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Woodrow Wilson and Poland’s Independence

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Independence without Democracy
Page 11 of 15

As a promoter of democratic nations, Wilson surely embraced the creation of a Polish democracy. Did it become a necessity to demand that Poland form a democratic government? The Jewish population in America feared that a new Polish state would harm Polish Jews. Anti-Semitism did prevail in Poland, with Roman Dmowski, the leader of the Polish National Committee, possessing a political record containing such beliefs. Supreme Court Justice and Wilson advisor Louis Brandeis brought his concerns to Wilson‘s attention. This issue concerned the President and requested Brandeis to write up a memorandum on the topic. Jewish-Americans, up to this time, had not lobbied the President on this matter as much as Paderewski and Polish- Americans had lobbied for an independent Poland.(40) Wilson, however, had to ensure that his actions did not displease one ethnic group at the expense of another.

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This page last updated 1 January 2012