The Curzon line was a boundary line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a border between Poland, to the west, and Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine, to the east. It lay approximately along the border which was established between Prussia and Russia in 1797, after the third partition of Poland, which was the last border recognised by the United Kingdom. The line separating the German and Soviet zones of occupation following the defeat of Poland in 1939 followed the Curzon Line in places, while diverging from it around Bialystok in the north and in the southern region of Galicia. The Line was used in 1945 as the basis for the permanent border between Poland and the Soviet Union, although with substantial differences. 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (January 11, 1859 - March 20, 1925), was a conservative British statesman and sometime Viceroy of India. ... The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 The word Prussia (German: Preußen or Preussen, Polish: Prusy, Lithuanian: Prūsai, Latin: Borussia) has had various (often contradictory) meanings: The land of the Baltic Prussians (in what is now parts of southern Lithuania, the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia and... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Partitions of Poland ( Polish Rozbiór or Rozbiory Polski) happened in the 18th century and ended the existence of a sovereign state of Poland (or more correctly the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: (СССР)  listen; tr. ... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Białystok (pronounce: [bȋa:wistɔk]) ( Belarusian: Biełastok ([bȋe:lastók], Lithuanian Balstogė (literally meaning white roof)) is the largest city (pop. ... The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, or simply Galicia, was the largest and northernmost province of Austria from 1772 until 1918, with Lemberg (Lwów, Lviv) as its capital city. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Curzon Line and territorial changes to Poland, 1945

It is often said that the Curzon Line represented an ethnic border between Poles to the west and Belarusians and Ukrainians to the east. This was not the intention when Lord Curzon proposed the line: its origins were diplomatic and historical, not ethnic. Nevertheless it did run along a line which, with some notable anomalies, approximated a division between regions to the west which were mixed, but majority Polish, and regions to the east which were mixed but majority non-Polish. (This is further discussed below). Poland map File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Poland map File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

History of the Curzon Line

A wartime map showing the distribution of Poles and other ethnic groups in eastern Poland, based on the 1931 Polish census

At the end of World War I the Allies agreed that an independent Polish state should be formed from territories previously part of the Russian Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany. The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 said that the eastern border of Poland would be "subsequently determined." The lands lying between Poland and its eastern neighbours were inhabited by a mixed population of Poles, Lithuanians, Jews, Ukrainians and Belarusians, with no single group being a majority. Lord Curzon of Kedleston, on behalf of the Allies, suggested a line running from Grodno through Brest-Litovsk to Lwow, although leaving unclear which side of the proposed border Lwow would be on. A later version of the Line, known as Curzon Line "B", definitely awarded Lwow to Poland (see map). Download high resolution version (461x700, 141 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (461x700, 141 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... Official languages Latin, German, Hungarian Established church Roman Catholic Capital & Largest City Vienna pop. ... Woodrow Wilson with the American Peace Commissioners The Treaty of Versailles of 1919 is the peace treaty created as a result of six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, which put an official end to World War I between the Allies and Central Powers. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Hrodna (or Grodno) (also: Hóradnia, Haródnia); Belarusian: Гро́дна, Го́радня, Гаро́дня; Grodno in Polish, Гро́дно; in Russian, Gardinas in Lithuanian) is a city in Belarus on the Nemunas river, close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania (about 15 km and 30 km away respectively). ... Brest (Belarusian: Бе́расьце, Брэст | Bieraście, Brest; also known as Brest-Litovsk and in Polish as Brześć Litewski, Brześć nad Bugiem or Brześć Białoruski; Russian: Брест, Lithuanian: Lietuvos Brasta (litterally meaning shallows of Lithuania) is a city (population 290,000 in 2004) in Belarus close to the Polish border where the... Lviv coat of arms Motto: Semper fidelis Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population    total 2000    density 808,900 4786/km² Founded city rights 13th century 1353 Area code + 0322 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Twin towns...

Because the Russian Empire had collapsed into a state of civil war following the Russian Revolution, there was no recognised Russian government with whom the eastern border of Poland could be negotiated. However, one of the first acts of the new Russian government was to publicly denounce the treaties which had partitioned Poland. That left Poland in legal possession of the territories that Poland had held before the Partitions of Poland in 1772. The Bolshevik regime in Russia, on the other hand, wanted to invade Poland in order to carry the socialist revolution into the heart of Europe, and particularly into Germany. In this circumstances war was inevitable, and broke out in late 1919. The phrase Russian Revolution can refer to three specific events in the history of Imperial Russia. ... The Partitions of Poland ( Polish Rozbiór or Rozbiory Polski) happened in the 18th century and ended the existence of a sovereign state of Poland (or more correctly the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). ... 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

In December 1919, the Allied powers made the following declaration: "The Principal Allied and Associated Powers, recognising that it is important as soon as possible to put a stop to the existing conditions of political uncertainty in which the Polish nation is placed, and without prejudging the provisions, which must in the future define the eastern frontiers of Poland, hereby declare that they recognize the right of the Polish Government to proceed, according to the conditions previously provided by the Treaty with Poland of June 28, 1919, to organise a regular administration of the territories of the former Russian Empire situated to the West of the line described below. The rights that Poland may be able to establish over the territories situated to the East of the said line are expressly reserved." 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

