There were 18 Warsaw deputies on the benches of the Legislative Sejm (1919–1922), 17 of them elected from the 16th electoral district (the city of Warsaw) and one elected in a by-election outside the capital. Their political careers were varied, as were the currents and political groups they represented, which they introduced into journalism and subsequently into parliamentary debate. It is therefore appropriate to present the parliamentary activity of the Warsaw deputies, which includes all forms of speech in the parliamentary forum: exposés, discussions on exposés, debates on draft laws, urgent and regular motions and interpellations. These findings are preceded by a brief discussion of the demographic and social characteristics of the group studied. During the sessions, the temperature of the political disputes became very high, which was also reflected in the extra-parliamentary behaviour of the deputies, mainly characterized by verbal aggression, which resulted in the imposition of sanctions by the Marshal of the Sejm. This issue also deserves attention. The final issue discussed in the article concerns the participation of deputies in the constitutional debate on press freedom.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.