The Polish government-in-exile was Poland's official government during and after World War II. It was formed in September 1939 after Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Poland. This event ended the Second Polish Republic.

Even though Poland was occupied, the government-in-exile had a big impact. It worked through the Polish Underground State and its military, the Armia Krajowa (Home Army). Polish soldiers who escaped the occupation also fought with Allied forces around the world.

After the war, Poland came under communist rule. The government-in-exile continued to exist, but it lost most of its power. Many countries stopped recognizing it by July 1945. The United Kingdom still supported it informally. The last country to stop recognizing it was the Holy See (Vatican City) in 1972.

The government-in-exile finally handed over its powers in 1990. This happened after communist rule ended in Poland. The handover took place at a special ceremony in Warsaw. The government-in-exile was based in France from 1939 to 1940, first in Paris and then in Angers. From 1940, after France was invaded, it moved to London and stayed there until 1990.

History of the Government in Exile
Leaders of the Government
- Presidents
- Prime Ministers
Polish Armed Forces
See also

History of the Government in Exile

How the Government Started

On September 17, 1939, Poland's President, Ignacy Mościcki, was near the border. He announced his plan to transfer power. He chose Władysław Raczkiewicz, the head of the Senate, as his successor. This was allowed by Poland's 1935 Constitution.

The Constitution said that if war happened, the President's term would continue. If the President's job became empty during the war, he would name a successor. This new President's term would end three months after peace was made.

Mościcki resigned on September 29 or 30, 1939. Raczkiewicz was in Paris and immediately took his oath. He became the new President of Poland. Raczkiewicz then chose General Władysław Sikorski as Prime Minister. Sikorski also became the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces.

Many Polish Navy ships went to Britain. Thousands of Polish soldiers and airmen escaped through Hungary and Romania. Others crossed the Baltic Sea to continue fighting in France. These Poles later fought in many Allied operations. They were in Norway, France, the Battle of Britain, North Africa, and Italy.

In July 1941, the Sikorski–Mayski agreement was signed. This agreement freed Polish soldiers captured by the Soviet Union in 1939. They formed Anders' Army to fight Nazi Germany. However, they moved to Iran and then fought with US and British forces. Another Polish army, Berling's Army, was formed in the USSR in 1944. It stayed and fought under Soviet command.

During World War II

Władysław Sikorski, the first Prime Minister of the Polish government in exile.

The Polish government in exile was first in Paris, then in Angers, France. President Władysław Raczkiewicz lived near Angers from December 1939 to June 1940. After France fell, the government moved to London. All Allied governments recognized it there. It was a mix of different political parties.

When Germany attacked the Soviets in 1941, the Polish government in exile started working with the Soviet Union. This was to fight Hitler and help Poles who were being treated badly by the Soviet secret police. On August 12, 1941, the Soviets offered a special pardon. This freed thousands of Polish soldiers captured in 1939. It also freed many Polish civilians sent to Siberia.

This pardon allowed Poles to create eight military groups called the Anders Army. They were sent to Iran and the Middle East. The British needed their help against Erwin Rommel's forces. These Polish units became the Polish II Corps. Led by General Władysław Anders, they fought alongside the Allies.

During the war, especially from 1942, the Polish government in exile shared important information with the Allies. They gave early and accurate reports about the terrible events happening to Jewish people in Europe. Polish representatives, like Foreign Minister Edward Bernard Raczyński and underground courier Jan Karski, asked for action.

On December 10, 1942, Foreign Minister Raczyński sent a note to the United Nations. This was the first time any government officially spoke out about the mass killing of Jewish people. It was also the first official document to highlight the suffering of European Jews as Jews. This note led to the Allied Nations' Declaration on December 17, 1942.

In April 1943, the Germans announced a discovery. They found mass graves of Polish officers at Katyn Wood in Russia. These officers were captured in 1939 and killed by the Soviets. The Soviet government said the Germans made it up. Other Allied governments accepted this for diplomatic reasons. But the Polish government in exile refused to believe it.

Because of this, Joseph Stalin ended relations with the Polish government in exile. This was a big problem for Poland. It was clear that the Soviet Union, not the Western Allies, would free Poland. Sadly, in July 1943, Sikorski, a strong Polish leader, died in a plane crash. Stanisław Mikołajczyk became the new head of the government in exile.

During 1943 and 1944, Allied leaders like Winston Churchill tried to get Stalin and the Polish government to talk again. But they couldn't agree on several things. One was the Katyn massacre. Another was Poland's future borders. Stalin wanted to keep the lands the Soviets took in 1939. He said Poland should get land from Germany instead. Mikołajczyk did not want to give up Poland's pre-war eastern lands.

A third issue was Mikołajczyk's demand that Stalin not set up a Communist government in Poland. The government-in-exile wanted to keep Poland's borders from before 1939. But Stalin already controlled that land. The exiles' refusal to accept new borders made the Allies less willing to argue with Stalin about Poland's future government. In the end, the exiles lost on both issues. Stalin kept the eastern lands. He also set up a communist government in Poland. In November 1944, Mikołajczyk resigned and went back to Poland.

After the War

Standard of the President in exile.

