Poland's Colonial Aspirations and the Question of a Mandate over Liberia, 1933–1939

Abstract

This article examines Poland's political and economic involvement in Liberia in the 1930s in an attempt to address the question of how countries that were not classical colonial powers were engaging in colonialism. Interwar Poland was a newly established country struggling to achieve political stability and economic growth. Looking for a solution to the economic difficulties, Poland started to show an interest in obtaining colonies in Africa. This interest developed into the colonial movement. Poland attempted to establish a long-lasting economic and political presence in Liberia in the 1930s. This attempt failed; however, Polish involvement in Liberia demonstrates the effect that the idea of colonialism had on Polish society and the Polish government.

The memory politics of Cursed Soldiers, antisemitism and racialisation

“…The League's leaders came mainly from the elite and included politicians, officers, MPs, government officials and scientists (Grzechnik, 2020). Thus, the League had strong ties to the Polish government and in the 1930s tried in various ways to obtain land for Polish colonial settlement in an Africa perceived as an 'empty land', that is, inhabited by peoples who did not grasp the concept of private property and were unable to farm rationally (Skulimowska, 2022). The Polish government also saw in colonial expansion a solution to the 'Jewish question' and probed the possibility of Jewish emigration to, for example, Madagascar (Puchalski, 2021).…”