the Polish Army. Prime Minister of Poland After Piłsudski’s death, the camp of his followers divided into factions, including the supporters of President Ignacy Mościcki, and those who favoured Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły. In the spring of 1936, both groups agreed on a compromise and created the government of Prime Minister Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski (15 May 1936). On 4 June 1936, Składkowski gave a speech in parliament, in which he stated that he was nominated to his post by both the president and the marshal. Among the members of his government were politicians of different factions, such as Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski and Minister of Foreign Affairs Józef Beck. Składkowski himself tried to stay away from any political conflicts, and concentrated his efforts on improving the state administration, especially police force and civil services. He frequently toured Poland, visiting schools, police stations, manufacturing plants and farm estates. As Prime Minister, Składkowski gave in to the rising tide of antisemitism, calling in June 1936 for "economic struggle" against the Polish Jews. Składkowski opposed anti-Jewish violence but was not diligent in combating it. Commenting at one occasion on the “unpleasant events” (presumably, the numerous cases of physical violence against Jews), he claimed that Jews themselves were to blame because of their lack of understanding of Polish peasantry, which, just as the Jews themselves, was striving for a higher standard of living. Under his government, Polish Jews were increasingly isolated from society, impoverished and demonized. Polish officials pursued the idea of Jewish emigration at the League of Nations and in bilateral talks with France and other relevant powers. On 12 January 1939, in replying to the Jewish Deputy Leib Minzberg, who had protested against spreading anti-Semitism in Poland, Składkowski said that the Polish government was determined to solve the Jewish problem “without violence and chicanery”: “The Jewish question must be settled not by force, but by Government collaboration with Jewish emigration associations”. Skladkowski denied that the "Jewish position in Poland" was bad and claimed that to be "inconsistent with the desire of the Jews to make a pilgrimage to Poland as to a Mecca", which he declared to be inadmissible. He was apparently referring to the desire of Polish Jews facing expulsion from Germany and Italy to be repatriated, which Składkowski's government blocked by denying Polish citizenship to Jews living abroad. On 1 September 1939 at 4:30 a.m., Składkowski, who spent the night in the complex of