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{{Short description|Historical Polish political movement}}
{{Distinguish|Sanitation}}
{{for|retrospective recognition of marriage in canon law|Validation of marriage}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox
| bodystyle        = width:13em
| title            = ''Sanacja''
| subheader        = '''Members'''
| image1           = [[File:Jozef Pilsudski1 (cropped).jpg|100px]]
| caption1         = [[Józef Piłsudski]]
| image2           = [[File:Mościcki cropped.png|100px]]
| caption2         = [[Ignacy Mościcki]]
| image3           = [[File:J Beck.jpg|80px]]
| caption3         = [[Józef Beck]]
| image4           = [[File:Tadeusz Hołówko 1929.jpg|90px]]
| caption4         = [[Tadeusz Hołówko]]
| image5           = [[File:Janusz Jędrzejewicz.PNG|85px]]
| caption5         = [[Janusz Jędrzejewicz]]
| image6           = [[File:Wacław Jędrzejewicz.jpg|80px]]
| caption6         = [[Wacław Jędrzejewicz]]
| image7           = [[File:Adam Koc.jpg|90px]]
| caption7         = [[Adam Koc]]
| image8           = [[File:Leon Kozłowski.PNG|80px]]
| caption8         = [[Leon Kozłowski]]
| image9           = [[File:Ignacy Matuszewski.PNG|100px]]
| caption9         = [[Ignacy Matuszewski]]
| image10          = [[File:BoguslawMiedzinski.jpg|80px]]
| caption10        = Bogusław Miedziński [[:pl:Bogusław Miedziński|(pl)]]
| image11          = [[File:Pieracki portret.jpg|80px]]
| caption11        = [[Bronisław Pieracki]]
| image12          = [[File:Aleksander Prystor.jpg|80px]]
| caption12        = [[Aleksander Prystor]]
| image13          = [[File:Marshal Rydz-Smigly LOC hec 27123.jpg|100px]]
| caption13        = [[Edward Śmigły-Rydz]]
| image14          = [[File:Adam Skwarczyński.jpg|100px]]
| caption14        = [[Adam Skwarczyński]]
| image15          = [[File:Walery Sławek.PNG|75px]]
| caption15        = [[Walery Sławek]]
| image16          = [[File:Switalski K.jpg|65px]]
| caption16        = [[Kazimierz Świtalski]]
}}
'''Sanation''' ({{langx|pl|Sanacja}}, {{IPA|pl|saˈnat͡sja|pron}}) was a Polish [[political movement]] that emerged in the [[interwar period]], prior to [[Józef Piłsudski]]'s [[May Coup (Poland)|May 1926 ''Coup d'État'']], and gained influence following the coup. In 1928, its political activists went on to form the [[Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government]] (''BBWR'').<ref name="BEIPCQ">{{cite book |title=Beyond Empire: Interwar Poland and the Colonial Question, 1918–1939 |last=Puchalski |first=Piotr |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/bfe22980348fd04646924c8349f0eb72 |publisher=The [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] Press |year=2019 |access-date=October 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name="FMBALNPLPSC">{{cite journal |journal=Studia Iuridica Lublinensia |title=From May to Bereza: A Legal Nihilism in the Political and Legal Practice of the Sanation Camp 1926–1935 |last=Kowalski |first=Wawrzyniec |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=985623 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej |issue=5 |pages=133–147 |year=2020 |doi=10.17951/sil.2020.29.5.133-147 |access-date=October 19, 2024|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="TFARPRP">{{cite journal |journal=Zapiski Historyczne |title=The Formation of Authoritarian Rule in Poland between 1926 and 1939 as a Research Problem |last=Olstowski |first=Przemysław |url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1256530 |publisher=Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu |issue=2 |pages=27–60 |year=2024 |doi=10.15762/ZH.2024.13 |access-date=October 19, 2024 |quote=The case of authoritarian rule in Poland [...] following the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup of 1926]], is notable for its unique origins [...] Rooted in a period when Poland lacked statehood [...] Polish authoritarianism evolved [...] Central to this phenomenon was Marshal [[Józef Piłsudski]], the ideological leader of Poland's ruling camp after the May Coup of 1926|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The Sanation movement took its name from Piłsudski's goal of a moral "[[:wiktionary:sanation|sanation]]" (healing) of the Polish [[body politic]].<ref>The Polish word "''sanacja''" is defined identically as "ł[aciński]: ''uzdrowienie''" ("''L[atin]'': healing") in ''Słownik wyrazów obcych'' (Dictionary of Foreign Expressions), New York, Polish Book Importing Co., 1918 (8 years before [[Józef Piłsudski]]'s [[May Coup (Poland)|May 1926 ''Coup d'État'']]), p. 701; and in ''M. Arcta słownik wyrazów obcych'' ([[:pl:Michał Arct|Michał Arct]]'s Dictionary of Foreign Expressions), Warsaw, Wydawnictwo S. Arcta, 1947, p. 313. ''Słownik wyrazów obcych PWN'' (PWN Dictionary of Foreign Expressions), Warsaw, [[Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe]], 1971, p. 665, defines the expression as follows: "''sanacja <łac. ''sanatio'' = uzdrowienie>'' ([[:wiktionary:sanation|sanation]], from Lat[in] ''sanatio'' = healing) ''1. w Polsce międzywojennej — obóz Józefa Piłsudskiego, który pod hasłem uzdrowienia stosunków politycznych i życia publicznego dokonał przewrotu wojskowego w maju 1926 r....'' (1. in interwar Poland, the camp of [[Józef Piłsudski]], who worked a military coup in May 1926 under the banner of healing politics and public life...) ''2. rzad[ko używany]: uzdrowienie, np. stosunków w jakiejś instytucji, w jakimś kraju.'' (2. rarely used: healing, e.g., of an institution, of a country.)"</ref> The movement functioned cohesively until Piłsudski's death in 1935. Following his death, Sanation fragmented into several factions, including "the Castle" (President [[Ignacy Mościcki]] and his supporters).<ref name=encyc>"''Sanacja''," ''[[Encyklopedia Polski]]'', p. 601.</ref><ref name="BEIPCQ" /><ref name="FMBALNPLPSC" /> 

