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| As the Polish-Lithuanian talks in Paris brought little effect, on ], 1919, ] ] presented both delegations with the project of the so-called '']''. The ] run from the German border, south of ] (with ] on the Polish side), north of ] and then south of Lubowo. From there the line turned along the shores of ], east of ] and along the ] and ] rivers to ]<ref name="kaluski">{{pl icon}} {{cite journal | author =Marian Kałuski | year =2004 | month =August | title =85 rocznica przyłączenia Suwalszczyzny do Polski | journal =Wirtualna Polonia | volume = | issue =2004-08-31 | pages = | id = | url =http://www.wirtualnapolonia.com/teksty.asp?tekstID=7719 | format = | accessdate =2007-09-27 }}</ref>. This left the southern part of the conflict area, with both ] and Sejny in Polish hands, roughly reflecting the region's demographics.<ref name="manczuk"/> At the same time the northern part of the area with the towns of Kalwaria/] and Mariampol/], in the past a part of ], was awarded to Lithuanian in its entirety. |
As the Polish-Lithuanian talks in Paris brought little effect, on ], 1919, ] ] presented both delegations with the project of the so-called '']''. The ] run from the German border, south of ] (with ] on the Polish side), north of ] and then south of Lubowo. From there the line turned along the shores of ], east of ] and along the ] and ] rivers to ]<ref name="kaluski">{{pl icon}} {{cite journal | author =Marian Kałuski | year =2004 | month =August | title =85 rocznica przyłączenia Suwalszczyzny do Polski | journal =Wirtualna Polonia | volume = | issue =2004-08-31 | pages = | id = | url =http://www.wirtualnapolonia.com/teksty.asp?tekstID=7719 | format = | accessdate =2007-09-27 }}</ref>. This left the southern part of the conflict area, with both ] and Sejny in Polish hands, roughly reflecting the region's demographics.<ref name="manczuk"/> At the same time the northern part of the area with the towns of Kalwaria/] and Mariampol/], in the past a part of ], was awarded to Lithuanian in its entirety.<ref name="kaluski"/> | ||
| On July 26 the Foch Line was accepted by the Highest Council of the ] as the provisional border between two states.<ref name="manczuk"/> Under pressure from the ], which would later become the ], |
On July 26 the Foch Line was accepted by the Highest Council of the ] as the provisional border between two states.<ref name="manczuk"/> Under pressure from the ], which would later become the ], both countries initially backed down on the issue. However, Lithuanian military forces were allowed to enter the area even before the German army withdrew which led many local Poles to believe, that the intention of Lithuanians was to capture ], and convince the Entente to accept such '']''<ref name="buchowski"/>. Further, the Lithuanian forces in the disputed regions (about 1,200 strong) left Suwałki only August 7, but remained in Sejny, and formed a line on the ] river - ], in violation of the Foch Line.<ref name="kaluski"/> | ||
| On August 12, a Polish manifestation in Sejny attracted over 100 delegates from neighboring Polish communities, which passed a resolution that "only securing the area by Polish Army can solve the problem."<ref name="buchowski"/><ref name="manczuk"/> On 17 August, a Lithuanian copunter-demonstration was staged, whose participants in turn brandished a slogan: "Citizens! Our nation is in danger! To arms! We shall leave not a single occupant on our lands!"<ref name="buchowski"/> Governments of both countries were encouraging the conflict. ] ] visited Sejny and in his speech called Lithuanians to defend their lands "to the end, however they can, with axes, pitchforks and scythes".<ref name="buchowski"/> In turn, Polish government - particularly Polish Chief of State, ] - were supporting ] (]) which was working on a ] which would topplenot eager to cooperate with Poland government of Lithuania under Sleževičius and replace it with a more pro-Polish government, which would consider allying itself with Poland under Piłsudski's ] ] scheme.<ref name="manczuk"/> The coup was to be accompanied by a series of uprisings in the whole Lithuania scheduled on August 1919.<ref name=LKA1/> The Sejny branch of ] led by Adam Rudnicki and Wacław Zawadzki was preparing for the uprising since August 16 |
On August 12, a Polish manifestation in Sejny attracted over 100 delegates from neighboring Polish communities, which passed a resolution that "only securing the area by Polish Army can solve the problem."<ref name="buchowski"/><ref name="manczuk"/> On 17 August, a Lithuanian copunter-demonstration was staged, whose participants in turn brandished a slogan: "Citizens! Our nation is in danger! To arms! We shall leave not a single occupant on our lands!"<ref name="buchowski"/> Governments of both countries were encouraging the conflict. ] ] visited Sejny and in his speech called Lithuanians to defend their lands "to the end, however they can, with axes, pitchforks and scythes".<ref name="buchowski"/> In turn, Polish government - particularly Polish Chief of State, ] - were supporting ] (]) which was working on a ] which would topplenot eager to cooperate with Poland government of Lithuania under Sleževičius and replace it with a more pro-Polish government, which would consider allying itself with Poland under Piłsudski's ] ] scheme.<ref name="manczuk"/> The coup was to be accompanied by a series of uprisings in the whole Lithuania scheduled on August 1919.<ref name=LKA1/> The Sejny branch of ] led by Adam Rudnicki and Wacław Zawadzki was preparing for the uprising since August 16;<ref name="buchowski"/> POW irregular forces numbered about 1,000 POW members and local militia volunteers.<ref name="kaluski"/> | ||
| == The uprising == | == The uprising == | ||
Revision as of 21:06, 27 September 2007
Sejny Uprising (Template:Lang-pl) refers to a 1919 uprising by the Polish population in the area of the town of Sejny against Lithuanian authorities. It was the second Polish uprising (after the Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919) to end in a complete success for the Polish side.
Background
The lands around the town of Suwałki formed a Polish-German-Lithuanian borderland since the Middle Ages, and the borders in the area moved back and forth numerous times in the past. During the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth the town of Sejny itself, along with the rest of the Podlachian Voivodeship, was part of the Kingdom of Poland rather than the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. However, the owners of the town were the Dominican friars from Vilnius. In addition, the proximity of the borders as well as the trade routes through the forests of the area allowed the multi-cultural pattern of the town to be preserved until 20th century, with the majority of the population formed by Poles, Lithuanians, Jews and Tatars. In 19th century the town had been part of Russian-controlled Congress Poland.
During the World War I the region was captured by Imperial Germany, which intended to incorporate the area into its province of East Prussia. However, the German defeat in the war made those plans obsolete as it was clear that the victorious Entente powers would be willing to assign the territory to the newly-recreated states of Poland or Lithuania, rather than to defeated Germany..
This led to a conflict between Poland and Lithuania, as both sides claimed the area. The Germans, whose Ober-Ost administration of the former Suwałki Governorate was preparing to evacuate the area, initially supported the creation of Polish administration in the area. However, as reborn Poland was becoming an ally of France, with time their support started to gradually shift towards Lithuania. On May 8, 1919, the Germans passed over the administration of the town to locally elected Lithuanian authorities, and Lithuanian partisans troops were formed by Lithunian activists in the pre-war powiat of Sejny (Russian Empire). However, the diplomatic conflict over the future of the area was far from finished, as the main battleground were the halls of the Paris Peace Conference.
As the Polish-Lithuanian talks in Paris brought little effect, on July 18, 1919, Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch presented both delegations with the project of the so-called Foch Line. The demarcation line run from the German border, south of Lake Vištytis (with Wiżajny on the Polish side), north of Puńsk and then south of Lubowo. From there the line turned along the shores of Lake Galadusys, east of Bereźniki and along the Marycha and Igorka rivers to Neman. This left the southern part of the conflict area, with both Suwałki and Sejny in Polish hands, roughly reflecting the region's demographics. At the same time the northern part of the area with the towns of Kalwaria/Kalvarija and Mariampol/Marijampolė, in the past a part of Congress Poland, was awarded to Lithuanian in its entirety.
On July 26 the Foch Line was accepted by the Highest Council of the Entente as the provisional border between two states. Under pressure from the Conference of Ambassadors, which would later become the League of Nations, both countries initially backed down on the issue. However, Lithuanian military forces were allowed to enter the area even before the German army withdrew which led many local Poles to believe, that the intention of Lithuanians was to capture the entire region, called by them Suvalkija, and convince the Entente to accept such fait accompli. Further, the Lithuanian forces in the disputed regions (about 1,200 strong) left Suwałki only August 7, but remained in Sejny, and formed a line on the Czarna Hańcza river - Wigry Lake, in violation of the Foch Line.
On August 12, a Polish manifestation in Sejny attracted over 100 delegates from neighboring Polish communities, which passed a resolution that "only securing the area by Polish Army can solve the problem." On 17 August, a Lithuanian copunter-demonstration was staged, whose participants in turn brandished a slogan: "Citizens! Our nation is in danger! To arms! We shall leave not a single occupant on our lands!" Governments of both countries were encouraging the conflict. Prime Minister of Lithuania Mykolas Sleževičius visited Sejny and in his speech called Lithuanians to defend their lands "to the end, however they can, with axes, pitchforks and scythes". In turn, Polish government - particularly Polish Chief of State, Józef Piłsudski - were supporting Polish intelligence (Polish Military Organization) which was working on a coup d'etat which would topplenot eager to cooperate with Poland government of Lithuania under Sleževičius and replace it with a more pro-Polish government, which would consider allying itself with Poland under Piłsudski's Międzymorze federation scheme. The coup was to be accompanied by a series of uprisings in the whole Lithuania scheduled on August 1919. The Sejny branch of Polish Military Organization led by Adam Rudnicki and Wacław Zawadzki was preparing for the uprising since August 16; POW irregular forces numbered about 1,000 POW members and local militia volunteers.
The uprising
The uprising of Poles led by local PMO activists in Sejny begun on August 22, 1919. The date was chosen, because that day German troops have been withdrawn from the territory. After several days of fighting, the insurgents, aided by the Polish army, forced the outnumbered Lithuanians back. Lithuanians aided by Lithuanian army retook the city on August 26, liberated their POW and took back part of the documents and property, but were forced to retreat the same day.
The uprising ended with a Polish success and the town became a part of Poland. Polish casualties numbered about 37; the number of Lithuanian casualties remains unknown. Detachment of PMO from Suwałki had orders to capture Lithuanian territory up to the Simnas city, but it could not be fulfilled due Lithuanian resistance.
Aftermath
After Poles acquired town and it surroundings repressions towards Lithuanian population started and the Lithuanian population of the region was subject to various repressions, including Lithuanian language ban in public, Lithuanian organizations(with 1300 members), schools (with approx. 300 pupils) and press closure, confiscation of property and even burning of Lithuanian books.
The POM plot to overthrow the Lithuanian government was unsuccessful; it was scheduled for 28 August 1919, and delayed to the September. It was uncovered by the counter-intelligence and stopped by Lithuanian Army officers. First arrests started August 27 and continued until end of September. During the searches full list of POM supporters was found, and the organisation was eliminated completely., it was the only successful PMO action in regions disputed by Lithuania and Poland. The PMO members in Lithuania stated, that Sejny uprising has damaged their reputation, and many former supporters turned their backs to PMO recruiters. From the documents stolen in POW headquoters safe in Vilnius and given to Prime Minister of Lithuania Augustinas Voldemaras it is clear, that this plot was directed by Józef Piłsudski himself. Polish historian Piotr Łossowski notes that while the Lithuanian government had a very clear anti-Polish policy, the uprising was a direct act of Polish government aggression against Lithuania, and led to further deterioration of Polish-Lithuanian relations. It was act that discouraged Lithuanians from federation with Poland.
Only a year later, the town was captured by Bolshevist Russia during the course of the Polish-Bolshevik War. To ensure the right of passage through Lithuanian territory, on July 12, 1920 Russian authorities signed the a treaty between Moscow and Lithuania, which granted Lithuania the rights to the area. On July 19 the Lithuanians attacked the Polish defenders and recaptured the town. The Lithuanian authorities were once again established in the area. After the Battle of Warsaw in 1920, the Bolshevik forces were defeated, and the Polish Army again entered the area under Lithuanian control. Since the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 had established the Polish-Lithuanian border on an ethnic basis, roughly correspondent to the status quo ante bellum, the Lithuanian forces were forced to withdraw from the town, and on August 31, 1920 the town was again attached to Poland. However, the Lithuanian authorities continued to claim the area, and on September 2 a Lithuanian offensive initiated the Polish-Lithuanian War. As the town was located only some 2 kilometres from the Lithuanian border, it was easily captured by Lithuanian forces. However, the assault was repelled with heavy losses on the Lithuanian side, and the Polish Army recaptured the town on September 9. On September 10th, the last of the Lithuanian units retreated to the other side of the border, and on October 7 a cease fire agreement was signed, leaving Sejny on the Polish side of the border.
Notes and references
- In-line:
- ^ Template:Pl icon Marian Kałuski (2004). "85 rocznica przyłączenia Suwalszczyzny do Polski". Wirtualna Polonia (2004-08-31). Retrieved 2007-09-27.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Template:Pl icon Stanisław Buchowski. "Powstanie Sejneńskie 23-28 sierpnia 1919 roku (Sejny uprising of August 23-28, 1919)". www.g1.powiat.sejny.pl. Gimnazjum Nr. 1 w Sejnach. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- ^ Template:Pl icon Tadeusz Mańczuk (2001). "Z Orłem przeciw Pogoni. Powstanie sejneńskie 1919". Mówią Wieki. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
{{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - ^ Editors: dr. Gintautas Surgailis; habil. dr. prof. Algirdas Ažubalis; habil. dr. prof. Grzegosz Blaszyk; dr. doc. Pranas Jankauskas; dr. Eriks Jekabsons; habil. dr. prof. Waldemar Rezmer; et al. (2003). Karo archyvas XVIII. Vilnius: Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija. pp. pp.188-189. ISSN 1392-6489.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help);|pages=has extra text (help); Explicit use of et al. in:|author=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Lesčius, Vytautas (2004). Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918-1920. Vilnius: Vilnius University, Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija . pp. p.259-278. SBN 9955423234.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Check|sbn=value: length (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Paransevičius, Juozas Sigitas. " "Seinai – 1918-1920 metai" (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2007-09-27.
- Lesčius, Vytautas (2004). Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918-1920. Vilnius: Vilnius University, Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija. pp. p.278. ISBN 9955423234.
Represijos palietė daug asmenų –mokytojus, visuomenės veikėjus, mokinius. Net ir Seinių diecezijos vysk. A.Karosui buvo paskirtas namų areštas, o vėliau jis buvo priverstas pasitraukti į nepriklausomą Lietuvą. 1919 rugsėjo 2d. lenkų kariuomenės dalys ir policija apsupo Seinių kunigų seminariją, dauguma Lietuvių profesorių bei dėstytojų buvo įkalinti, kai kurie išvaryti į Lietuvą. Lenkai niokojo lietuviškas įstaigas, uždarinėjo lietuviškas organizacijas ir mokyklas, kaip antai „Žiburio" draugija (500 narių), „Pavasario" kuopą (215), Blaivybės draugiją (300), šv. Zitos draugiją (93), dailės draugija „Lyrą" (30), Lietuvių katalikių moterų sąjungą (20), „Artojo" kooperatyvą (120) – iš viso 9 draugijas, apimančias 1300 narių. Jie taip pat uždarė lietuvių berniukų ir mergaičių gimnazijas (223 mokiniai), pradžios mokyklą (75 vaikai), visas laikraščių redakcijas, spaustuvę, skaityklą, iš lietuvių vaikų prieglaudos atėmė turtą ir perdavė lenkiškai prieglaudai, uždraudė lietuviškai kalbėti gatvėse. 1919 rugsėjo mėn. sudegino lietuvių mokyklų ir bendrabučių knygynėlių knygas. Teroro banga palietė visas Seinių apskrities vietoves. (Translation: Repressions affected various persons – teachers, public persons, pupils. Seiniai diocese bishop A. Karosas was implemented house arrest, later he was forced to go into exile to independent Lithuania. In 1919-09-02 Polish army units and police surrounded Seiniai priest seminary, majority Lithuanian professors and academics were imprisoned, some expelled to Lithuania. Poles devastated Lithuanian institutions, closed organizations and schools, like "Žiburys" fellowship (with 500 members), "Pavasaris" cell (215), "Blaivybė" fellowship (300), St. Zita fellowship (93), art fellowship "Lyra" (30), Lithuanian women catholic union (20), "Artojas" cooperative (120) – overall 9 fellowships, whish had 1300 members. Poles also closed Lithuanian boys and girls gymnasiums (with 223 pupils), grammar-school (with 75 pupils), all newspapers offices, press, reading-room. Property of Lithuanian children shelter was confiscated and transferred to Polish one. It was prohibited to speak Lithuanian in public places also. In 1919 September Lithuanian books of school's and hostel bookshops' were burnt. Terror wave affected all Seiny surroundings. )
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)