The May 1926 Coup in Poland- A Class Analysis

Abstract Book of the 8th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts

Year: 2026

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The May 1926 Coup in Poland- A Class Analysis

Jan Paradowski

ABSTRACT:

This paper offers a class-based analysis of the events surrounding the May 1926 coup in the Second Polish Republic, which resulted in the establishment of the Sanation regime. It outlines the political and social background of these events, focusing primarily on the period from 1922 to 1926. Employing the principles of the marxist class framework, the analysis foregrounds the class tensions that shaped both the coup itself and its aftermath. In addition to examining the course of the coup, the paper explores the class character of the new political order formed under Marshal Piłsudski. Special attention is given to the role of the military in both the May coup and the emergent regime.
The work argues that the structural weaknesses of interwar Poland made a bonapartist solution the only viable option for the propertied classes. These findings aim to deepen the understanding of interwar authoritarianisms and offer conclusions that may be relevant in the contemporary context of democratic erosion.

Keywords: Bonapartism, Józef Piłsudski, Sanation, Second Polish Republic, National Democracy