Soviet-Polish territorial confrontation
For many centuries, relations between Russia and Poland have been tense, and there are many reasons for this.
One of the most important reasons for mutual discontent has always lay in the mainstream of territorial claims to each other. These claims were particularly aggravated in the twentieth century, when a country that followed a socialist path of development, ideally nurturing the building of a communist society on the whole Earth, first of all turned its eyes to its neighboring neighbors, including Poland.
After World War I, the British foreign minister, Lord Curzon, proposed the USSR a variant of the Soviet-Polish border along the Grodno-Brest-Litovsk line to the Carpathians. Initially rejecting this option in the hope of intensifying revolutionary sentiment in Eastern Europe — after the defeat from the Polish forces and a significant retreat in the Belarusian and Ukrainian territories — the Bolshevik leadership was forced to conclude the Riga Treaty in 1921. According to him, the Soviet-Polish border passed far east of the so-called Curzon Line, with a return to Poland of large Belarusian and Ukrainian territories.
This state of affairs persisted until September 17, 1939, until the Red Army units acted on the territory of Poland (in accordance with the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on non-aggression, signed between the USSR and Germany).
It is well known that in addition to the non-aggression agreement between the secret protocol was signed. According to him, the Polish and Baltic territories, which were within the scope of interests of the USSR and Germany, were divided. At the same time, Lithuania received at that time Polish Vilnius, while the border of the Polish interests lay along the Vistula, Narev and San rivers.
Despite the fact that the non-aggression pact, signed by Molotov and Ribbentrop, was published almost immediately, information about the additional protocol was kept in a strict secret, which both Soviet and German diplomats kept for many years.
Already 1 September 1939, the German troops began the occupation of Western Poland. The Soviet army entered the Polish state on September 17, and on September 28 signed an agreement on friendship and border. The Baltic countries, Northern Bukovina and parts of Finland became territorial acquisitions (besides Poland) for the USSR.
Only after the start of the war with Germany, Stalin, realizing that he risks losing the Polish territories, goes towards the Polish government in exile (after the German occupation of Poland, the government of the Polish Republic was based in England, controlling the underground army units of the Craiova Army). The agreement on the restoration of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Poland, better known as the Maysky-Sikorsky agreement, was signed on July 30 of the year 1941. According to him, units of the Polish army were formed on Soviet territory with the Polish command, but subordinated to the Soviet High Command. The USSR also pledged to grant an amnesty to all Polish prisoners of war and Polish citizens detained in places of detention.
Soon after the signing of the treaty, the formation of the Polish army commanded by General Anders began in the USSR. A special decree from 25 December 1941 of the Year “On the Polish Army in the USSR” proposed to form in the territory of Central Asia six divisions of 96 thousand men. From the very beginning, the creation of Anders’s Polish Army was proceeding with difficulty: problems with uniforms, food supplies, transport supplies and weapons, the allocation of premises for the deployment of military units hampered the formation of divisions. In addition, strong anti-Soviet sentiments prevailed in the new Polish units. As a result, the idea emerged of transferring Polish divisions to the Middle East (Iran) and after long and persistent negotiations between Sikorsky, Anders, Stalin and Churchill, this idea came to life. Of the remaining Polish armed forces in the USSR, the First Polish Infantry Division named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko was formed.
A radical change in military operations, the offensive of the Soviet troops shows Stalin that victory in the war over Nazi Germany is not far off, and it would be necessary to somehow solve the issue of the post-war structure of Poland.
At the Tehran Conference 1943, the issue of Polish borders was begun not by JV Stalin, but by Churchill. He proposed the eastern border for Poland within the closest Curzon line, while in the west it was the Oder line (that is, to include the Upper Silesia and Gdansk with part of East Prussia in the Polish state. Roosevelt supported this option, and he arranged for Stalin ( except that the Bialystok region, previously included in the USSR).
Of course, these options for dividing Poland did not suit the Polish government in exile, however, Stalin did not take him seriously, realizing that after the end of the war it would have no influence.
In preparation for the post-war European restructuring, Stalin is in talks with the Polish Committee of National Liberation, which was formed in July 1944. The talks concerned in particular the settlement of the Soviet-Polish border, and 27 of July of that year signed an agreement on a new border, according to which it passed along the Curzon line with minor concessions in favor of Poland (in the Belarusian sector).
By the time the Yalta conference of 1945 began, Poland was fully under the influence of the USSR through the controlled Polish Provisional Government of National Unity. The outlines of Poland after the Second World War changed in accordance with previously designated agreements with the Allies and Poland itself: the eastern side of the border with the USSR passed along the classical Curzon line, with small deviations (up to 8 kilometers) in favor of the Polish state. Poland was given Belostok region. Eastern territorial losses for Poland were compensated by Western acquisitions, in particular, a strategically important region of Silesia passed under Polish jurisdiction (and the question of this territory is still the basis for rather tense disputes).
The Yalta agreements were secured on 16 on August 1945 by the Treaty on the Finalization of the Soviet-Polish Border. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the same border became the official border between Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.
