory and give the event a pan­

national statu s”. The list of speakers was inclusive of Gustaw Orlicz-Dreszer

who discussed the historical background of the Polish-Teutonic w ar17.

The World Power Legion ardently opposed German propaganda aimed

against the Polish Pom erania and Poland’s access to the Baltic. In retalia­

tion, the Legion formulated postulates claiming the recovery of territories

th a t had been p art of Bolesław Chrobry’s kingdom. The main emphasis was

on reinstating Poland’s access to the sea. The unionists cited the example of

Jagiellonian Poland th a t had reigned over the Baltic coastline “stretching

more th an 1000 km from the Słupia River all the way to P arnu in the Gulf of

Finland”18. The Legion also addressed Poles residing on German territory. It

demanded th a t Polish schools in Germany be provided with textbooks cover­

ing in detail the history of “w estern Slavs, Silesia, Pom erania and Prussia,

to ensure th a t G erm an propaganda never ta in ts youthful souls th a t have

been forced to receive an education in G erm an schools on those territo-

ries”19. Many publications were dedicated to the history of the Polabian

Slavs who lived between the Elbe and the Oder. After centuries of German

15 O b ch ó d rocznicy zw y c ię stw a g ru n w a ld zk ie g o , P o lsk a Z b ro jn a 1930, No. 190, 14 July.

16 Ib id em .

17 Ibidem .

18 K to zw ycięży, M ocarstw ow iec 1930, No. 8.

19 Ibidem ; Z a g a d n ie n ie m orskie, M ocarstw ow iec 1930, No. 9; W alka g o spodarcza o dostęp do

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ca m p a ig n s, P o la b ia n territo ries w ere tu r n ed in to “a h u g e c em etery o f th e S la v ic p eo p les”20.

G erm an y’s a n ti-P o lish ca m p a ig n s and p rop agan d a o p p osin g th e creation o f a P o lish “corridor” sig n ific a n tly con trib u ted to th e rise o f th e activ e n a tio n ­ a lis t m o v e m en t in th e legion . T he le g io n p o stu la te d th a t P o la n d h a d to “give up its p olicy o f d e fe n siv e p rotest. We w ill n o t su rren d er th e la n d o f our fa th ers. T h e in v io la b ility o f tr e a tie s sh o u ld no lo n g er be u se d a s a n excu se. T he g r e a t P o lish N a tio n can no lon ger se e k th e h u m ilia tin g a ssista n c e of in te r n a tio n a l in s titu tio n s ”. R ow m und P iłsu d sk i w rote: “E urope is grow in g w ea ry o f our co m p la in ts, an d it is b e g in n in g to b eliev e th a t th o se w h o se on ly sa lv a tio n r e s ts w ith tr e a tie s th a t h ad b e e n m ad e b y o th ers are in th e wrong. M oreover, th e y regard u s a s v e ry o p p ressiv e “frien d s”, an d th e y fear th a t th e y could be forced to sh ed blood in our d efen se. P o la n d can no lo n g er be a n a tio n o f e te r n a l m a rty rs an d gloom y p s a lm is ts ”21.

A ccording to R. P iłsu d sk i, G erm an a g g r e ssio n could n o t be cou n teracted by p a ssiv e r e sista n c e , “and i f w e do n o t a n sw er to th e ir d em a n d s w ith e q u a lly r u th le s s p o stu la te s, i f th e d ip lom atic b a ttle s o f to d a y an d th e arm ed co n flicts o f tom orrow are w a g ed o n ly over th e P o lish terr ito ries in P o m era n ia an d S ile s ia an d n o t th o u sa n d s o f our o p p ressed b roth ers in G erm any, th a t b a ttle w ill su r e ly be lo s t”22. R. P iłsu d sk i m ad e fe rv en t a p p ea ls to th e y o u n g g en era tio n w ho, in h is opinion, w ere P o la n d ’s o n ly sa lv a tio n . A ccording to R. P iłsu d sk i, m em b ers o f th e y o u n g g e n e r a tio n w ho fe lt u n r e str a in e d by o b sta cles “o f a d ip lom atic n a tu re, w ho w ere b u r stin g w ith pride to be p art of th e N a tio n th a t em erg ed v icto rio u s in P łow ce an d G ru n w ald [...], w ou ld pick up th e T eutonic g a u n tle t an d d efen d n o t o n ly th e ir ow n borders, b u t also lib e ra te th e ter rito rie s th a t h a v e a lw a y s b e e n a p a rt o f P olan d - W arm ia, M azu ry and O pole S ile s ia ”23. A ctiv e n a tio n a lism h a d a n u m b er o f p o sitiv e asp ects. A bove a ll, it sp urred v a rio u s p u b lica tio n s d ed icated to S la v ic territo ­ ries occupied by G erm an y over th e p a st m ille n n iu m 24. It tu rn ed th e p u b lic’s a tte n tio n to th e fa te o f P o les liv in g in th e R eich, an d it w a rn ed th e m o f th e G erm an th re a t. O n th e n e g a tiv e sid e, a ctiv e n a tio n a lis ts w ere b ia sed in p ortra y in g th e “e te r n a l foe” a s p u rely e v il. T he le g io n ’s p u b lica tio n s relied on th e fo llow in g e x p r e ssio n s to describ e th e G erm ans: “u n c iv ilize d str a n g e r s from th e n orth , d ea d ly e n e m ie s o f th e S la v s and th e p an -E u ro p ea n cu ltu re - G erm a n s”, “u n civ ilized , b eard ed an d d irty b a rb a ria n s w ho occupy th e lo w e st str a ta of c iv iliz ed so ciety an d th riv e on robbery”, “T eutonic b a n d its”, “th e a tta c k s sta g e d by N ordic m u g g er s p oison ed E urope w ith a bloody vap or”, “th e p o iso n o u s blood o f th e T eutonic b e a s t”, “T eutonic sp a w n ”, “N ordic b ar­

