Police services in Upper Silesia during the Silesian Uprisings (original) (raw)
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National History and Collective Memory Project Program for Younger Scholars – Ruhr University Bochum Seminar, 2018
My presentation paper for the seminar at the Ruhr University of Bochum which held on November 5 2018. Abstruct: In Upper Silesia of the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the preconditions for secessionism were fulfilled in the formation of the Catholic milieu, industrialization and an oligopoly of conglomerates, the new Catholic norm put forward by the Vatican, and the Polish national movement. The secession movement began in Fall of 1918, as soon as they obtained support from local industrialists and nobility. The brochure published by the Upper Silesian Committee is remarkable. Reginek insisted that Upper Silesian Catholics form a nation and demanded an Upper Silesian Free State on the basis of the right to self-determination. In the brochure, the logic to legitimizing and justifying the establishment of the nation-state was given. He justified his call for independence by connecting secessionism with Catholicism.
Interdyscyplinarna konferencja I Interdisciplinary conference JAPONIA – NIEMCY – POLSKA. BADANIA NAD POGRANICZAMI JAKO WYZWANIE BADAWCZE I SPOŁECZNE JAPAN – GERMANY – POLAND. BORDERLAND AND BORDERLAND STUDIES AS A RESEARCH AND SOCIAL CHALLENGE Gdańsk–Wdzydze, 28–30 VI 2024, 2024
During the initial half of the 20th century, Silesia, located within the border region between Germany and Eastern Europe, witnessed territorial disputes and nationalization policies orchestrated chiefly by neighboring countries such as Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. The inhabitants of Silesia endured several significant upheavals during this period. Since the Silesian War, Silesia had been under Prussian control, and following 1871, it also became part of the German Empire. Post-World War I, Silesia became a contentious territory between Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia. A plebiscite was conducted between Germany and Poland to ascertain ownership of the area under the Treaty of Versailles. The majority western part of the region remained within Germany, while the easternmost part was awarded to Poland. My conference presentation will concentrate on Silesia, positioned at the confluence of Germany and Poland. This presentation examines the separatist movement that arose in Silesia shortly after World War I. Originating in late November 1918, amidst the German Revolution, the movement was initiated by Ewald Latacz, a lawyer and a member of the Zentrum Party, and Tomasz Reginek, a Catholic clergyman. Initially designated as 'the Upper Silesian Committee,' the core organization later adopted the name 'the Union of Upper Silesia (Bund der Oberschlesier-Związek Gornoślązakow).' The latter was notably active in the post-war Silesian society. However, it was effectively disbanded around 1923 due to the irreversibly divided political landscape between Germany and Poland. Despite its brief existence spanning four years, the movement possessed intriguing characteristics warranting scholarly investigation. It was the pioneering group in Upper Silesia endeavoring to foster a collective 'Silesian' identity within a solid national consciousness. The local populace of Upper Silesia was regarded as a 'national group' and identified as 'the Silesians (Oberschlesier/Górnoślązacy).' Furthermore, the movement boasted considerable size, with its leaders asserting a membership between 400,000 and 500,000 individuals in 1921. Earlier studies suggest that the figure of 250,000 to 300,000 members may be exaggerated. The central queries of this presentation are following: Was Upper Silesia left with no alternative but to remain within the former German dominion or be annexed to the newly formed states of Poland or Czechoslovakia? Despite the constraints imposed by international politics, it is plausible that the local population acted in accordance with their own convictions and interests. In such a scenario, what were their assertions and endeavors?