THE ACTIVITIES OF THE POLISH ARMY FOR SAFETY IN EASTERN MAŁOPOLSKA IN THE FIRST YEARS OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE SECOND POLISH REPUBLIC (1921-1925)

Abstract

Presented research is characterized by the chronological-problem approach to content. The main research problem of this article focuses on place and role and activities of the Armed Forces of the Polish Republic in the process of holding the internal security in the area of Eastern Małopolska in the first half of the 1920s. The initial turning point was the signing of the Treaty of Riga in 1921 and the transition of the army to a peaceful activities, and the final one in 1925, in which an order was issued limiting the use of the army to activities that should be carried out by the State Police. During this period, soldiers from the Polish Army were used in battles with organized banditry, sabotage and subversive actions, which were repeated quite often, and which the police was not able to effectively counteract. All military actions were always carried out in close consultation with representatives of civilian field authorities on the principle of assistance. The army, however, had extensive powers with ad hoc jurisdiction, and the possibility of issuing and carrying out death sentences, also for crimes against property. The source basis of this research is the material from the archives in Poland and Ukraine, as well as literature and the local press.