20 N a za c h ó d od g ra n ic R zp lite j, M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 9, 23 F e b ru a ry . 21 O d u c h a ofensyw y, M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 9, 28 F e b ru a ry .

22 Ib id em . 23 Ib id em .

24 M orze W endyjskie, M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 9 a n d No. 28. 25 Ib id em .

b a r ia n s”25. T he pu rp ose o f su ch la n g u a g e w a s to in c ite n e g a tiv e co n n o ta ­ tio n s, e v e n h a tred , to in s till “a n a g g r e ssiv e sp irit” in th e n a tio n an d tu rn th e fu tu re P o lish -G er m a n w ar in to th e secon d G ru n w ald victory.

T he le g io n ’s fe r v en t a tte m p ts to p u rsu e th e G ru n w ald tra d itio n g a v e rise to th e G ru n w ald S w ord s p laq u e. T he m ed a l sym b olized th e stru g g le a g a in st G erm an y a s w e ll a s th e o th er oppressor, th e h eir to R u ssia n im p eria l id eolo­ gy w h ich collab orated w ith G erm an y - th e U S S R . T h is is s u e w a s clearly a d d ressed by a n ap p ea l p u b lish ed in M o ca rstw o w iec: “Two G ru n w ald sw ords, s tr a ig h t sw ord s th a t p a sse d from T eutonic to P o lish h a n d s, sw ord s p o in tin g to th e W est and th e E a s t w ill be you r sig n , a sym bol o f ex p a n sio n to th e W est and th e E a st, a sig n th a t w e w ill co u ra g eo u sly face up to th e G erm an ch a llen g e, th a t w e w ill fig h t u n til th e la s t G erm an sold ier le a v e s P o la n d ’s a n c ie n t la n d s, u n til th e M on golian cu ltu re on P o lish territo ries occupied by R u ssia no lo n g er t a in ts red S la v ic blood, u n til a ll S la v ic so u ls are freed from G erm an ca p tiv ity and th e P o lish W orld P ow er p rev a ils. T h is is th e true m e a n in g o f th e p laq u e forged in b lack iron, a sym b ol th a t y o u w ill w ea r w ith prid e”26.

T he W orld P ow er L egion also look ed to th e G ru n w ald tra d itio n a s an in str u m e n t in “le v e lin g th e d ifferen ces in d ev elo p m en t b e tw e e n G erm any and P oland. T he le g io n ’s le a d ers w ere fu lly aw are o f G erm an y’s tech n ica l su p rem a cy over P olan d , and th e y prom oted th e « figh tin g spirit» th eo ry to b oost m orale b efore th e p rosp ective m ilita r y con flict”.

