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Council of National Defense (Poland)

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The Council of National Defense (Polish: Rada Obrony Państwa) was an extraordinary temporary governmental body created by a decree of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic, of 1 July 1920.

Poland was then facing defeat by Bolshevik Red Armies that were approaching Warsaw. The Council was a body that was intended to make decisions more expeditiously than the Sejm. It was fully authorized to take decisions regarding the conduct and conclusion of the war.

The Council comprised:

The Chief of State was empowered to call Council meetings, chair them and set the agenda.

The Council enjoyed very broad powers, in order to be able to exercise far-reaching autonomy and reduce bureaucratic obstacles. Its decisions were to be implemented at once.

References

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  • Piotr Krzysztof Marszałek. Rada Obrony Panstwa z 1920 roku: studium prawnohistoryczne. Wrocław: Wrocław University. ISBN 8322912145.