Language legislation in interwar Poland as an element of national policy: historiography of the problem

The paper deals with the language policy of Poland as an element of national policy. The international treaties on the protection of national minorities, the Constitution of Poland of 1921 and the laws adopted on July 31, 1924 “On the State language and working language in State institutions and self-government institutions”, “On language and organization of school work for national minorities”, “On language in courts, prosecutor’s office and notary institutions” are considered. In the Second Polish Republic, one third of the population consisted of national minorities, for whose rights the Polish Sejm adopted these laws. The laws provided for the limited use of the languages of national minorities – Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian. In certain cases, Polish civil servants were required to use the languages of national minorities in their activities. Due to their inconsistency and half-heartedness, the laws were not actually implemented and caused discontent both among representatives of national organizations and among the majority of Polish political circles. Among historians and in journalism, the laws “On Language...” also caused a discussion. Most researchers believe that the Polish language legislation did not aim to actually improve the situation of national minorities, but only to imitate their protection in order to form a positive image of a “democratic” Poland in the international arena.