The leading politicians and military men of the III Republic of France in the light of the Polish public opinion between March 1938 and April 1940

This presentation portrays leading politicians and military men of the Third Republic of France between March 1938 and April 1940. The text is based on press articles, diaries and diplomatic sources of Polish provenance. The paper's objective is to show prominent politicians and military chiefs of France, which was a Poland’s ally since 1921, as perceived by the Polish public opinion in time when the fate of Europe hung in the balance. The paper is divided into four parts. In the first part it describes the gradual departure from political ideas as represented by Le Front Populaire (the Peoples' Front), almost univocally criticized in Poland, which ended in the designation of Edouard Daladier as Prime Minister of France. The second part covers nearly one year of E. Daladier's government (the of middle of 1938 - the beginning 1939), when this new cabinet gained considerable trust and confidence upon the Vistula river, since Poles believed that this was a cabinet of national evival, which France needed much at this time. The next part is dedicated to the period preceding the outbreak of the Second War World and just after its beginning. At that time there were attempts to emphasize the military strength of the Third Republic and the outstanding personalities of its chiefs. However, one may find some information, which proved the reluctance of the French as well as their lack of preparation for the war. The last part refers to the spring and summer of 1940 and deals with two different opinions concerning the political and military situation of those days. On the one hand the Polish were proud of their heroic defense of their homeland in September 1939. On the other hand, they felt sadness and disappointment because of another defeat they had to experience. They also suffered because they lost hope for their prompt return to Poland, which could have only been possible upon the Allies' victory.