Assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz
1922 murder in Warsaw, Poland From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gabriel Narutowicz, the first president of Poland after regaining independence, was assassinated by a far-right Polish nationalist on 16 December 1922, five days after taking office, aged 57.[1] He was fatally shot by Eligiusz Niewiadomski, an artist and art critic, while visiting an exhibition at Warsaw's Zachęta gallery.
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| Date | 16 December 1922 |
|---|---|
| Location | Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Second Polish Republic |
| Coordinates | 52.239°N 21.011°E |
| Motive | Anti-communism Antisemitism Polish nationalism |
| Target | Gabriel Narutowicz, President of Poland |
| Perpetrator | Eligiusz Niewiadomski |
| Convictions | Murder |
| Sentence | Death by firing squad |
Background
Poland regained independence in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I. Soon afterwards, Gabriel Narutowicz, professor of engineering, became one of the left-wing leaders in the Sejm (Polish parliament).[2]
Following the 1921 March Constitution of Poland and the November 1922 Polish legislative election, Narutowicz was elected the first president of Poland in the Polish presidential election, 9 December 1922.[3] His election was not accepted by the right-wing nationalist endecja faction, which staged a number of protests.[3] Narutowicz's forthcoming murder would be the culmination of an aggressive, right wing and anti-semitic propaganda campaign vilifying him; in the background of street protests he was described, by a hostile press, an atheist, a Freemason and a Jew.[4][3][5]
Assassination
Five days after taking office, while attending an art exhibition in the Warsaw's National Gallery of Art "Zachęta", Narutowicz was shot and killed during a conversation with a British envoy.[6][2] The assassin was a painter, Eligiusz Niewiadomski, who fired three shots at the president.[7]
Aftermath
Summarize
Perspective
Niewiadomski had connections with the right wing National Democratic Party.[6] During his trial, Niewiadomski stated that he wanted to kill Józef Piłsudski originally, but assassinating his ally, Narutowicz, was "a step in the fight for Polishness and for the nation."[6] Niewiadomski was sentenced to death. His state execution took place outside the Warsaw Citadel on 31 January.[8] Part of the right-wing camp perceived Niewiadomski as a hero. Nationalistic press and some historians kept portraying Niewiadomski in positive light, writing about his "heroic stand", "sacred convictions, "patriotic duty" and such.[6][9] Within months, his grave became a right-wing shrine, and "more than three hundred babies baptized in Warsaw were given the uncommon name Eligiusz".[8]
The murder of the first president of the Second Polish Republic and the angry canvassing against him revealed the fragility of democratic mechanisms in Poland at that time.[3][7]
The murder of Narutowicz served as the inspiration and a main theme for a number of works.[10] They include the 1977 Polish feature film Death of a President (Polish: Śmierć prezydenta), directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, and Wilhelm Sasnal's 2003 painting Narutowicz.[10]
See also
References
Further reading
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