Sanation, which supported [[Authoritarianism|authoritarian rule]], was led by a circle of Piłsudski's close associates, including [[Walery Sławek]], [[Aleksander Prystor]], [[Kazimierz Świtalski]], [[Janusz Jędrzejewicz]], [[Adam Koc]], [[Józef Beck]], [[Tadeusz Hołówko]], [[:pl:Bogusław Miedziński|Bogusław Miedziński]], and [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły|Edward Śmigły-Rydz]].<ref name=encyc /> It emphasized the primacy of the [[national interest]] in governance, and opposed the system of [[parliamentary democracy]].<ref name=encyc /><ref name="BEIPCQ" /><ref name="FMBALNPLPSC" /><ref name="TFARPRP" />

==Background==
Named after the [[Latin]] word for "healing" ("''[[:wiktionary:sanation|sanatio]]''"),<ref>Neither the English "[[:wiktionary:sanation|sanation]]" nor the [[cognate]] Polish "''sanacja''"—both derived from the same [[Latin]] root, "''sanatio''"—are commonly used in their respective languages. The terms' unfamiliarity likely contributes to misconceptions about the meaning of the Polish political term. For example, [[Adam Zamoyski]] (''The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and Their Culture'', p. 343) mistranslates it as "[[sanitation]]". Other English-language authors, unfamiliar with the term's Latin [[etymology]] and the English [[cognate]], have left it untranslated.</ref> the Sanation movement mainly consisted of former military officers who were dissatisfied with the [[political corruption|perceived corruption]] in Polish politics. Sanation was a coalition of rightists, leftists, and centrists, primarily focused on addressing corruption and reducing inflation. The movement emerged prior to the [[May Coup (Poland)|May 1926 ''Coup d'État'']] and persisted until the onset of [[World War II]], but was never formalized. While Piłsudski had previously led the [[Polish Socialist Party]], he grew disillusioned with [[political party|political parties]], which he viewed as promoting their own interests rather than those of the state and the people. As a result, the Sanation movement did not evolve into a political party. Instead, in 1928, Sanation members formed the ''Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem'' (''BBWR'', "[[Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government]]"), a pro-government group that did not consider itself a political party.

