Download Dr Jakub Basista

Session 8.
Poland In the European international politics In the Years 19181939.
Suggested Reading: Kieniewicz, Ch. XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, p. 543-604; Rothschild, East Central
Europe, Ch II, p. 26-72; Davies, God’s Playground, Ch. 19, p. 393-434; Biskupski, Ch. 6, p. 75-95;
Paczkowski, Introduction, p. 1-36.
League of Nations
Wilson proposed that:
A general federation of nations must be formed following international treaties to
grant full political and territorial sovereignty.
28 April 1919
Acceptance of the Covenant of the League of Nations at Versailles
28 June 1919
Signing of the Covenant (26 articles) by the founding states (32
founding states; three did not ratify – USA, Equator, Hidjaz; Poland, Czechoslovakia
among the founders; Yugoslavia in 1920) Covenant becomes an integral part of the
Versailles Treaty
16 January 1920 – LN begins activity in Paris
21 November 1920 – first meeting of the General Assembly
Poland and the League of Nations = problems, aspirations, expectations
League of Nations was dissolved 18 April 1946
Post war bilateral and multilateral treaties aiming at securing peace and/or holding
potential enemies in check – including Polish treaties.
1920/21
The Little Entente (formed against Hungary): August 1920 –Czechoslovakia-Yugoslavia;
April 1921 – Czechoslovakia-Romania; June 1921 – Romania-Yugoslavia: lasts till 1938.
1921
19 February – French-Polish alliance
3 March – Polish-Romanian alliance.
18 March – Treaty of Riga between Poland-Soviet Russia; Latvia – Soviet Rusia
1922
10 April-19 May Genoa Economic Conference: among others the Russian reparations
were to be discussed – Giorgiy Cziczerin represented Soviet Russia.
16 April – Treaty of Rapallo signed between Germany and Soviet Russia
The Baltic Entente (against Russia)
5 June – Russian – Czechoslovak agreement of recognition and economic cooperation.
December – forming of USSR
1923
January
French occupation of the Ruhr
1924
Soviet Union recognized by GB, Italy, Austria, Greece, Norway, Denmark, Sweden,
France.
25 January – French-Czechoslovak alliance
2 October – LN “Geneva protocol” about the peaceful solving of international conflicts
(not ratified by GB)
1925
October – Conference in Locarno
1. The Treaty of Mutual Guarantee (also Rhine and Western Treaty) between
France, Britain, Italy, Belgium and Germany; Germany guaranteed the
inviolability of western border
2. The Treaty of Arbitration between Germany and Belgium
3. The Treaty of Arbitration between Germany and France
4. The Treaty of Arbitration between Germany and Poland
5. The Treaty of Arbitration between Germany and Czechoslovakia
1926
French-Romanian alliance
The Russo-German Pact of Friendship (non-aggression) – Berlin Treaty
1927
Crisis over accepting Germany into LN
1928
August 27 – Briand-Kellog Pact (exclude war as means of solving int. Problems: initially
signed by15 states: by 1939 63 states joined the initiative)
1929/30 Armies in Europe (in thousands)
Austria 30; Belgium 63; Bulgaria 20; Czechoslovakia 127; Finland 28; France 544;
Germany 100; Great Britain 203; Greece 67; Hungary 35; Italy 251; Poland 255;
Portugal 50; Romania 152; Spain 113; Sweden 20; Yugoslavia 109.
1931
18 September – Japanese aggression on Manchuria
1932
2 February – Geneva Conference on disarmament
25 July – Russo-Polish Non-Aggression Pact
29 November – Treaty of Arbitration + Non-Aggression Pact between USSR & France
Germany leaves LN
Berlin gets a promise to have right to equal armament as other states
1933
Wiemar Germany comes to an end:
 Economic problems
 Parliamentary chaos
 Radicalization of opinion – revisionism against Versailles
Role of NSDAP (National Socialists) threat due to anti-Semitism, brutality, dictatorship,
totalitarianism
30 January – Hitler becomes chancellor
Mein Kampf and Hitler’s program – expansion eastward; question of Austria
24 February – LN condemns Japanese invasion of Manchuria
February – Hitler attacks Poland’s access to the sea in a press interview
March – Mussolini proposes (under British inspiration) to form the “Four Pact” (GB,
F, G, I) – fails due to Poland’s and Little Entente’s protests; on 15 July a “fraction” of the
pact is signed that the four will cooperate within League of Nations (no talk of revision of
Versailles; enforcing peace or colonial issues).
16 March – formal signing of Little Entente treaty in Geneva
27 March – Japan leaves LN
13 April – Ratification of German – USSR cooperation agreement
17 May – Hitler’s first speech touching international issues – revision of Versailles;
peace, not war
26 May – Hitler states that he will not leave Austrians alone
November – Germany leaves the League of Nations and the disarmament conference in
Geneva
December – East Pact –plans and preliminary talks to form East Pact with USSR
1934
26 January – Polish-German non-aggression pact signed (very negative reaction in
Paris, Prague, Bucharest)
5 May – extension of Polish – USSR non-aggression pact (till end Dec. 1945)
12 September – Baltic Entente signed by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
18 September – USSR joins LN
1935
January – French-Italian agreement in Rome touches CE and German problems
January– Plebiscite in Saar region returns it to Germany
March – Goering announces that Germany has air-force; Germany announces mandatory
military service (500 thousand army)
14 April – On Mussolini’s invitation GB, F, I condemn Germany in Stresa (no further
consequences)
2 May – mutual help treaty between France and USSR
16 May– Czechoslovak – USSR pact
1936
7 March – Militarization of the Rhineland end of Locarno
1 November – Mussolini announces the forming of Rome-Berlin axis
25 November – signing of “anti-Komintern” pact in Berlin