Polonia

After World War I, the United States provided the countries of devastated Europe with multi-million dollar aid transferred as financial aid, food, clothing, or technical advice. Poland was affected not only by the effects of the Great War (1914-1918) as its major battleground, but also by the consequences of the Bolshevik invasion and infectious disease epidemics ravaging Poland at the time. It was one of the countries receiving help.

According to sources collected and analyzed by the author of "Polish History in America" ​​Wacław Kruszka, the first Pole who set foot in Wisconsin was Wincenty Serafin Dziewanowski. His story is quite typical of the character of Poles and the development of the United States.

The war in Ukraine and the sense of threat made Polish diplomacy more active. The nations of the eastern flank behave in a similar way, and the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO only confirms the fact that we are not alone in our assessments when it comes to the threat of aggression from imperialist Russia.

Do Poles today remember about the huge sacrifice and participation of the American Polonia to make Poland appear again on the world map as a sovereign and independent state? It is difficult to answer this question today. The rapidly changing geopolitical reality brings many new and unfavorable circumstances for our homeland, which make us reconsider the fate of Poland.

In 1917, Jan Ignacy Paderewski composed and wrote the words of the song Hej, Orle Biały! The song was to be the battle anthem of the Polish Army in France, known as the Blue Army. On the New York first edition of the song from 1918, the composer ordered a note reading: "all proceeds from the sale of this anthem are intended for national purposes".

I am responding to the interview with Mr. John Radzilowski in the January issue of your newspaper. I do not know him, never had any conversation with him, but somehow he had it right.

Polish consulates in the United States encourage you to support the efforts of Arkadiusz Mularczyk, MP and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, who held a series of meetings with senators and congressmen in the US Congress. The purpose of these meetings was to obtain support in two aspects: assistance for Ukraine and assistance of the United States to support Polish claims for German reparations for Poland.

This work appeared in connection with the centennial of Poland’s rebirth as an independent state in 2018. Its focus is Poland-United States diplomatic relations. Several highly respected individuals contributed to it.

Poland was devastated during WWI (1914-1918). Poles living in America initiated the Polish White Cross and Polish Gray Samaritans of YWCA, which recruited nurses to support Polish soldiers and families. These actions were critical to Poland's postwar rebuilding efforts. Sadly, their stories have been forgotten.

Whether Polishness in Wisconsin will survive depends on the leaders in Warsaw, in the consulate in Chicago, the leaders in Wisconsin. Can they come up with a logical and practical program? Kuryer Polski, in accordance with its mission, will suggest ideas and encourage the creation of connections between Wisconsin and Poland.

On March 22, 2023, Jacek Bartosiak's book "The Best Place in the World. Where East Meets West" hit bookstores. In this book, the author presented the geopolitical situation of Poland between the East and the West.