# Narutowicz elected President (1922)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1922-narutowicz-elected-president
Location: Warsaw

The National Assembly elected Gabriel Narutowicz, an engineer and professor, as the first President of Poland with votes of the left and national minorities. The right organised violent protests. Within the broader Second Republic period: The Second Polish Republic built a state from three former partitions, weathered political crises and the May Coup, and developed its economy and culture before being threatened by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. At this point in the timeline (9 December 1922), the governing authority was Józef Piłsudski (Chief of State). Architect of independence and Chief of State; after the 1926 coup he remained Poland's dominant figure until his death in 1935. Narutowicz elected President mattered because it altered the structure of power and the direction of Polish statehood. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Narutowicz elected President mattered because it altered the structure of power and the direction of Polish statehood.

Ruler at the time: [Stanisław Wojciechowski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/stanislaw-wojciechowski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Gabriel Narutowicz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Narutowicz)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Narutowicz elected President](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Narutowicz+elected+President)
- [Wikipedia — Second Polish Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic)