Jozef Pilsudski

At the outbreak of World War I, Pilsudski formed the Polish Legions, volunteer military units fighting alongside Austria-Hungary against Russia. The Legions aimed to create a core for a future Polish army and advance the cause of Polish independence from partitioning powers.

On November 11, 1918, Pilsudski was released from German internment and returned to Warsaw. He assumed command of Polish forces and proclaimed the independence of the Second Polish Republic, becoming the nation's first Chief of State after 123 years of partition.

During the Polish-Soviet War, Pilsudski personally planned and commanded the counteroffensive at the Battle of Warsaw in August 1920. Polish forces repelled the advancing Red Army, securing Polish independence and halting the spread of Bolshevism into Central Europe.

In May 1926, Pilsudski led a military coup against the Polish government, marching loyal troops into Warsaw. After three days of fighting, President Wojciechowski resigned and Pilsudski assumed de facto dictatorial power, establishing the Sanacja regime that ruled Poland until 1939.

Pilsudski's government signed a non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union on July 25, 1932. The treaty normalized relations between the two countries for ten years, though it was later broken by the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.