"Recovered Territories", "Regained Territories" or "Western and Northern Territories" (Polish: Ziemie Odzyskane, Ziemie Zachodnie i Północne) were the official terms used by Polish post-war authorities to denote those former German territories, which were in the past part of Polish state and over centuries became lost and Germanised, and which were returned to Poland after the Second World War^[1]. The rationale given for the term "Recovered Territories" was that these territories—Pomerania, Silesia, the Lubusz Land, and Warmia-Masuria—had been under the rule of various Polish dukes and kings during the early to high Middle Ages, before becoming seized by Holy Roman Empire or being seized by Prussia during the Partitions of Poland, while other territories were Polish fiefs. In the late stages of Second World War the area, formerly part of the Third Reich, was occupied by the Red Army. Following the Potsdam Agreement, the territories were taken under Polish administration, and Polish population (some of it expelled from the Eastern Poland) replaced most of the German inhabitants who either fled or were expelled. The border was formally recognized by East Germany in the Treaty of Zgorzelec (1950), by West Germany in the Treaty of Warsaw (1970), and affirmed by the re-united Germany in the German-Polish Border Treaty (1990). The term was often used by Propaganda in the People's Republic of Poland^[1] Soldiers of the Greater Polish Army The Greater Poland Uprising of 1918–1919, or Wielkopolska Uprising of 1918–1919 (Polish: powstanie wielkopolskie 1918–19 roku; German: Großpolnischer Aufstand) or Posnanian War was a military insurrection of Poles in the Greater Poland (also called the Grand Duchy of PoznaÅ„ or... This article is about the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, which ended World War I. For other uses, see Treaty of Versailles (disambiguation) . The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was a peace treaty that officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. ... The Silesian Uprisings (German: ; Polish: ) were a series of three armed uprisings of the Poles of Upper Silesia, from 1919–1921, against Weimar rule; the resistance hoped to break away from Germany in order to join the Second Polish Republic, which had been established in the wake of World War... Polish Corridor (German: ; Polish: ) was the term used between the World Wars to refer to the Polish territory which separated the German exclave of East Prussia from the German province of Pomerania. ... Reichsgau and General Governement in 1941 At the beginning of World War II, significant Polish areas were annexed by Nazi Germany. ... Under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, adjusted by agreement on 28 September 1939, the Soviet Union annexed all Polish territory east of the line of the rivers Pisa, Narew, Western Bug, and San, except for Wilno Voivodship with its capital Wilno (Vilnius), which was given to Lithuania, and... Administrative division pf Polish territories during WWII can be divided into several phases, when territories of the Second Polish Republic were administered first by the Nazi Germany (in the west) and Soviet Union (in the east), then by Nazi Germany (following Operation Barbarossa) and finally Soviet Union again. ... Left to right: General Secretary of the Communist Party Joseph Stalin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom . ... The Big Three at the Yalta Conference, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. ... Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin meeting at the Potsdam Conference on July 18, 1945. ... Territorial changes of Poland after World War II have been very extensive. ... The Treaty of Zgorzelec (Full title The Agreement Concerning the Demarcation of the Established and the Existing Polish-German State Frontier, also known as the Treaty of Görlitz and Treaty of Zgorzelic) was signed on 6 July 1950 in Zgorzelec by Otto Grotewohl Prime Minister of the provisional government... The Treaty of Warsaw is a treaty between West Germany and the Peoples Republic of Poland. ... The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany is the final peace treaty negotiated between the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and the Four Powers which occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe: France, the United Kingdom, the United States and... The Treaty between the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany on the Confirmation of the Existing Border between Them was signed on November 14, 1990. ... The Curzon Line was a demarcation line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a possible armistice line between Poland, to the west, and Soviet Russia to the east, during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–20. ... The Oder-Neisse line (Polish: , German: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ... Polish voivodeships 1922-1939. ... 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. ... Former eastern territories of Germany (German: ) describes collectively those provinces or regions east of the Oder-Neisse line which were internationally recognised as part of the territory of Germany after the formation of the German Empire in 1871. ... Zaolzie (Czech: , Polish: , literally: Trans-Olza River Silesia) was an area disputed between Poland and Czechoslovakia, west of Cieszyn. ... // Part of the motivation behind the territorial changes are based on events in the history of Germany and Europe, especially Eastern Europe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Pommern redirects here. ... Silesia (English pronunciation [], Czech: ; German: ; Latin: ; Polish: ; Silesian: Åšlůnsk) is a historical region in central Europe, located along the upper and middle Oder River, upper Vistula River, and along the Sudetes, Carpathian (Silesian Beskids) mountain range. ... Lubus Land, Lebus Land ( pol: Ziemia Lubuska ger: Land Lebus, czech: Lubušsko) on the Oder river. ... WarmiÅ„sko-Mazurskie voivodship since 1999 Coat of Arms of Warmia-Masuria Warmia i Mazury (officially, the WarmiÅ„sko-Mazurskie Voivodship) is an administrative region or voivodship of north-eastern Poland. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... This article is about the medieval empire. ... For other uses, see Prussia (disambiguation). ... The Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Lietuvos-Lenkijos padalijimai, Belarusian: Падзелы Рэчы Паспалітай) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service (usually fealty, military service, and security). ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... CCCP redirects here. ... The Potsdam Agreement, or the Potsdam Proclamation, was an agreement on policy for the occupation and reconstruction of Germany and other nations after fighting in the European Theatre of World War II had ended with the German surrender of May 8, 1945. ... Polish voivodeships 1922-1939. ... Germans expelled from the Sudetenland // The flight and expulsion of Germans during and after World War II refers to the forced migration of German nationals (Reichsdeutsche) and some ethnic Germans (Volksdeutsche) from various European states and territories 1943–1945 and in the first three years after World War II 1946... The Oder-Neisse line (Polish: , German: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ... This article is about the state which existed from 1949 to 1990. ... The Treaty of Zgorzelec (Full title The Agreement Concerning the Demarcation of the Established and the Existing Polish-German State Frontier, also known as the Treaty of Görlitz and Treaty of Zgorzelic) was signed on 6 July 1950 in Zgorzelec by Otto Grotewohl Prime Minister of the provisional government... The Treaty of Warsaw is a treaty between West Germany and the Peoples Republic of Poland. ... The Treaty between the Republic of Poland and the Federal Republic of Germany on the Confirmation of the Existing Border between Them was signed on November 14, 1990. ...