==History==
[[File:IX Zjazd Legionistów.png|left|thumb|In front, left to right: Józef Piłsudski, Walery Sławek, Edward Śmigły-Rydz, 1930]]
Although Piłsudski never sought personal power, he exercised considerable influence over Polish politics after Sanation came to power in 1926. For the next decade, he played a central role in Polish affairs as the de facto leader of a generally popular centrist regime. [[Kazimierz Bartel]]'s government and all subsequent governments were informally approved by Piłsudski before being confirmed by the President. In his pursuit of ''sanation,'' Piłsudski combined democratic and authoritarian elements. Poland's internal stability improved, and economic stagnation was addressed through [[Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski]]'s economic reforms. At the same time, the Sanation regime took action against communist parties (citing formal grounds that they had failed to legally ''register'' as political parties) and worked to limit the influence of opposition parties by fragmenting their support.{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}<ref name="TFARPRP" /> A notable feature of the regime was that, unlike in many non-democratic European countries, it did not evolve into a full dictatorship. Freedom of the press, speech, and political parties was never legally abolished, and opposition figures were often dealt with through means other than formal court sentences, such as actions by "unidentified perpetrators."{{cn|date=August 2024}}

Sanation allowed the [[1928 Polish legislative election|1928 election]] to be relatively free, but faced a setback when its ''BBWR'' supporters fell short of securing a majority. Prior to the [[1930 Polish legislative election|1930 election]], some opposition parties united in a ''[[Centrolew]]'' (Center-Left) coalition, calling for the government's overthrow; in response, Sanation arrested more than 20 prominent opposition leaders from the ''Centrolew'' movement. In the subsequent election, ''BBWR'' won over 46 percent of the vote and secured a large majority in both houses of parliament{{Citation needed|date=January 2018}}. The personality cult surrounding Józef Piłsudski was largely a result of his general popularity with the public, rather than through top-down propaganda, which is notable given Piłsudski's skepticism of democracy. Sanation's ideology focused primarily on populist calls for political and economic reform, but did not delve into societal issues in the manner of contemporary fascist regimes. From 1929, the semi-official newspaper of Sanation, and thus of the Polish government, was ''[[Gazeta Polska (1929–1939)|Gazeta Polska]]'' (the ''Polish Gazette''){{Citation needed|reason=editorialising, no citations in whole section|date=January 2018}}.

==Legislative agenda==
The Sanation government invalidated the results of the May 1930 election by disbanding the parliament in August.<ref name="books.google.com">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WoKQWem2yl4C&dq=elections+Poland+1930&pg=PA28 Spring Will Be Ours: Poland and the Poles from Occupation to Freedom]'' By Andrzej Paczkowski, page 28.</ref> New elections were scheduled for November 1930.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=LkZlidUKEl8C&dq=elections+Poland+1930&pg=PA73 Sketches from a Secret War: A Polish Artist's Mission to Liberate Soviet Ukraine]'' By Timothy Snyder, page 73.</ref> In response to anti-government [[Demonstration (people)|demonstrations]], 20 opposition-party members,<ref name="books.google.com"/> including most of the leaders of the ''[[Centrolew]]'' alliance (Socialist, [[Polish People's Party "Piast" (1913–31)|Polish People's Party "Piast"]], and [[Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie"]] leaders) were arrested<ref name="ReferenceA">''[https://books.google.com/books?id=zmVuBwAAQBAJ&q=elections+Poland+1930&pg=PA103 Atlas of Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century]'' By Richard & Benjamin Crampton, pp. 102–103.</ref> in September 1930 without [[Warrant (law)|warrants]], on the orders of Piłsudski and the Minister of Internal Security, [[Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski]], and accused of plotting an anti-government [[coup]].<ref>[http://www.ku.edu/~eceurope/hist557/lect14a.htm Domestic problems and foreign policies of interwar east European states]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} By [[Anna M. Cienciala]].</ref>

The opposition leaders (including former prime minister [[Wincenty Witos]] and [[Wojciech Korfanty]]) were imprisoned and [[Brest trial|tried]] at the [[Brest Fortress]] (which led to the popular name for the November 1930 election: "the Brest election"). A number of lesser-known political activists across the country were also arrested;<ref name="books.google.com"/> they were released after the election. The Brest trial concluded in January 1932, with ten of the accused sentenced to up to three years' imprisonment; appeals in 1933 upheld the sentences. The government offered those sentenced the option of emigrating abroad; five chose this option, while the other five decided to serve their prison terms.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

== Splintering and power-sharing ==
A key turning point for the [[Piłsudskiite]]s occurred in 1935 with Piłsudski's death. The [[April Constitution|April 1935 Constitution]], adopted a few weeks earlier, had been designed with Marshal Piłsudski in mind. In the absence of a successor with similar authority, a reinterpretation of the new Constitution became necessary. As [[Ignacy Matuszewski]] stated, "We must replace the Great Man with an organization."

