Comment: At a Paris peace conference summoned after the First World War a matter of Polish west border was also decided. A task of its demarcation was assigned to Committee of Polish Matters which presented Germans with a project of incorporation of Gdansk and a part of Warmia and Masuria to Poland. Since Germans were opposed to the project it was given up. Future of contentious lands was going to be decided in plebiscites.

On the 11th of February 1920 in Opole the International Governing and Plebiscite Committee began its work. Germans withdrew their troops from Upper Silesia, leaving also lower cells of administration and the police. In Katowice German Plebiscite Commissary and in Bytom Polish Plebiscite Commissary were established. Organizations became active creating a net of offices. A time of intense propaganda activity was begun. After the Second Silesian Uprising the Polish-German police was called into being. In autumn the campaign came into its decisive stage. On the 30th of December rules of the plebiscite were announced. A right to vote was granted to everybody who turned 20, had been born or had lived in the plebiscite area. A result was mass migration. On the 20th of March 1921 the plebiscite was held. Its results were unfavorable for Poland. Only counties of Rybnik, Pszczyna and part of counties of Katowice and Tarnobrzeg were to be united with Poland. It led to an outbreak of the Third Silesian Uprising. League of Nations Council was forced to pass a resolution on division of the contentious area. Poland was granted 29% of it: counties of Rybnik, Pszczyna, Katowice, Lubliniec, Tarnowskie Gory and Swietochlowice. An agreement was signed on the 15th of May 1922.

In Warmia, Masuria and Powisle there was also a plebiscite, supervised by two committees - in Olsztyn and Kwidzyn. Before voting German terror intesified in the area but, unlike in Silesia, there was no such a strong support from Poland. The plebiscite was held on the 11th of July 1920 and ended with Poland's defeat. On the 12th of August the Conference Of Ambassadors recognized previous border of East Prussia. Poland got only little scraps of land.

Conflict with newly emerged Czechoslovakia about Spisz, Orawa and Cieszyn Silesia, despite initial decision to organize a plebiscite, was to be decided to by the Entente's states. At a Spa conference, on the 28th of July 1920, a division of the territory was made, in result of which both countries were granted similar parts of the land. (Agnieszka Janik)

External description: Original, in Polish, 6 paper sheets size: 2MK, 5MK, 10MK - 75 x 111 mm; 25MK, 50MK, 100MK - 112 x 150 mm.

Location: State Archive in Lodz, Plebiscite Committee of Lodz District, cat. no. 77, s. 78-79.