sanacja

Sanacja, from Polish sanacja meaning “sanitation” or “cleansing,” was a political program and governing approach in the Second Polish Republic that sought to “clean up” political life and restore stability after years of parliamentary fragmentation and social unrest in the 1920s. The label is closely associated with the regime that emerged after the May 1926 coup d’état led by Józef Piłsudski, though it was not a formal political party. It encompassed Piłsudski's followers and allied groups organized around the Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government (BBWR).

During the Sanation era, roughly 1926 to 1939, the regime promoted centralized authority, bureaucratic reform, and a controlled political environment. Supporters argued that the system was necessary to combat corruption, restore order, and modernize the state, but opponents condemned antidemocratic practices, curbed civil liberties, and restrictions on the parliamentary system. The state relied on the executive, the presidency, and the security apparatus to govern, often at the expense of opposition parties and free press.

In 1935 the regime enacted the April Constitution, which created a strong presidential system and allowed the government to rule by decree, substantially expanding the president's power over foreign and domestic policy. Although elections continued, political competition was tightly managed and the Sejm's influence was diminished. The period saw various administrative and economic reforms and a rhetoric of national unity—but also ongoing repression of dissent.

Poland's Sanation regime effectively ended with the German and Soviet invasions of 1939. Its legacy remains contested: supporters credit it with restoring order and stabilizing a fragile state, while critics view it as a step toward dictatorship that eroded democracy and contributed to Poland's vulnerability on the eve of World War II.