One of the most important reasons for mutual discontent has always lay in the mainstream of territorial claims to each other. These claims were particularly aggravated in the twentieth century, when a country that followed a socialist path of development, ideally nurturing the building of a communist society on the whole Earth, first of all turned its eyes to its neighboring neighbors, including Poland.
After World War I, the British foreign minister, Lord Curzon, proposed the USSR a variant of the Soviet-Polish border along the Grodno-Brest-Litovsk line to the Carpathians. Initially rejecting this option in the hope of intensifying revolutionary sentiment in Eastern Europe — after the defeat from the Polish forces and a significant retreat in the Belarusian and Ukrainian territories — the Bolshevik leadership was forced to conclude the Riga Treaty in 1921. According to him, the Soviet-Polish border passed far east of the so-called Curzon Line, with a return to Poland of large Belarusian and Ukrainian territories.
This state of affairs persisted until September 17, 1939, until the Red Army units acted on the territory of Poland (in accordance with the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on non-aggression, signed between the USSR and Germany).
It is well known that in addition to the non-aggression agreement between the secret protocol was signed. According to him, the Polish and Baltic territories, which were within the scope of interests of the USSR and Germany, were divided. At the same time, Lithuania received at that time Polish Vilnius, while the border of the Polish interests lay along the Vistula, Narev and San rivers.
Despite the fact that the non-aggression pact, signed by Molotov and Ribbentrop, was published almost immediately, information about the additional protocol was kept in a strict secret, which both Soviet and German diplomats kept for many years.
Already 1 September 1939, the German troops began the occupation of Western Poland. The Soviet army entered the Polish state on September 17, and on September 28 signed an agreement on friendship and border. The Baltic countries, Northern Bukovina and parts of Finland became territorial acquisitions (besides Poland) for the USSR.
Only after the start of the war with Germany, Stalin, realizing that he risks losing the Polish territories, goes towards the Polish government in exile (after the German occupation of Poland, the government of the Polish Republic was based in England, controlling the underground army units of the Craiova Army). The agreement on the restoration of diplomatic relations between the USSR and Poland, better known as the Maysky-Sikorsky agreement, was signed on July 30 of the year 1941. According to him, units of the Polish army were formed on Soviet territory with the Polish command, but subordinated to the Soviet High Command. The USSR also pledged to grant an amnesty to all Polish prisoners of war and Polish citizens detained in places of detention.
Soon after the signing of the treaty, the formation of the Polish army commanded by General Anders began in the USSR. A special decree from 25 December 1941 of the Year “On the Polish Army in the USSR” proposed to form in the territory of Central Asia six divisions of 96 thousand men. From the very beginning, the creation of Anders’s Polish Army was proceeding with difficulty: problems with uniforms, food supplies, transport supplies and weapons, the allocation of premises for the deployment of military units hampered the formation of divisions. In addition, strong anti-Soviet sentiments prevailed in the new Polish units. As a result, the idea emerged of transferring Polish divisions to the Middle East (Iran) and after long and persistent negotiations between Sikorsky, Anders, Stalin and Churchill, this idea came to life. Of the remaining Polish armed forces in the USSR, the First Polish Infantry Division named after Tadeusz Kosciuszko was formed.
A radical change in military operations, the offensive of the Soviet troops shows Stalin that victory in the war over Nazi Germany is not far off, and it would be necessary to somehow solve the issue of the post-war structure of Poland.
At the Tehran Conference 1943, the issue of Polish borders was begun not by JV Stalin, but by Churchill. He proposed the eastern border for Poland within the closest Curzon line, while in the west it was the Oder line (that is, to include the Upper Silesia and Gdansk with part of East Prussia in the Polish state. Roosevelt supported this option, and he arranged for Stalin ( except that the Bialystok region, previously included in the USSR).
Of course, these options for dividing Poland did not suit the Polish government in exile, however, Stalin did not take him seriously, realizing that after the end of the war it would have no influence.
In preparation for the post-war European restructuring, Stalin is in talks with the Polish Committee of National Liberation, which was formed in July 1944. The talks concerned in particular the settlement of the Soviet-Polish border, and 27 of July of that year signed an agreement on a new border, according to which it passed along the Curzon line with minor concessions in favor of Poland (in the Belarusian sector).
By the time the Yalta conference of 1945 began, Poland was fully under the influence of the USSR through the controlled Polish Provisional Government of National Unity. The outlines of Poland after the Second World War changed in accordance with previously designated agreements with the Allies and Poland itself: the eastern side of the border with the USSR passed along the classical Curzon line, with small deviations (up to 8 kilometers) in favor of the Polish state. Poland was given Belostok region. Eastern territorial losses for Poland were compensated by Western acquisitions, in particular, a strategically important region of Silesia passed under Polish jurisdiction (and the question of this territory is still the basis for rather tense disputes).
The Yalta agreements were secured on 16 on August 1945 by the Treaty on the Finalization of the Soviet-Polish Border. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the same border became the official border between Ukraine, Belarus and Poland.
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