The Front Morges was a political alliance of centrist political parties (
Polish Christian Democratic Party,
National Workers' Party,
Związek Hallerczyków) of
interbellum
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
. It was founded in 1936 in the Swiss village of
Morges
Morges (; , Plurale tantum, plural, probably Ablative (Latin), ablative, else dative; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Switzerland, Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud and the seat of the Morges District, distri ...
by General
Władysław Sikorski
Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski (; 20 May 18814 July 1943) was a Polish military and political leader.
Before World War I, Sikorski established and participated in several underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish independenc ...
and former Polish Prime Minister
Ignacy Paderewski.
Prominent activists included
Józef Haller
Józef Haller (''de Hallenburg''; 13 August 1873 – 4 June 1960) was a Polish lieutenant general and legionary in the Polish Legions during the First World War. He was a harcmistrz (the highest Scouting instructor rank in Poland), the p ...
,
Wojciech Korfanty, and
Karol Popiel. They opposed Poland's
Sanation regime – which had caused some of them to emigrate abroad. They wanted to form a new government with Paderewski as president and
Wincenty Witos
Wincenty Witos (; 21 or 22 January 1874 – 31 October 1945) was a Polish statesman, prominent member and leader of the Polish People's Party (PSL), who served three times as the Prime Minister of Poland in the 1920s.
He was a member of the Pol ...
as prime minister. They demanded Poland's
democratization
Democratization, or democratisation, is the structural government transition from an democratic transition, authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction ...
and closer ties with
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
The Front Morges gained little publicity or support in Poland, but in 1937 led to the formation of a new political party there, the
Labor Party (''Stronnictwo Pracy''), which would become part of the political basis for the
Polish Government-in-Exile
The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...
during 1939–1945.
Jerzy Jan Lerski
Jerzy Jan Lerski (''nom de guerre'': Jur; also known as George Jan Lerski; 1917-1992); was a Polish lawyer, soldier, historian, political scientist and politician. After World War II he emigrated to the United States, where he became a full prof ...
, Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki, ''Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966–1945'', 1996, p. 151.
References
Political parties established in 1936
1937 establishments in Poland
Defunct political party alliances in Poland
Political parties in the Second Polish Republic
Morges
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
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