Republic of Tarnobrzeg explained

Conventional Long Name:Republic of Tarnobrzeg
Common Name:Tarnobrzeg
P1:Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Flag P1:Flag of Galicia-Lodomeria (1890–1918).svg
S1:Second Polish Republic
Flag S1:Flag of Poland.svg
Capital:Tarnobrzeg
Common Languages:Polish
Religion:Catholicism
Government Type:Republica
Era:Aftermath of World War I
Date Start:6 November
Year Start:1918
Year End:1919
Date End:Spring
Footnotes:a. Soviet republic intended.
Leader Title1:President
Leader Name1:Tomasz Dąbal (last)
Today:Poland

The Republic of Tarnobrzeg (Polish: Republika Tarnobrzeska, pronounced as /pl/) was a short-lived political entity, proclaimed on 6 November 1918 in the Polish town of Tarnobrzeg. Its main founders were two socialist activists, Tomasz Dąbal and the Catholic priest Eugeniusz Okoń.

History

The idea of the Republic had its roots in mass demonstrations of peasants, which were taking place almost on a daily basis in the fall of 1918. Tarnobrzeg had been part of Austria-Hungary (Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria) and the dissolution of this entity created a political unrest. On 6 November, after a demonstration with some 30,000 people, local peasants decided to take advantage of it and seize power.

As news of the Russian Revolution came to Tarnobrzeg, socialist activists decided to follow Communist ideas. They demanded the liquidation of capitalist government and the introduction of a land reform, which would result in taking away land from rich owners and giving it to the poor peasantry. Also, directed by Okoń and Dąbal, the peasants started to organize local administration as well as a peasants' militia.

The Republic of Tarnobrzeg was suppressed by units of the freshly created Polish Army at the beginning of 1919. Father Okoń was arrested but soon released, when the locals elected him to the Polish Parliament.

See also

References