325:
Socialism or
Polonism My latest idea, which I have not yet fully developed, is to create in all parties, and most of all our own, an organization of physical force, of brute force. I have already done much towards its fulfillment but not enough to rest on my laurels. So now I am staking everything on this last card I may die in this 'expropriation' and I want to explain Money may the devil take it! I prefer to win it in a fight than to beg for it from the Polish public which has become infantile through being chicken-hearted. I haven't got money and I must have it for the ends I pursue.
24:
324:
I am not going to dictate to you what you shall write about my life and work. I only ask of you not to make me a 'whiner and sentimentalist.' I fight and I am ready to die simply because I cannot bear to live in this latrine which is what our life amounts to Let others play at throwing bouquets to
432:
charge which opened the mail car and destroyed the iron boxes within. After the Poles took control of the station and the train, they put the money in bags and escaped. Piłsudski went with the group that carried the heaviest bags and escaped through the nearby river.
415:
at
Bezdany, in the presence of several guards unaware of their intent. When the train stopped at the station, the revolutionaries sprang into action, dividing into two groups: one assaulted the train, the other took control of the train station offices, cutting the
486:
The exact amount looted varies from source to source, usually from 200,000 to 300,000 rubles. Urbankowski in his biography of Piłsudski gives the number of 200,812 roubles. Whatever their differences, all sources agree that it was an extremely large
428:; at least two were thrown into the carriage with the escort by Gibalski and Balaga. One Russian soldier was killed and five were wounded in the short firefight before the rest surrendered. Piłsudski with others prepared the final
411:
group had known about the train for weeks and took that time to familiarize themselves with the area. On 26 September, six of them were on the train as passengers, the rest assembled at the little
913:
453:
system in
Vilnius. Piłsudski used those funds to aid his secret military organization. The raid become known in Eastern Europe as one of the most daring and successful train robberies.
445:(under the gold standard, equivalent to approximately 5,000 ounces of gold, worth $ 100,000 in 1908 or 8 million dollars at the price of gold in 2012), a fortune in contemporary
361:
Piłsudski personally led the raid; it was the only one he personally took part in, the rule of the bojowka being that each member must take part in at least one armed attack.
247:
102:
309:
were certainly not above robbing
Russian authorities to obtain funds for their operations, and by 1908 Piłsudski and his organization were desperately short on cash.
893:
339:
908:
469:
Note that some sources give April as the date of the raid. The
September date seems to be more popular and better referenced (Zamoyski,
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In 1906 Piłsudski, with the knowledge and support of the
Austrian authorities, founded a military school in
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389:
294:
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The group that took part in the robbery numbered 20 people – 16 men and 4 women Among the members of the
251:
159:
514:
A History of Modern Poland, from the
Foundation of the State in the First World War to the Present Day
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carried out on the night of 26/27 September 1908 in the vicinity of
Bezdany (since 1946
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as the worst of Poland's occupiers. Therefore, he decided to temporarily support the
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in the late 18th century could restore Poland as a country; he also viewed the
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297:(or, specifically, its Revolutionary Fraction). In 1906 alone, the 750-strong
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473:, Malinowski). The April date probably refers to some other train robbery by
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Piłsudski expressed his thoughts about this violent action in a
596:] (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo ALFA. pp. 133–141.
368:
who took part in that action was his lover and future wife,
449:. The money was supposed to cover the costs of building a
865:(in Polish) (1241). 24 September 2006. Archived from
770:(Wyd. 1 ed.). Warszawa: ALFA. pp. 121–122.
388:, and other notable politicians and activists of the
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204:
192:
108:
98:
88:
78:
64:
45:
33:
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305:, killed or wounded some 1,000 Russian officials.
914:Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party
841:] (in Polish). Warszawa: Gł. Księg. Wojskowa.
338:assaulted a Russian mail train travelling on the
248:Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party
103:Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party
737:[Action at Bezdany, 26 September 1908].
262:Piłsudski expected that only a conflict between
668:"the memoires of wife of Piłsudski, Aleksandra"
537:
535:
533:
580:
578:
576:
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8:
301:, operating in five-man units in the former
16:
615:
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522:) by J.R. Foster. Alfred A. Knopf. p.
520:Geschichte der polnischen Nation, 1916–1960
320:that he wrote to a friend before the raid:
767:Józef Piłsudski : marzyciel i strateg
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654:
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646:
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441:The loot from that raid was about 200,000
22:
15:
735:"Akcja bojowa pod Bezdanami, 26 IX 1908"
684:. Possibly translated into English as:
626:Stalin: A Critical Survey of Bolshevism
594:Józef Piłsudski: Dreamer and Strategist
499:
462:
835:Akcja bojowa pod Bezdanami, 26 IX 1908
293:(Combat Teams), a military arm of the
726:
724:
722:
720:
718:
7:
839:Action at Bezdany, 26 September 1908
689:. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co. 1941.
