Polish Army welcomed in Upper Silesia 95 yrs ago
A holy mass was held on Sunday in Katowice’s Christ the King Cathedral to mark 95 years since the Polish Army was welcomed in Upper Silesia (south Poland).
Polish Army welcomed in Upper Silesia 95 yrs ago
A holy mass was held on Sunday in Katowice’s Christ the King Cathedral to mark 95 years since the Polish Army was welcomed in Upper Silesia (south Poland).
In his homily, father Lukasz Gawel, the parson of the cathedral, called on the faithful to show love that is full of sacrifice and service. "If we want the community in which we live to grow harmoniously, let us turn to God", father Lukasz Gawel said.
On June 20th, 1922 the Polish Army, led by general Stanislaw Szeptycki, took over the part of the Upper Silesia that was given to Poland by the Conference of Ambassadors (see: NOTE 2), following a plebiscite and the 3rd Silesian Uprising (see: NOTE 1). The Polish forces were famously welcomed on the bridge in Szopienice.
The holy mass in the cathedral, attended, among others, by representatives of local authorities and associations, the presidents of the local towns, as well as the people of Katowice, is part of Sunday’s anniversary celebrations in Silesia.
These also include the laying of wreaths at the grave of one of the architects of the regaining of Silesia, Wojciech Korfanty, the opening of an exhibition of the Polish Army’s documents and photographs in the Museum of Silesian Uprisings in Swietochlowice, a reenactment of the welcoming of the Polish soldiers, a military parade, as well as a concert and singalong of songs devoted to the military, patriotism and the uprisings.
The celebrations have been organized by Silesia’s regional authorities, the local government of Swietochlowice and the Upper Silesian Union (ZG). "We are celebrating with respect for all the choices made by the Upper Silesians in those times, encouraging people for this to be a unifying remembrance, one that leads us towards a good future for the whole of Silesia”, chairman of the ZG said at the close of the holy mass.
Following Polish Army’s arrival, on 16th July 1922 the Upper Silesia was symbolically incorporated into Poland. The autonomous Silesian voivodship became an integral part of Poland, although until 1937 it was governed by laws guaranteed to the Polish and German populations by a Polish-German convention of 15th May 1922.
NOTE 1: The Silesian Uprisings were a series of three armed insurgencies against German rule launched by Polish people and Polish Silesians in Upper Silesia from 1919 to 1921. The objective was to incorporate the region into the Second Republic of Poland established after World War I.
In the years 1919-1921 Upper Silesia, which belonged to Germany before World War I, was contested by Germany and Poland. Polish national moods in the region mounted considerably after Poland re-won its independence in 1918, and were strongly fought down by its German administration and army. The conflict led to three Silesian Uprisings between 1919 and 1921.
The region's division between Poland and Germany was put to a plebiscite on March 20, 1921. It proved unfavourable to Poland, most of Silesia's population voting for its inclusion into Germany and only 40.3 percent for Poland. The Plebiscite Commission granted almost the whole area of Upper Silesia to Germany.
The high vote for Germany partly resulted from the fact that the plebiscite was open to all born in the region even if they lived elsewhere, which both countries took avail of to bring in their Silesian-born but since resettled nationals to the region for the vote. Germany ultimately drew 182,000 German emigres from Silesia, Poland only 10,000 Silesian-born Polish nationals.
However, after the Third Silesian Uprising the decision was more advantageous for Poland. 29 percent land and 46 percent population of the plebiscite area was returned to Poland.
Mandated by the Versailles Treaty, the Upper Silesia Plebiscite aimed to determine a part of the border between Weimar Germany and Poland in a region ethnically mixed with both Germans and Polish people. According to prewar statistics, Polish people accounted for 60 percent of the population. Under the region's pre-World War One rule by the German Empire the Polish people had faced discrimination and racism, being effectively banned to second class citizens. The plebiscite campaign and accompanying interallied occupation was marked by violence, effecting in two Polish uprisings and the presence in the region of German volunteer paramilitary units.
The area was policed by French, British, and Italian troops, and overseen by an Interallied Commission. The Allies planned to partition the region but a Polish uprising took control of over half the area. The Germans responded by bringing in volunteer paramilitary units which fought the Polish forces. After renewed Allied military intervention, the final positions of the opposing forces became the new border. The decision was conferred to the League of Nations, which confirmed the border, and Poland received roughly one third of the plebiscite zone, including most of the region's industry.
On June 20, 1922 the Polish Army under General Stanislaw Szeptycki took control over the part of Upper Silesia granted Poland by the Conference of Ambassadors (see: NOTE 2) and restored to its territory as a result of the 1921 plebiscite and the Third Silesian Uprising.
NOTE 2: The Conference of Ambassadors of the Principal Allied and Associated Powers was an international body founded by the Entente states after the end of World War I to mediate peace treaties and territorial disputes among the European countries. Established in January 1920 in Paris, it succeeded the Supreme War Council and subsequently became a governing body of the League of Nations. The Conference consisted of the Paris ambassadors of Great Britain, Italy, and Japan and the French minister of foreign affairs. (PAP)
