Between London and Warsaw

The timeline of this work extends beyond its initial setting, which begins in 1944. Following the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, France began to be liberated from occupation. This pivotal moment offered a fresh opportunity for both the Polish government-in-exile and the communists, who were gearing up to assume control in Poland, to redefine their strategies regarding the Polish diaspora residing along the Seine and Loire rivers.Symbolically, the narrative stretches until 1956, a critical year for Polish emigrants. The October 1956 breakthrough was not just a significant turning point in the political landscape of Poland but also marked a shift in policies concerning emigration. This period saw the authorities of the Polish People's Republic altering their approach towards the Polish community in France, even though the core strategy remained largely unaltered until 1989, the year marking the end of the state's existence.Additionally, this era saw the start of the so-called second repatriation in 1955, which aligns closely with the shift in emigration boundaries. The crisis in 1954, triggered by President August Zaleski's refusal and the effective questioning by key figures of the emigration of the Polish State in Exile's foundational myth of legalism, disrupted the potential for a coherent, organized policy by the emigration authorities concerning the Polish community in France.