Piłsudski's death led to the fragmentation of Sanation, driven by two main factors: competition for power and influence among Piłsudski's followers (the struggles among the ''[[diadochi]]'' – "the heirs" – as [[Adam Pragier]] referred to them); and a search for a more suitable ideology that Piłsudski's supporters might accept. The combination of personal competition and differing ideological views resulted in division and a lack of unity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tomasiewicz |first=Jarosław |title=W poszukiwaniu nowego ładu: tendencje antyliberalne, autorytarne i profaszystowskie w polskiej myśli politycznej i społecznej lat 30. XX w.: piłsudczycy i inni |date=2021 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego |isbn=978-83-226-4040-1 |edition=Wydanie I |series=Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach |location=Katowice |pages=38–39}}</ref>

Eventually, Sanation divided into three major factions:

* "[[Piłsudski's colonels|the Colonels]]" (''Pułkownicy'', gathered around [[Walery Sławek]]), which sought to continue the Piłsudskiite ideology in alignment with the principles of the April Constitution;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tomasiewicz |first=Jarosław |title=W poszukiwaniu nowego ładu: tendencje antyliberalne, autorytarne i profaszystowskie w polskiej myśli politycznej i społecznej lat 30. XX w.: piłsudczycy i inni |date=2021 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego |isbn=978-83-226-4040-1 |edition=Wydanie I |series=Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach |location=Katowice |pages=55}}</ref>
* "the Castle" (''Zamek'', formed around President [[Ignacy Mościcki]], who resided in the [[Royal Castle in Warsaw|Warsaw Castle]], which gave the faction its name); and
* ''GISZ'' (''Generalny Inspektor Sił Zbrojnych''), formed around [[General Inspector of the Armed Forces]] Marshal [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły|Edward Śmigły-Rydz]] as a representative of the late Marshal Piłsudski.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tomasiewicz |first=Jarosław |title=W poszukiwaniu nowego ładu: tendencje antyliberalne, autorytarne i profaszystowskie w polskiej myśli politycznej i społecznej lat 30. XX w.: piłsudczycy i inni |date=2021 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego |isbn=978-83-226-4040-1 |edition=Wydanie I |series=Prace Naukowe Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach |location=Katowice |pages=47}}</ref>

{{Quote|text="In accordance with the will of Mr. President of the Republic Ignacy Mościcki, I order the following: General Śmigły-Rydz, appointed by Mr. Marshal Józef Piłsudski as the First Defender of the Fatherland and the first co-cooperator of the President of the Republic in governing the state, is to be regarded and respected as the first person in Poland after Mr. President of the Republic. All state functionaries headed by the Prime Minister are to show him signs of honor and obedience."|source=|author=Prime Minister General Sławoj Składkowski}}

The document deviated from the state order established by the [[April Constitution of Poland|April Constitution]].

Another outcome of the Mościcki-Śmigły agreement was the promotion of the general to Marshal of Poland. On November 10, 1936, President Mościcki appointed him [[Generał broni|General of the branch]] and, at the same time, [[Marshal of Poland]], and decorated him with the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mirowicz |first=Ryszard |title=Edward Rydz-Śmigły: działalność wojskowa i polityczna |date=1988 |publisher=Instytut Wydawniczy Związków Zawodowych |location=Warszawa |pages=130}}</ref>

Additionally, the creation of the [[Camp of National Unity|Camp of National Unity (OZN)]] under Śmigły’s direction and within his framework expanded his influence. As a result, he became the central figure in determining the ideological direction of Sanation from 1937 to 1939.

Piłsudski's death led to a power struggle, as is often the case in such circumstances. At the same time, there were increasing differences in political thought among the [[Piłsudskiite|Piłsudskiites]]. The [[Piłsudski's colonels|Colonels' group]] and [[Walery Sławek|Sławek]] lost influence, and with them, the concepts of a [[Common Organization of the Society|socialized state]] and the Constitution as the sole regulator of state life. A new authority emerged in the figure of [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły|Śmigły-Rydz]], largely supported by some former Colonels. This new group, centered around the [[General Inspector of the Armed Forces|General Inspector]], took a [[Nationalism|nationalistic]] direction, and at times exhibited [[Totalitarianism|pro-totalitarian]] tendencies. The Castle Group and the “''Naprawa''” group, based around the president, sought to moderate these tendencies. The Sanation left, weak among the Piłsudskiites, effectively distanced itself from the camp.<ref>Janusz Faryś, Polska bez Piłsudskiego : z dziejów myśli piłsudczykowskiej (1935-1939), Mazowieckie Studia Humanistyczne, 2002, 8, 2, p. 289</ref>