During the Polish-Soviet war (1919-1921), in May 1920, the Bolsheviks gained the advantage and advanced into Poland, and in July the Poles appealed to the Allies to intervene. On 11 July Lord Curzon proposed to the Soviet government a ceasefire along the line which had been suggested the previous year. The Soviets, believing they had the upper hand, rejected the proposal, and fighting continued. In August, however, the Soviets were defeated just outside Warsaw and forced to retreat. At the Treaty of Riga in March 1921 the Soviets had to concede a frontier well to the east of the Curzon Line, giving Poland both Lwow and Wilno (today Vilnius). The area around Wilno, called Central Lithuania was the subject of a referendum in 1922, followed by incorporation to Poland according to the wish of 65% of the voters. The Polish-Soviet border was recognised by the League of Nations in 1923 and confirmed by various Polish-Soviet agreements. Polish-Bolshevik War Conflict Polish-Bolshevik War Date 1919– 1921 Place Central and Eastern Europe Result Polish victory The Polish-Soviet War was the war (February 1919 – March 1921) that determined the borders between the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic and Second Polish Republic. ... 1920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa, see also other names, in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto Stołeczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ... Riga (Rīga in Latvian), the capital of Latvia, is situated on the Baltic Sea coast on the mouth of River Daugava, at 56°58′ N 24°8′ E. Riga is the largest city in the Baltic States and serves as a major cultural, educational, political, financial, commercial and industrial center... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Vilnius Old Town Vilnius (sometimes also Vilna in English, Belarusian Вільня, Polish Wilno, Russian Вильнюс, German Wilna, see also Cities alternative names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania with population in excess of 540 thousand (in 2003). ... Map of the region, with Central Lithuania marked in Green Central Lithuania (Polish Republika Litwy Środkowej, Lithuanian Vidurine Lietuva, Belarusian Рэспубліка Сярэдняе Літвы) was a semi-independent state, created in 1920 by allegedly rebellious soldiers of the Lithuanian-Belarusian division of the Polish Army. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the First World War at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 provided for the partition of Poland along the line of the San, Vistula and Narew rivers. In September, after the military defeat of Poland, the Soviet Union annexed all territories east of the Curzon Line plus Bialystok and Eastern Galicia. The territories east of this line were incorporated into the Byelorussian SSR and Ukrainian SSR after so-called referendums, and hundreds of thousands of Poles and a lesser number of Jews were deported eastwards into the Soviet Union. In July 1941 these territories were seized by Germany in the course of the invasion of the Soviet Union. During the German occupation most of the Jewish population was killed. Molotov (lower left), Ribbentrop (in black) and Stalin (far right) The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, also known as the Hitler-Stalin pact or Nazi-Soviet pact and formally known as the Treaty of Nonaggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was a non-aggression treaty between Germany and... 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... San is a river in south-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river, with a length of 433 kilometres (all in Poland, 6th longest Polish river) and the basin area of 16,861 sq. ... Vistula river basin Vistula ( Polish Wisła, German Weichsel) is the longest river in Poland. ... Narew (Belarusian: На́раў) is a river in western Belarus and north-eastern Poland, a tributary of the Vistula river. ... Białystok (pronounce: [bȋa:wistɔk]) ( Belarusian: Biełastok ([bȋe:lastók], Lithuanian Balstogė (literally meaning white roof)) is the largest city (pop. ... The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, or simply Galicia, was the largest and northernmost province of Austria from 1772 until 1918, with Lemberg (Lwów, Lviv) as its capital city. ... State motto: Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся! Official language None. ... State motto: Пролетарі всіх країн, єднайтеся! Official language None. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Original German plan Operation Barbarossa (Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the German codename for Nazi Germanys invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II, which commenced on June 22, 1941. ...

In 1944 the Soviet armed forces recaptured eastern Poland from the Germans. The Soviets unilaterally declared the former Soviet-German border (approximately the Curzon Line) to be the new frontier between the Soviet Union and Poland. This time, however, Bialystok was retained by Poland. The Polish government-in-exile in London bitterly opposed this action, and at the Teheran and Yalta conferences between Stalin and the western Allies, the allied leaders Roosevelt and Churchill asked Stalin to reconsider, particularly over Lwow, but he refused. The Curzon Line thus became the permanent eastern border of Poland, and was recognised as such by the western Allies in July 1945. 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... From left to right, Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill The Tehran Conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill between November 28 and December 1, 1943 that took place in Tehran, Iran. ... The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, was the wartime meeting from February 4 to 11, 1945 between the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS MP (November 30, 1874 – January 24, 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II. At various times an author, soldier, journalist, and politician, Churchill is generally regarded... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

When the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991, the Curzon line became Poland's eastern border with Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Ethnography to the east of the Curzon Line

The territory which lay between the Curzon Line and the 1921 eastern border of Poland had a population of about 12 million people in an area of 188,000 square kilometres. According to statistics from the Polish census of 1931 (which was unlikely to underestimate the number of Poles), the population of these territories by mother-tongue was: 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