590:Józef Piłsudski: marzyciel i strateg
806:. R. Paknio leidykla. p. 250.
859:"Rewolwerowcy komendanta Tygodnik"
851:Pilsudski: A Biography by His Wife
687:Pilsudski: A Biography by His Wife
346:(Vilnius). The train was carrying
14:
264:the powers who partitioned Poland
894:History of Lithuania (1795–1918)
553:. London: John Murray. p.
340:Saint Petersburg–Warsaw railway
49:September 26–27, 1908
853:. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co.
518:. Translated from the German (
1:
424:wires. The Poles had several
764:Urbankowski, Bohdan (1997).
629:. translated by C.L.R. James
831:Pobóg-Malinowski, Władysław
670:(in Polish). Archived from
935:
909:1908 in the Russian Empire
37:
21:
392:era, like PSP activists
147:Cezaryna Kozakiewiczówna
28:Site of the Bezdany raid
334:In September 1908, the
181:Aleksandra Szczerbińska
156:Włodzimierz Momentowicz
701:"Aleksandra Piłsudska"
390:Second Polish Republic
374:Polish Prime Ministers
295:Polish Socialist Party
884:1908 crimes in Europe
869:on 30 September 2007.
847:Piłsudska, Aleksandra
150:Aleksander Lutze-Birk
732:Pobóg-Malinowski, W.
674:on 30 September 2007
289:for the training of
141:Włodzimierz Hellmann
586:Urbankowski, Bohdan
372:, and three future
153:Kazimierz Młynarski
123:Bertold Brajtenbach
39:Akcja pod Bezdanami
18:
382:Aleksander Prystor
378:Tomasz Arciszewski
246:by a group of the
216:5 Russian soldiers
213:Non-fatal injuries
165:Aleksander Prystor
138:Aleksandra Hellman
126:Aleksander Damasty
116:Tomasz Arciszewski
904:1908 in Lithuania
396:(or Franciszek),
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208:1 Russian soldier
169:Janina Prystorowa
73:Vilna Governorate
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34:Native name
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303:Congress Poland
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252:Józef Piłsudski
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185:Czesław Świrski
160:Józef Piłsudski
132:Edward Gibalski
129:Jan Fijałkowski
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443:Russian rubles
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356:St. Petersburg
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272:Central Powers
268:Russian Empire
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240:Russian Empire
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413:train station
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398:Jerzy Sawicki
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386:Walery Sławek
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83:Train robbery
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25:
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867:the original
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766:
759:
747:. Retrieved
742:
739:Nasza Gazeta
738:
705:. Retrieved
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676:. Retrieved
672:the original
631:. Retrieved
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348:tax revenues
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224:Bezdany raid
223:
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109:Participants
99:Organised by
38:
17:Bezdany raid
703:(in Polish)
330:The robbery
878:Categories
508:Roos, Hans
495:References
370:Aleksandra
258:Background
244:mail train
120:Jan Balaga
57:1908-09-27
53:1908-09-26
471:Souvarine
437:Aftermath
422:telegraph
418:telephone
314:last will
196:Theft of
93:Extortion
849:(1941).
833:(1933).
802:(2006).
786:37933180
588:(1997).
545:(1987).
510:(1966).
430:dynamite
318:obituary
232:Bezdonys
65:Location
55: –
623:. "4".
487:amount.
475:Bojówki
409:Bojówki
366:Bojówki
336:Bojówki
307:Bojówki
299:Bojówki
291:Bojówki
250:led by
236:Vilnius
234:) near
200:200,000
193:Outcome
69:Bezdany
51: (
863:Wprost
810:
784:
774:
749:30 May
707:30 May
678:30 May
633:30 May
600:
561:
400:, and
352:Warsaw
287:Kraków
226:was a
205:Deaths
89:Motive
837:[
745:(446)
592:[
457:Notes
426:bombs
350:from
344:Vilna
342:near
274:(the
238:on a
808:ISBN
782:OCLC
772:ISBN
751:2006
709:2006
680:2006
635:2006
598:ISBN
559:ISBN
451:tram
420:and
407:The
384:and
278:and
222:The
79:Type
46:Date
555:332
354:to
316:or
282:).
880::
861:.
780:.
743:10
717:^
643:^
612:^
573:^
557:.
532:^
524:14
404:.
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358:.
254:.
71:,
816:.
788:.
753:.
711:.
682:.
637:.
606:.
567:.
526:.
477:.
198:₽
59:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
