“Un singur popor cu două drapele”. The Romanian-Polish relations during the interwar period

• Main Author: Dimitris Michalopoulos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies 2011-12-01
• Series: Revista Română pentru Studii Baltice şi Nordice
• Subjects: Take Ionescu; Józef Piłsudski; Piast and Jagiellonian Poland; Romania; Greece
• Online Access: http://www.arsbn.ro/the-romanian-polish-relations-during-the-interwar-period.htm

This article, chiefly based on the archives of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tells the story of Romanian-Polish relations between the years 1919 and 1939. Driven by the fear of Soviet Russia, the two countries backed each other and tried to build up a cordon sanitaire which would protect Europe against ‘contamination’ from the East. During the 1920s things went more or less well – though Poland obstinately refused to participate in the Petite Entente system. In the 1930s, nonetheless, the change of the constellation of Powers in Europe, due to the rise of Germany and the inward-looking nature of Stalin’s U.S.S.R., had as a result the two countries interpreting their interests differently and gradually choosing to ally themselves with opposite camps. The outcome of that change led to Poland being conquered by the Germans and Romania fighting alongside the Axis Powers.