On June 28, 1945, Mikołajczyk joined the Provisional Government of National Unity. This new government was set up by the Soviets. This allowed the Western Allies to accept that Poland was now in the Soviet sphere of influence. They recognized the new government and stopped recognizing the government-in-exile. France did this on June 29, 1945. The United States and United Kingdom followed on July 5, 1945.

The Polish Armed Forces in exile were disbanded in 1945. Most of their members could not safely return to communist Poland. They settled in other countries. Many Polish exiles disagreed with this. They believed the new government was just a way to set up communist rule. This was proven true in 1947 when the communists won a rigged election.

The Polish government in exile kept going in London. It had to leave the Polish embassy. It only kept the president's private home. The government became a symbol of resistance against foreign control of Poland. It also kept important historical records.

In 1954, there was a disagreement within the government in exile. Some people thought President August Zaleski should not continue his term. They formed a new group and chose three people to act as head of state. These were Tomasz Arciszewski, General Władysław Anders, and Edward Bernard Raczyński. The two groups reunited after Zaleski died in 1972.

Some supporters of the government in exile eventually returned to Poland. The Soviet-backed government in Warsaw encouraged exiles to come back. They promised jobs and forgiveness. The Republic of Ireland, Francoist Spain, and finally the Holy See (Vatican City) in 1972 were the last countries to stop recognizing the government-in-exile.

Despite these challenges, the government in exile continued. When Soviet influence in Poland ended in 1989, it still had a president and a small group of ministers. They met every two weeks in London. They were supported by about 150,000 Polish veterans and their families in Britain.

End of the Government in Exile

After communist rule ended in Poland in 1989, the government-in-exile officially passed its powers to the new Polish government. This happened on December 22, 1990, at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Lech Wałęsa, Poland's first non-Communist president since the war, received the symbols of the Polish Republic. These included the presidential banner, seals, sashes, and the original 1935 Constitution.

The London-based government officially closed down on December 31, 1991. In 1992, military medals and awards given by the government in exile were officially recognized in Poland. The last President-in-exile also received the same rights and benefits as former presidents in Poland.

Leaders of the Government

Presidents

No.	President	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Party
1	Raczkiewicz, WładysławWładysław Raczkiewicz (1885–1947)	30 September 1939	6 June 1947 †	7 years, 249 days	Independent
2	Zaleski, AugustAugust Zaleski (1883–1972)	9 June 1947	8 April 1972 †	24 years, 304 days	Independent
3	Ostrowski, StanisławStanisław Ostrowski (1892–1982)	9 April 1972	24 March 1979	6 years, 349 days	PPS
4	Raczyński, EdwardEdward Bernard Raczyński (1891–1993)	8 April 1979	8 April 1986	7 years, 0 days	Independent
5	Sabbat, KazimierzKazimierz Sabbat (1913–1989)	8 April 1986	19 July 1989 †	3 years, 102 days	Independent
6	Kaczorowski, RyszardRyszard Kaczorowski (1919–2010)	19 July 1989	22 December 1990	1 year, 156 days	Independent

Prime Ministers

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Term of office			Political party		Ref.
No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party		Ref.
1		Władysław Sikorski (1881–1943)	30 September 1939	19 July 1940	293 days		Independent
2		August Zaleski (1883–1972)	19 July 1940	25 July 1940	6 days		Independent
1		Władysław Sikorski (1881–1943)	25 July 1940	4 July 1943 †	2 years, 344 days		Independent
3		Stanisław Mikołajczyk (1901–1966)	14 July 1943	24 November 1944	1 year, 133 days		Polish People's Party
4		Tomasz Arciszewski (1877–1955)	29 November 1944	2 July 1947	2 years, 215 days		Polish Socialist Party
5		Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966)	2 July 1947	10 February 1949	1 year, 223 days		Independent
6		Tadeusz Tomaszewski (1881–1950)	7 April 1949	25 September 1950	1 year, 171 days		Independent
7		Roman Odzierzyński (1892–1975)	25 December 1950	8 December 1953	3 years, 74 days		Independent
8		Jerzy Hryniewski (1895–1978)	18 January 1954	13 May 1954	115 days		Polish Independence League [pl]
9		Stanisław Mackiewicz (1896–1966)	8 June 1954	21 June 1955	1 year, 13 days		Independent
10		Hugon Hanke (1904–1964)	8 August 1955	10 September 1955	33 days		Labour Faction
11		Antoni Pająk (1893–1965)	10 September 1955	14 June 1965	9 years, 277 days		Polish Socialist Party
12		Aleksander Zawisza (1896–1977)	25 June 1965	9 June 1970	4 years, 349 days		Independent
13		Zygmunt Muchniewski (1896–1979)	20 July 1970	13 July 1972	1 year, 359 days		Labour Faction
14		Alfred Urbański (1899–1983)	18 July 1972	15 July 1976	3 years, 363 days		Polish Socialist Party
15		Kazimierz Sabbat (1913–1989)	5 August 1976	8 April 1986	9 years, 246 days		Independent
16		Edward Szczepanik (1915–2005)	8 April 1986	22 December 1990	4 years, 258 days		Independent