Józef Beck

Who was Józef Beck?

Józef Beck served the Second Republic of Poland as diplomat and military officer, and close associate of Józef Piłsudski. He is most famous for being Polish foreign minister in the 1930s, when he largely set Polish foreign policy. He tried to fulfill Piłsudski's dream of making Poland the leader of a regional coalition. However, Beck was widely disliked and distrusted by other governments and they refused to cooperate with him. He was involved in territorial disputes with Lithuania and Czechoslovakia and pursued a policy of balance between Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. After Nazi Germany invaded Poland and threatened to take over Warsaw, he together with rest of the government evacuated to Romania.