Ewolucja cywilnej kontroli nad siłami zbrojnymi w Polsce na przestrzeni dziejów

Abstract

Evolution of Civil Control of the Armed Forced in Poland Throughout HistoryIn the history of Poland armed forced were already regulated in the Go-vernment Act of 3rd May, 1791, although their functioning considera-bly differed from the present status of the army. The army had then a national character, which meant that all citizens were obliged to defend the motherland if its safety was threatened. During the period of the Duchy of Warsaw, officially independent, but actually subordi-nated to Napoleon I, the Polish Army was regulated by the Basic Law, which provided that the number of the military should not exceed 300,000. Despite the legal regulations the actual authority over our army was with the Emperor of the French. Later, in the Kingdom of Poland the number of the army has not been specified, but each Tsar of Russia was ex officio also the King of Poland and therefore, he exercised the authority over the Armed Forces. During the inter -war period the formal control of the armed forces was more divided and did not rest with one individual only. As the Second Polish Republic did not last long, its political system did not have time to consolidate properly. It was not by chance that during the Polish People’s Republic the Armed Forced were called “an armed arm of the Party”. It was not until 1989 that the true and actual civilian and democratic control of the military was established. It is not an easy task, but indispensable for the proper functioning of the State, the fundamental function of which is to ensure safety of its citizens.