Polish government in exile
| Government of the Republic of Poland in exile | ||||||||||
| Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie | ||||||||||
| Government in exile | ||||||||||
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Anthem Mazurek Dąbrowskiego "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" |
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| Capital | Not specified | |||||||||
| Capital-in-exile |
Paris (1939–1940) Angers (1940) London (1940–1990) |
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| Languages | Polish | |||||||||
| Government | Republic | |||||||||
| President | ||||||||||
| • | 1939–1947 | Władysław Raczkiewicz (first) | ||||||||
| • | 1989–1990 | Ryszard Kaczorowski (last) | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | ||||||||||
| • | 1939–1940 | Władysław Sikorski (first) | ||||||||
| • | 1986–1990 | Edward Szczepanik (last) | ||||||||
| Historical era | World War II / Cold War | |||||||||
| • | Constitution adopted | 23 April 1935 | ||||||||
| • | Invasion of Poland | 17 September 1939 | ||||||||
| • | End of Communism | 22 December 1990 | ||||||||
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The Polish government-in-exile, formally known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (Polish: Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, which brought to an end the Second Polish Republic.
Despite the occupation of Poland by hostile powers, the government-in-exile exerted considerable influence in Poland during World War II through the structures of the Polish Underground State and its military arm, the Armia Krajowa (Home Army) resistance. Abroad, under the authority of the government-in-exile, Polish military units that had escaped the occupation fought under their own commanders as part of Allied forces in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
After the war, as the Polish territory came under the control of the People's Republic of Poland, a Soviet satellite state, the government-in-exile remained in existence, though largely unrecognized and without effective power. Only after the end of Communist rule in Poland did the government-in-exile formally pass on its responsibilities to the new government of the Third Polish Republic in December 1990.
The government-in-exile was based in France during 1939 and 1940, first in Paris and then in Angers. From 1940, following the Fall of France, the government moved to London, and remained in the United Kingdom until its dissolution in 1990.
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