ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses political activism of Polish American communities during the Great War. The turbulent years were marked by the rivalry of two political camps which supported different political options. Committee of National Defence (est. 1912) supported the Joseph Piłsudski faction in Europe, Polish Central Relief Committee (PCRC) opted for national-democratic faction and tried to restore Polish independence allying with Entente. Polish Americans provided significant humanitarian help to Polish lands. PCRC recruited volunteers to Polish Army in France. After the war and the failure of return migration, when in the US new wave of nativism brought changes in the immigration policy, Polonia leaders proposed new ideology, redefining the goals of Polonia. The newly adopted slogan “Emigration for emigration” meant that Polish Americans should concentrate on their lives in America and rise their social and political status in the new country.