 Poles 4,794,000 39.9% Ukrainians and Ruthenians 4,139,000 34.4% Jews 1,045,000 08.4% Belarusians 993,000 08.5% Russians 120,000 01.0% Lithuanians 76,000 00.6% Others and not given 845,000 06.4% 

(The majority from "Others and not given" were Poleszuks from Polesie.) Poleszuk (Polish), Poliszuk or Polishchuk (local Ukrainian dialect), Palyashchuk (Belarusian), or Poleshchuk (Russian) is the name given to the people who populated the swamps of Polesie. ... Polesie (Polish spelling; Polissya, Полісся in Ukrainian, Polesye, Полесье in Russian, Palyessye or Palesse, Пале́сьсе in Belarusian, formerly also Polesia in Latin) is one of the largest European swampy areas, located in the South-Western part of the Eastern-European Lowland, within the territories of Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. ...

By religion the population was classified as follows:

 Roman Catholics 4,016,000 33.4% Greek Catholics or Uniates 3,050,000 25.4% Orthodox 3,529,000 29.3% Other Christians: 180,000 01.5% Jewish 1,222,000 10.2% 

It will be seen from these figures that although the Poles were the largest single ethnic and religious group in these territories, they were far from being a majority, and that the Ukrainians, Rusyns, Belarusians and Poleszuks together outnumbered them (the Ukrainians outnumbering Poles in combined southern sections). Due to the long reign of Polish rule over these areas, much of the Polish population was urban, while much of the Ukrainian and Belarusian population was rural. Rusyns, also called Ruthenians, Ruthenes, Rusins, Rysins, Carpatho-Rusins, and Russniaks, are a modern group of ethnic groups that speak the Rusyn language and are descended from the Ruthenians that did not become Ukrainians in the 19th century. ...

The deportations of Poles to the Soviet Union in 1939-1941 (see Polish minority in Soviet Union) and the elimination of the Jewish population between 1941 and 1945 probably left Ukrainians and Belarusians as a majority of the population in the territories, though far from a large one. The cities of Lwow, Wilno, Grodno and some smaller towns still had Polish majorities during this period. After 1945, most of the Polish population of the area east of the new Soviet-Polish border fled or was expelled to Poland, and the area today is almost entirely Belarusian (in the north) or Ukrainian (in the south). 1939 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Polish minority in the Soviet Union refers to former Polish citizens or Polish-speaking people who resided in the Soviet Union. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: Semper fidelis Oblast Lviv Oblast Municipal government City council (Львівська міська рада) Mayor City chairman Lyubomyr Bunyak Area 171,01 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 808,900 ? 4786/km² Founded City rights 13th century 1353 Latitude Longitude 49°51′ N 24°01′ E Area code +0322 Car plates  ? Twin... Vilnius Old Town Vilnius (sometimes also Vilna in English, Belarusian Вільня, Polish Wilno, Russian Вильнюс, German Wilna, see also Cities alternative names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania with population in excess of 540 thousand (in 2003). ... Hrodna (or Grodno) (also: Hóradnia, Haródnia); Belarusian: Гро́дна, Го́радня, Гаро́дня; Grodno in Polish, Гро́дно; in Russian, Gardinas in Lithuanian) is a city in Belarus on the Nemunas river, close to the borders of Poland and Lithuania (about 15 km and 30 km away respectively). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Ethnography to the west of the Curzon Line

Similar problems pertained to the West of the Curzon line. The Polish population was generally overwhelmingly predominant in the towns and especially the cities, but the opposite situation, based on older settlement patterns, was often in evidence in the rural districts. A sizeable Belarusian rural population was incorporated into modern Poland around Bialystok. The southern area a large population. Much of this population was resettled in Poland's newly acquired territories of Silesia, Pomerania, Eastern Brandenburg and East Prussia after World War II. Silesia (Polish Śląsk, German Schlesien, Czech Slezsko) is a historical region in central Europe. ... Pomerania (Polish: Pomorze, German: Pommern and Pommerellen, Lithuanian Pamarė, Pomeranian (Kashubian): Pòmòrze and Pòmòrskô, Latin: Pomerania, Pomorania) is a geographical and historical region in northern Poland and Germany on the south coasts of the Baltic Sea between and on both sides of the Vistula and Oder (Odra) rivers, reaching the... Lubus Land or Lubusz Land ( pol: Ziemia Lubuska or Lubusz). ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ...

See also

• I saw Poland betrayed
• Western betrayal
• Revision of borders of Poland (1945)

I saw Poland betrayed: An American ambassador reports to the American people (1948) is a book written by Arthur Bliss Lane, former U.S. ambassador to Poland, who observed what he considered to be the betrayal of Poland by the Western Allies at the end of World War II. See... Western betrayal is a concept, particularly popular among several Central European nations (including Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia). ... In Western Europe the start of the Second World War is usually dated from the German invastion of Poland, 1 September 1939. ...

External links

• Quotes on Yalta (http://www.andersarmy.com/yalta.html)