Legion Młodych w latach 1935-1938. Ku upadkowi
Legion of the Young in the years 1935-1938. Towards decline

Summary/Abstract: In the late 1920s in the environment of the academic youth of the Warsaw and Lvov universities emerged concepts of creating an organization that would in principle propagate the ideas of Józef Piłsudski. On 13 February 1930 the Legion of the Young – ‘Work for the State’ Academic Association was established in Warsaw. In the next four years the organization developed, gained new members and enjoyed the support of the Piłsudski camp, including the Marshall himself. In the understanding of the circles then in power it was to realize statutory goals, but already after two years the activists of the Legion came to the conclusion that it should ultimately become a mass youth organization exceeding the academic environment. Their purpose was to win over the working class and peasant youth. After an unsuccessful attempt to subordinate the Legion to the Nonpartisan Bloc of Cooperation with the Government in September 1934 and due to various circumstances (internal divisions among others), mentors grouped in seniors clubs revoked their patronage in April 1935. This was the critical moment that set off a slow process of the ‘agony’ of the Legion – an organization created out of the young people’s fascination with the person of Piłsudski. Even though the organization was not liquidated, it did not regain its former significance and status. It ended its existence in December 1938 becoming part of the Polish Youth Legion. The aim of the article is to show the causes and circumstances that led to the collapse of the most powerful youth organization of the Piłsudski camp in the first half of the 1930s.

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