The decision to retire after serving two terms was a major precedent indeed, but perhaps an even more significant one was that he insisted he not be called "Your Excellency", which made the presidency far different than a monarchy.
The guarantees given to Poland by Britain and France marked the end of the policy of appeasement. Instituted in the hope of avoiding war, appeasement was the name given to Britain's policy in the 1930s of allowing Hitler to expand German territory unchecked.
