The centenary of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw: "Everything at stake" - Instytut Pileckiego
16.08.2020 (Sun)
The centenary of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw: "Everything at stake"
Precisely 100 years ago something most unlikely and surprising has occurred: Polish Army troops have defeated the Red Army in the outskirts of Warsaw. It was the decisive battle, the battle for everything: independence, liberty and even life.
Had the Soviets won, not only the contemporary Poland, but the whole Europe would have been changed forever. According to Edgar d'Abernon, the British diplomat it was “The eighteenth decisive battle of the world: Warsaw, 1920”.
Historians agree that apart from the Battle of Grunwald and the Battle of Vienna it was one of the greatest and most prolific victory in the history of Polish Nation. You are kindly invited to the first part of trilogy entitled "Everything at stake" starring with renowned scholars and experts: prof. Mariusz Wołos, prof. Wiesław Wysocki, prof. Janusz Odziemkowski, prof. Zbigniew Wawer, Adam Zamoyski and prof. Norman Davies.
However the spectre of communism and world revolution was haunting Western Europe, there was an enormous amount of wishful thinking about the Soviet paradise, which survived throughout the interwar period. But the Red Army was nothing of the sort. Soviet soldiers set fire to buildings, engaged in plunder, rape and other crimes. The Poles took up arms – many volunteers were middle school students, women’s units were established as well. The people rallied, knowing that everything was at stake. We kindly invite you to the second part of trilogy about the Polish-Soviet War 1919-1921.
The Polish victory was a huge surprise. “That was the first reaction, followed by concern. Politicians and military elites worried about the Poles going too far towards the East. That Poland's further actions would permanently exclude Russia from commercial exchange, hindering economic profits for Europe”, Professor Janusz Odziemkowski said. Nowadays the awareness among historians about the importance of Polish-Soviet War is very low. According to Professor Norman Davies, “People simply haven't learned about it, it's not in their textbooks, and we continue to suffer from this, as it were, black hole of non-awareness”. That is why we strongly recommend you watch the third part of trilogy entitled “Everything at Stake”.
See also
- Academic conference “Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)”
News
Academic conference “Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)”
The second academic conference in a series “Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)” brought together representatives of various fields of the humanities and social sciences from numerous research centers in Poland and abroad.
- Accountability for War Crimes. New book from Pilecki's expert
News
Accountability for War Crimes. New book from Pilecki's expert
It is an expanded English-language edition of the monograph "Problem odpowiedzialności karnej za zbrodnie wojenne w pracach rządu polskiego na emigracji (1939–1945)", which in 2023 was awarded a grant under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education’s “Excellent Science II” program for the translation and open-access publication of the book abroad.
- 12 July | Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Augustów Roundup
News
12 July | Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Augustów Roundup
12 July is celebrated as the National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Augustów Roundup. The roundup began 81 years ago on this day – on 12 July 1945, two months after the end of the Second World War.
- The Volhynian Crime: The Pilecki Institute and its scholarly and research activities
News
The Volhynian Crime: The Pilecki Institute and its scholarly and research activities
On the Sunday of 11 July 1943, units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Stepan Bandera faction) – a radical fascist organization striving to build an independent Ukrainian state without any national minorities – carried out a coordinated attack on almost a hundred Polish settlements in the German-occupied Volhynian Voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic.
- Announcement
News
Announcement
The Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor, the sole shareholder of Pilecki Institute (USA), Inc., announces that the Board of Directors has appointed Jack Fairweather as the interim President (CEO) of Pilecki Institute (USA), Inc., effective as of 18 June 2026. His task will be to expand the program strategy in line with the statutory mission of the Pilecki Institute’s New York branch.
- The MODEERN FREEDOM exhibition at the Pilecki Institute NYC is now open!
News
The MODEERN FREEDOM exhibition at the Pilecki Institute NYC is now open!
The largest group presentation of Polish contemporary art in New York since MoMA’s legendary “Fifteen Polish Painters” exhibition in 1961.
- The Witold Pilecki International Book Award for historical books. Applications accepted only until the end of June!
News
The Witold Pilecki International Book Award for historical books. Applications accepted only until the end of June!
The Pilecki Institute is accepting applications for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award until the end of June. The competition, now in its sixth year, is organized with the participation of the Patron’s Family and in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
- On better protection against crimes against humanity: Summary of the international conference “The Roots of Crimes Against Humanity”
News
On better protection against crimes against humanity: Summary of the international conference “The Roots of Crimes Against Humanity”
The international conference “The Roots of Crimes Against Humanity: Bridging the Normative Gap” successfully concluded at the Pilecki Institute in Warsaw. Organized on the 20th and 21st of April 2026, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event aimed to provide historical and academic foundations for the first-ever United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity.
- April 30 Deadline: Poland Proposes "Child-Sensitive Approach" for New UN Convention
News
April 30 Deadline: Poland Proposes "Child-Sensitive Approach" for New UN Convention
Beginning with today’s (April 30) deadline for all nations to submit their official comments to the United Nations on the draft of the proposed Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity, Poland has made an aggressive bid to become one of the leaders representing the globe’s most vulnerable victims.
- Recap of the 5th edition of the Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program (ITEP)
News
Recap of the 5th edition of the Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program (ITEP)
This year's online conference focused on the post-war decade of 1945–1955 – a time of rebuilding devastated countries, the beginning of the Cold War, and the birth of a new international order.
- Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visits the Augustów Roundup Memorial House
News
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visits the Augustów Roundup Memorial House
On 22 April 2026, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian democratic opposition, visited the Augustów Roundup Memorial House.
- Research cooperation between the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) and the Pilecki Institute
News
Research cooperation between the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) and the Pilecki Institute
The Witold Pilecki Institute of Solidarity and Valor has entered into official cooperation with the International Centre for War Crimes Trials (ICWC) at Philipps University in Marburg.