
Gabriel Czechowicz (1876-1938) was a Polish lawyer, economist and politician. He was the Polish Treasury Minister from 1926 to 1929. Accused of misuse of government funds, Czechowicz was the only Polish politician of the interwar period that faced the
State Tribunal of the Republic of Poland in the so-called Czechowicz Case. The case was dropped without ruling due to pressure from the
Sanacja regime.
Early years
Czechowicz was born on October 2, 1876, in his family real estate near
Minsk
Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
, in a
noble family. He graduated from Law Faculty at
Saint Petersburg State University, after which took a job in a bank at
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
. In 1905, he began working for the local Russian tax chamber. In 1917, the chamber was evacuated to
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...
, and in 1918, Czechowicz returned to newly restored Poland. In 1919, he was employed by the Treasury Office of Civilian Government of the Eastern Territories. He then was manager of tax chamber in
Brest. Transferred to
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, in 1925 he was named manager of Department of Taxes and the State Treasury.
1920s
In December 1922, Czechowicz, under the pseudonym Leliwa, wrote a book “The Project of Improvement of Polish Treasury”. The publication criticized the government of Poland, and the author stated that the newly recreated country lacked cohesive tax regulations, and a well-thought out plan of changes. Taxes were collected slowly and inefficiently, and as a result the treasury lost a lot of revenue. Furthermore, there were too many different taxes, and the tax office was too decentralized. Since civil servants earned too little, corruption among them was rampant. Czechowicz had several ideas. He wanted to keep only income tax, and to attach Polish currency to the “perfect gold”.
In 1926, already a high-ranking official of the State Treasury, Czechowicz, again as Leliwa, wrote another book: “The Treasury Problem in the Light of Truth”. He analyzed the works of two ministers of treasury,
Wladyslaw Grabski and
Jerzy Zdziechowski, criticizing the introduction of the
złoty, which replaced the
mark.
Minister of Finance
Following the 1926
May Coup, a new government under Premier
Kazimierz Bartel was formed on May 15, 1926.
To the surprise of many analysts, Gabriel Czechowicz became new
Minister of Finance. He remained in this post only for a few weeks, to be replaced by
Czesław Klarner
Czesław, (, , ) is an old given name derived from the Slavic elements ''ča'' (to await) and ''slava'' (glory). Feminine form: Czesława/Česlava. The name may refer to:
* Ceslaus, Christian Saint
* Czesław Białobrzeski
Czesław Białobr ...
. After a few months, when
Jozef Pilsudski became new premier, Czechowicz once again became the Minister of Finance (October 2, 1926). His priority was to reform the tax system, in order to balance the budget. By May 1927, the interest rate was lowered to 8%, which was still higher than France (3.5%).
Contrary to Wladyslaw Grabski, who avoided foreign loans, Czechowicz supported them, claiming they were necessary for the economy. He wanted to introduce Poland to world financial markets, as a stable and trusted customer. In October 1927, a consortium of banks granted the so-called “stabilization loan” to Poland, in the amount of 62 million dollars and 2 million pounds. Its interest rate was higher than in similar loans in Germany and Austria, also Poland had to employ for three years American advisor
Charles Dewey, who became a member of the board of the
National Bank of Poland. The loan was used to stabilize the zloty and balance the budget deficit.
In 1926 - 1929, Polish economy stabilized. This was due mostly to both the reforms of Wladyslaw Grabski, and favourable international situation.
Czechowicz Case
In December 1927, Gabriel Czechowicz handed 8 million zlotys to the official fund of Jozef Pilsudski. The money was then used in the election campaign of pro-government party, the
Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government (BBWR). Furthermore, other expenditures of the government were not sent to the
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
for approval.
Even though Czechowicz followed the orders of Jozef Pilsudski, the Sejm decided that the Minister must face the
State Tribunal. Pilsudski himself wrote a newspaper article “The Bottom of an Eye” (“Dno oka”), in which he presented a favourable picture of his minister. Despite this, on March 8, 1929, Czechowicz had to resign. The Tribunal itself did not achieve any decision, and sent the case again to the Parliament. Meanwhile, the
1930 Polish legislative election took place, after which the
Sanacja regime legalized Czechowicz’s actions.
Czechowicz himself was bitter about this outcome. In press interviews he frequently stated that he wanted to prove his innocence before the Tribunal. In the early 1930s, he decided to exit the BBWR.
1930s
In the 1930s, Czechowicz continued his work as an economist. In 1933, he published a book New Roads in Economy”, presenting his solution to the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, which greatly affected Poland. Among his proposals were a temporary halt of payments of the foreign debt of Poland, limit to the exports and closer control of the cartels. Following the example of
Fascist Italy
Fascist Italy () is a term which is used in historiography to describe the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, when Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Th ...
, Czechowicz supported the introduction of a 40-hour work week. Nevertheless, his book remained unnoticed and did not have any effect on Polish planners.
In 1934, together with
Tytus Filipowicz, he founded Polish Radical Party (Polska Partia Radykalna). His political plans were a failure, and in late 1937, he became a treasurer of the
Labor Party (Stronnictwo Pracy).
Gabriel Czechowicz died suddenly of heart attack on January 22, 1938, in Warsaw. He was buried at
Powazki Cemetery. He was awarded the Commander and Officer Crosses of the
Polonia Restituta (1922, 1925).
References
External links
Jedyne w II RP postępowanie przed Trybunałem Stanu Czytaj więcej na
{{DEFAULTSORT:Czechowicz, Gabriel
1876 births
1938 deaths
Politicians from Minsk
People from Minsky Uyezd
Ministers of finance of Poland
Government ministers of Poland
People of the Polish May Coup (pro-Piłsudski side)
20th-century Polish economists
Saint Petersburg State University alumni
People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent