Kresy Zachodnie
Encyclopedia : K : KR : KRE : Kresy Zachodnie
| This article is part of the series: Territorial changes of Poland in 20th century History of Poland |
|---|
| Lines |
| Curzon line |
| Oder-Neisse line |
| Areas |
| Kresy Wschodnie |
| Kresy Zachodnie |
| Recovered Territories |
| Historical Eastern Germany |
| Zaolzie |
| See also |
| History of Poland |
Kresy Zachodnie - (Polish: Western Borderlines) - term used by Poles, mostly in historical context, to refer to western parts of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, that after Partitions of Poland were annexed by Prussia. This name refers to Eastern Pommerania, Greater Poland and Warmia (sometimes also Upper Silesia).
This term, a copy of Kresy Wschodnie, was first used by Jan Zachariasiewicz in his novel Na kresach published in 1860, but it did not enter common usage.
The 19th century history of this land was quite different from the rest of the former Commonwealth. There were uprisings like those in 1806, 1846 and 1848 but the main battle between the Polish majority and large German minority was for economic domination in these provinces.
After World War I most of this area became part of the Second Polish Republic as a result of uprisings (Greater Poland Uprising, Silesian Uprisings) and decisions by the victorious Allies.
During the interwar period interbellum most inhabitants of this area supported the politics of Narodowa Demokracja. Józef Piłsudski was treated with considerable reserve or with open enmity. This was due to his collaboration with the Central Powers in World War I, and a perception that during the years when independent Poland was being recreated Piłsudski was more interested in fighting for the eastern borderlands Kresy Wschodnie became part of the new state than in fighting for the western provinces.
After 1945 the name Kresy Zachodnie was also used for the Recovered Territories, which were resettled in large part by Poles from Kresy Wschodnie.
See also
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