The subject of the article is to identify the factors and conditions that determined the system of government of the II Republic of Poland in the first years after regaining independence at the end of 1918. The study is devoted to three issues: the system of government at the turn of 1918 and 1919, the system of government under the Small Constitution and the system of government in the light of drafts of the Constitution of the II Republic of Poland. According to the author substitutes of the parliamentary system of government were born already in the first weeks of the functioning the Polish state authorities. Under the Small Constitution of 20 February 1919, an attempt was made to introduce the system of parliamentary supremacy. This turned out to be impossible given the high level of authority enjoyed by the country’s head of state – Józef Piłsudski, who also served as its commander in chief. Drafts of the Constitution assumed (mostly) the weak position of the president. In this way, the Constitution of 17 March 1921 adopted the parliamentary-cabinet system of government, which was modeled on the system adopted by the III French Republic.
PL
Przedmiotem opracowania jest określenie okoliczności, które określiły system rządów II Rzeczypospolitej w pierwszych latach po odzyskaniu niepodległości (pod koniec 1918 r.). Artykuł poświęcony jest trzem kwestiom: systemowi rządów na przełomie 1918 i 1919 r., systemowi rządów w okresie obowiązywania Małej Konstytucji oraz systemowi rządów w projektach konstytucji II Rzeczypospolitej. Autor wskazuje, iż przesłanki parlamentarnego systemu rządów pojawiły się już w pierwszych tygodniach funkcjonowania polskich władz państwowych. Pod rządami Małej Konstytucji z 20 lutego 1919 r. podjęto próbę zainstalowania systemu rządów zgromadzenia. Okazało się to niemożliwe ze względu na wysoki autorytet głowy państwa – Józefa Piłsudskiego, który piastował również funkcję Naczelnego Wodza. Projekty konstytucji zakładały (w większości) słabą pozycję prezydenta. W ten sposób Konstytucja z 17 marca 1921 r. przyjęła parlamentarno-gabinetowy system rządów, wzorowany na III Republice Francuskiej.
The purpose of the article is to present the constitutional development of the Republic of Lithuania after the First World War (1918–1926). This period may be divided into two parts: period of provisional constitutions (1918–1922) and period of the Constitution of Republic of Lithuania, which was enacted on August 1, 1922 and abolished in fact by a coup d’état in 1926. The parliamentary system of government was adopted by the first provisional constitution, which was enacted by the Taryba (Council of State) on November 2, 1918. The second provisional constitution was enacted on April 4, 1919. The institution of the President of the State was introduced by virtue of this constitution. The third provisional constitution was enacted by the Steigiamasis Seimas (Constituent Assembly) on June 10, 1920. The Constitution of Republic of Lithuania adopted parliamentary system of government, which was known in provisional constitutions. The unicameral parliament (the Seimas) was the most important body of state authority. The President of the Republic was elected by the Seimas. He could be dismissed by the Seimas, too. The Cabinet of Ministers was appointed by the President. The Cabinet of Ministers had to get the vote of confidence from the Seimas. The Seimas could give the vote of no confidence, too. In this case the Cabinet of Ministers had to hand in its resignation. In practice the political scene was dominated by the Christian Democratic Party. It lost general election only in 1926. A coup d’état, which took place some months later, indicated the end of democratic system of government.
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