==World War II==
During the 1939 [[invasion of Poland]], many Sanationists evacuated to [[Romania]] or [[Hungary]], from where they were able to travel to [[France]] or French-mandated [[Syria]] and, after the fall of France, to [[United Kingdom|Britain]]. Although France sought to exclude Sanationists from the [[Polish Government in Exile]], many continued to maintain influence. During the war, Sanationists established several resistance organizations, including in 1942 the [[Camp of Fighting Poland|Polish Fighting Movement]] (''Obóz Polski Walczącej''), which in 1943 became subordinate to the [[Home Army]] and in 1944 merged with the Council of Independence Organizations (''Konwent Organizacji Niepodległościowych'') to form the Union of Independence Organizations (''Zjednoczenie Organizacji Niepodległościowych''). After [[World War II]], Poland's Soviet-installed [[Stalinist Poland|communist government]] labeled Sanationists as [[enemy of the state|enemies of the state]], leading to executions or forced exile for many.

== Political parties ==
The following is a list of Sanation's political parties and their successors:{{cn|date=October 2024}}

* 1928–1935: [[Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government]] (''BBWR'')
* 1937–1939: [[Camp of National Unity]] (OZN)
* 1979–2003 [[Confederation of Independent Poland]] (KPN)
* 1985–1992 [[Polish Independence Party]] (PPN)
* 1992–1998 [[Movement for the Republic – Patriotic Camp]] (RdR)
* 1993-1997 [[Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms]] (''BBWR'')

==Notable members== 
* [[Józef Beck]]
* [[Tadeusz Hołówko]]
* [[Janusz Jędrzejewicz]] {{nb5}}{{nb5}}
* [[Wacław Jędrzejewicz]]
* [[Adam Koc]]
* [[Leon Kozłowski]]
* [[:pl:Ignacy Matuszewski|Ignacy Matuszewski]]
* [[:pl:Bogusław Miedziński|Bogusław Miedziński]]
* [[Ignacy Mościcki]]
* [[Bronisław Pieracki]]
* [[Józef Piłsudski]]
* [[Aleksander Prystor]]
* [[Edward Rydz-Śmigły|Edward Śmigły-Rydz]]
* [[:pl:Adam Skwarczyński|Adam Skwarczyński]]
* [[Walery Sławek]]
* [[Kazimierz Świtalski]]

==See also==
* [[Intermarium]]
* [[Prometheism]]
* [[Józef Piłsudski]]
* [[History of Kraków#After the partitions of Poland|History of Kraków]]
* [[History of Warsaw#1918–1939|History of Warsaw]]
* [[Piłsudski's colonels]]
* [[1934 flood in Poland]]
* [[Bereza Kartuska prison]]
* [[Second Polish Republic]]
* [[Polish Underground State]]
* [[Polish–Romanian alliance]]
* [[European interwar dictatorships]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{cite journal| last = Holzer | first = Jerzy | author-link = Jerzy Holzer |date=July 1977 | title = The Political Right in Poland, 1918-39 | journal = [[Journal of Contemporary History]] | volume = 12 | issue = 3 | pages = 395–412 | doi = 10.1177/002200947701200301  | s2cid = 153991392 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Seidner | first = Stanley S. | year = 1975 | title = The Camp of National Unity: An Experiment in Domestic Consolidation | journal = [[The Polish Review]] | volume = 20 | issue = 2–3 | pages = 231–236 }}
* [[Adam Zamoyski]], ''The Polish Way: A Thousand-Year History of the Poles and Their Culture'', New York, Hippocrene Books, 1994, {{ISBN|0-7818-0200-8}}.
* ''[[Encyklopedia Polski]]'' via [https://books.google.com/books?id=XdwEAAAAYAAJ&q=Sanacja Google Books, p. 601–] {{ISBN|8386328606}}.
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Guided democracy]]
[[Category:Military dictatorships]]
[[Category:Józef Piłsudski]]
[[Category:Politics of the Second Polish Republic]]
[[Category:Political history of Poland]]
[[Category:May Coup (Poland)]]
[[Category:Political movements in Poland]]
[[Category:Democratic backsliding in Poland]]