ABSTRACT
The man whose personality dominated Poland's politics between the two world wars was truly unique. Biographers of Marshal Pilsudski believe that his decision to join the Socialist party was motivated mostly by his identification with the party's strong stand for Poland's independence rather than by his Socialist ideas. The army built in 1918-1919 had its roots in several different formations. The social position of the military officers in Poland after 1918 reflected the country's economic backwardness and the high esteem in which the national army was being kept by the majority of the population. Pilsudski, promoted to the highest military rank of marshal in March 1920, remained the head of the state until the election of the first president of the Republic, Gabriel Narutowicz, in December 1922. A corollary to the controversy over military and civilian authorities was the public controversy started by Pilsudski's historical writings.
