Greater Poland uprising (1918–1919)
Polish insurrection against German rule in Greater Poland.
The Greater Poland uprising of 1918–1919, sometimes called the Wielkopolska uprising or the Poznań War, was a Polish military revolt in the region of Greater Poland against German control. The insurrection directly influenced the Treaty of Versailles, which awarded the territory the Polish fighters had captured to the newly reestablished Second Polish Republic. This area had been part of the Kingdom of Poland and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth until the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, when Prussia annexed it. It also briefly belonged to the Duchy of Warsaw, a French client state created after the 1806 Greater Poland uprising, from 1807 to 1815.
After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Poland vanished as an independent country. From then until World War I, several failed uprisings sought to restore independence. The 1806 uprising led to the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw, which was later split again between Prussia and Russia. Under German rule, Poles endured systematic discrimination and oppression, including Germanisation policies and land seizures meant to settle German colonists. At the end of World War I, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and the principle of national self-determination faced resistance from European powers, like Germany, that stood to lose territory. German leaders had signed an armistice on 11 November 1918, ending the fighting. Germany had also signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Bolshevik Russia, which set eastern borders and acknowledged a future Polish state. Until the Treaty of Versailles was fully ratified in January 1920, many territorial and sovereignty questions remained open. Wilson’s proposal for an independent Poland did not initially define universally accepted borders. Most of the Polish lands annexed by Prussia in the late 18th century were still part of Germany at the war’s end, while the rest of the former Kingdom of Poland lay in Austria-Hungary. The German portion included Greater Poland, whose capital and major industrial city was Poznań (Posen). Over 60 percent of the population was Polish and hoped to join the new Polish state.
Throughout November 1918, the Polish army tried to recruit Poles from the region. It also held talks with Poznań to coordinate relations between the city and Warsaw and to plan an armed uprising.
Quick Facts
- Conflict
- Greater Poland uprising
- Part Of
- the aftermath of World War I and Revolutions of 1917–1923
- Location
- Greater Poland region
- Result
- Polish victory
- Territory
- Per the Treaty of Versailles, most of the Prussian provinces of Posen and West Prussia, the eastern part of Upper Silesia, and the area of Działdowo were annexed from Germany to Poland.
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The uprising broke out on 27 December 1918 in Poznań after a patriotic speech by Ignacy Paderewski, with 2,000 men serving in the Guard and Security Service rising up. The insurrectionist forces included members of the Polish Military Organization, who formed the Straż Obywatelska (Citizen's Guard), later renamed Straż Ludowa (People's Guard), with many volunteers who were mainly veterans of World War I. The first contingent to reach the Bazar Hotel was a 100-strong force from Wildecka kompania Straży Ludowej led by Antoni Wysocki. The ruling body was the Naczelna Rada Ludowa (Supreme People's Council), whose members initially opposed the uprising but changed their minds in support on 9 January 1919.
The timing was advantageous because between late 1918 and early 1919, internal conflict had weakened Germany, with many soldiers and sailors engaged in mutinous actions. By 15 January 1919, Poles had taken control of most of the province, engaging in heavy fighting with the regular German army and irregular units such as the Grenzschutz Ost. Fighting continued until the renewal of the truce between the Entente and Germany on 16 February, though skirmishes persisted until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
Reader's Guide
The Greater Poland uprising of 1918–1919 is one of the two most successful Polish uprisings, the other being the Great Poland uprising of 1806. It significantly influenced the Treaty of Versailles, which granted Poland not only the area won by the insurrectionists but also major cities with a significant German population like Bydgoszcz, Leszno, and Rawicz, as well as the lands of the Polish Corridor. The uprising demonstrated Polish national self-determination at the end of World War I, occurring after the abdication of Wilhelm II and amid the German Revolution. Many of its insurrectionists later took part in the Silesian Uprisings against German rule. Germany's territorial losses from the treaty incited German revanchism, which Adolf Hitler later exploited, though Nazi Germany effectively recognized Poland's new borders in the 1934 German–Polish declaration of non-aggression before Hitler unilaterally withdrew and invaded Poland in 1939.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Greater Poland uprising (1918–1919)?
It was a Polish military insurrection launched in late December 1918 against German authority in the region historically known as the Grand Duchy of Posen. The revolt aimed to free Polish communities who had lived under Prussian and later German rule since the 1793 partition.
Who were the main participants in the Greater Poland uprising?
On the Polish side, fighters included members of the Polish Military Organization, the Straż Obywatelska, and the Straż Ludowa. They faced the German regular army and the Grenzschutz Ost border-guard force.
Why is the Greater Poland uprising important?
It directly shaped the territorial decisions made at the Paris Peace Conference, as the Polish fighters' on-the-ground success compelled the Allies to recognize Polish control over the region in the Treaty of Versailles. The uprising also restored Greater Poland to Polish sovereignty after more than 125 years of German rule that began with Prussia's 1793 annexation.
When did the Greater Poland uprising take place?
The insurrection began on 27 December 1918 and continued through the spring of 1919. The formal resolution came with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
More in Revolutions of 1917–1923 1-24
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