Jus ad Bellum and the May Coup: Piłsudski’s Path to Authority through a Citizen’s Arrest

The May Coup, carried out in Poland by Marshal Józef Piłsudski, overthrew the elected officials of the government. Piłsudski removed the government by force but chose not to impose traditional dictatorship and declined the presidency. However, he was considered the power behind the throne until his death. The May Coup differed from other earlier Polish coups. Its presumed goal was the rebirth of the soul of the nation. This article tests this thesis by exploring the ideological and military backgrounds of the May Coup. Although it cannot be denied that Piłsudski relied on force and guided democracy himself after the coup, I argue that focusing on the consequences of the coup is missing the point. The point of contention is not whether the coup achieved its goal of rebirthing democracy in Poland but rather whether there was a just cause to pursue it. Hence, in the light of virtue ethics and the just war concept of legitimate authority, and based on a specific reading of the coup, namely, as a citizen's arrest of the government, I make a case that the coup was permissible from the point of view of military and political ethics.