Wzlot i upadek wojewody pomorskiego Wiktora Lamota (1928–1931)
The Rise and Fall of the Pomeranian Governor Wiktor Lamot (1928–1931)

From the History of the Power Elites after the May Coup d'État

Summary/Abstract: The case of Wiktor Lamot, as opposed to the careers of other governors in Poland after the May coup d’état, is worth a closer analysis. Prior to taking over the position of the head of the provincial office in Torun in August 1928 — after the sudden death of the first Pomeranian governor Kazimierz Mlodzianowski — Lamot had held the position of starost in Pińczów. Such a rapid promotion was still quite rare in the state administration of the Second Polish Republic. As the Pomeranian governor, he had to face the sharper policy towards the political opposition run by the authorities after the May coup d’état. This greatly affected his work in Pomerania during the years 1928-1931. Apart from administering the province in an effective manner, the authorities in Warsaw demanded that he take decisive steps to develop the influence of new political circles and to reduce the influence of the opposition. He was the first Pomeranian governor after May 1926 to take such measures on a large scale. His term of office was characterized by changes of personnel in the state administration, the administration of justice, the extension – per fas et nef as – the structures of the Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the government along with the restrictive measures against the opposition press. All the above-mentioned factors have shaped the historical memory of Wiktor Lamot and the way his term of office was evaluated in historiography, particularly in the period of the Polish People’s Republic. However, it is beyond doubt that the negative press campaign against him contributed to his being dismissed from his position as governor in November 1931.

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