A ccording to th e leg io n , P o la n d w ou ld score y e t a n o th er G ru n w ald v icto ­ ry b y r ely in g on th e “fig h tin g sp irit o f th e k n ig h ts ” w h ich h a d a lw a y s “p la y ed a d ecisiv e role in arm ed str u g g le ” and, a s d em o n stra ted d u rin g W orld W ar I, “its role w ou ld c o n tin u e to grow ” w ith c iv iliz a tio n a l d ev elo p m en t. B y r eso rt­ in g to a sim p lified analogy, th e le g io n com pared P iłsu d sk i’s P olan d to K ing J a g ie łło ’s P olan d . T he civic ed u ca tio n p rin cip les in s tille d by J a g ie łło and Z a w isza C zarny in th e ir k n ig h ts w ere portrayed a s n e a rly id e n tic a l to th e co n tem p o r a ry e d u c a tio n a l m e a s u r e s . “T h e p r in c ip le s in s tille d in y o u n g k n ig h ts by Z a w isza C zarn y’s aca d em y h a v e su rv iv ed u n til th is day in m ili­ ta ry tr a in in g and p h y sica l ed u ca tio n c la s s e s ”27. T he “fig h tin g sp irit” th a t b rou gh t victory in G runw ald w ould la y th e ground for P olan d ’s “pow er o f ex p a n sio n ”, its m issio n a s a w orld pow er and th e hope th a t good w ould pre- v a il28. A bove all, th e W orld P ow er L egion looked to G runw ald as a political referen ce for th e future, a s J a g iełło ’s historical te sta m e n t, a sym bol o f P olan d ’s m issio n in th e W est and an im p ortan t le sso n in h istory for th e S ta te 29.

In 1931, th e u n io n ists sta g ed p a rticu la rly fe stiv e celeb ra tio n s o f th e G ru n w ald anniversary. In a d d itio n to fe s tiv a ls in th e W orld P ow er L eg io n ’s

26 G r u n w a ld z k ie m iecze, M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 12. 27 Czego n a s uczy G r u n w a ld , M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 12. 28 Ib id em .

164

148 local d iv isio n s, th e m a in celeb ra tio n s in P o m era n ia w ere divid ed into tw o parts:

1. G runw ald R ace - a cycle race dow n th e h isto rica l rou te m a rk in g K ing J a g ie łło ’s m arch to Malbork;

2. A c o n v en tio n o f th e W orld P ow er L eg io n ’s d iv isio n s in U zdow o, P o ­ m era n ia , in th e im m e d ia te v ic in ity of th e G ru n w ald b a ttlefield . T he co n v en ­ tio n fea tu red sp o rts co m p e titio n s and m ilita r y tr a in in g 30; A m o n u m en t d ed i­ cated to th e b a ttle o f G runw ald w a s u n v eiled in U zd ow o31.

T he m a in G ru n w ald day celeb ra tio n s w ere h eld in D ziałd ow o on 11 and 12 July. T h ey w ere a tten d ed by d ele g a tio n s from across P oland.

T he ex a m p le o f th e W orld P ow er L egion sh o w s th a t som e m em b ers of P iłsu d sk i’s cam p w e n t to g r e a t le n g th s to a d d ress th e G erm an th r e a t and u p hold th e G runw ald trad ition . B u t n o t a ll o f th em recogn ized th e fu ll m a g n itu d e o f th e G erm an th rea t. D ro g a (T he Road), a m o n th ly m a g a zin e lin k ed to P iłsu d sk i’s cam p, w rote in 1931 th a t G erm an y’s a lleg ed m arch to th e E a s t “is m e rely a reflectio n on our irra tio n a l fea rs [...]. T h e fu tu re of G erm an y d oes n o t lie e a s t o f th e E lb e, its fu tu re is on th e R h in e [...]. G erm an y’s m a in focus is on th e R h in e [...]. G erm an y no lo n g er h a s a n ti­ P o lish in te r e s ts , th e G erm an p eo p le’s fear o f P olan d is a m u ch g rea ter ca u se for concern [..]. D ra n g n a ch O ste n is com in g to a n en d ”32.

It is d ifficu lt to r e s is t th e im p r e ssio n th a t th e W orld P ow er L eg io n ’s program did m a k e a referen ce to n a tio n a l d em ocratic ideology, a lth o u g h its th e o r ie s w ere n o t co n scio u sly e m u la ted . T he le g io n ’s p u b lica tio n s and a c tiv i­ tie s in th e fo llow in g y e a r s fu lly su p p ort th is ob servation . T h e o rg a n iza tio n exp lored n a tio n a lis t id e a s th a t had b e e n objectified and v a lid a te d by p o litica l d e v elo p m en ts. T he W orld P ow er L egion n ev er w ea k en e d th e cu lt o f J ó z e f P iłsu d sk i a s th e fa th e r o f in d e p e n d e n t P o la n d 33.

30 Ś w ię to M o carstw ow e, M ocarstw ow iec 1931, No. 12.

31 A rch iv es o f N ew R ecords, P o m o rsk ie R eg io n al Office. L e g io n ists’ U n io n . Ref. 273/III-22, p. 20.

32 Z p o w o d u k s ią ż k i R o m a n a D m o w skieg o , D ro g a 1931, No. 11, pp. 9 1 2 -9 1 3 . 33 N a czasie, M ocarstw ow iec 1930, No. 8.