Origin of the term

The term was introduced by Polish authorities, with the 'recovered' being a reference to earlier territories of Polish state from the Middle Ages under the Piast dynasty, whose borders were similar to the ones achieved in 1945, but which fell out of the sphere of Polish influence during the fragmentation of Poland or at an later point in time, for example in Partitions of Poland. The creation of a picture of the new territories as integral part of historical Poland in post-war had the aim of forging Polish settlers and repatriates arriving there into a coherent community loyal to the new regime.^[2] The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Piast the Wheelwright Piast seal Piast coat of arms This article is about a Polish dynasty. ... In the first centuries of its existence, the Polish nation was led by a series of strong rulers who converted the Poles to Christendom, created a strong Central European state, and integrated Poland into European culture. ... The Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Lietuvos-Lenkijos padalijimai, Belarusian: Падзелы Рэчы Паспалітай) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ...

Former Eastern Poland (Kresy) was in turn annexed by the Soviet Union, and as the result the territory of post war Poland was moved west and also became nearly 20% smaller (389,000 km² ^[3]). Polish voivodeships 1922-1939. ... Territorial changes of Poland after World War II have been very extensive. ...

The question of Recovered Territories was one of the few issues that did not divide the Polish communists and their opposition, and there was unanimity regarding the western border. Even in underground anti-Communist press, there was no resistance to the return of borders of Piast Poland in the West, and support for ending the Germanisation and Drang nach Osten once and for all^[4]. This does not cite its references or sources. ...

The territorial and population-related reorganization was not to be called "Shift to the West", in the course of which the Soviet Union had acquired considerable territories that had formerly been Polish. Instead, the official policy was to speak about Poland's return to "traditionally Polish territory", which for a long time had only become the victim of forced Germanization. The communist position concerning the new territory gained in the north and in the west coincided with the nationality-related policy concepts devised by the parties from before the war^{[citation needed]}. This meant that soon there was a fairly broad consensus in society on the necessity of expelling the Germans and integrating Recovered Territories territories into the Polish state.

Usage

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.(April 2008) Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved.

The term was in use immediately following the end of World War II when it was used to encourage Polish settlers in those territories.^[2], that were to increase the already existing Polish population in those areas, which (by Polish sources)in 1939 counted 1.3 million Poles against 7.1 million Germans ^[5] while in 1925 in this area 676.000 people gave Polish as their native language [1]. As German state during the Second World War made extensive use of Poles as slaves, the Polish population increased in those territories, for example in Wrocław Poles made up 4,000 to 5,000 citizens in 1918 while in 1944 the Polish population increased by 30,000-60,000 ^[6] It seems to have been "officially" dropped from Polish communist propaganda sometime in the 1950s^{[citation needed]}. By the 1960s, it had clearly been dropped from official use but it is still occasionally used in texts and in common language.^{[citation needed]} Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

The term "Recovered Territories" is sometimes also known as "Western and Northern territories".^[7]

Brief history of "Recovered Territories"

Poland's old and new borders, 1945

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...

Prehistory and migration period

The areas of today's Poland, including the "Recovered Territories", was place of migration of various peoples, including Celts, and later Germanic tribes. Also Balts settled in the Northeast. As Germanic tribes moved further west in their journey, Slavic peoples settled the area in large numbers and begun to form there the first organised states. Celts, normally pronounced //, is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic language. ... The term Germanic tribes (or Teutonic tribes) applies to the ancient Germanic peoples of Europe. ... http://www. ... Human migration denotes any movement of groups of people from one locality to another, rather than of individual wanderers. ... Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ...

Beginning of the Polish state

Polish duke Mieszko I united territories of various neighboring West Slav tribes in the second half of the 10th century and placed them under control of Polish gentry. Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ...

Piast Poland

The lands Mieszko I Piast of Poland, were described about 1080 in a note found in a cloister, which talks about the supposed Dagome iudex, with which the land came under protection of the Pope. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 607 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2310 × 2280 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 607 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2310 × 2280 pixel, file size: 1. ... The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ... Dagome iudex is the name applied to one of the earliest documents supposedly relating to Poland, which refers to Dago/Dagr of the Norwegian Daglingers, (who was later called Mieszko I), and his wife Oda in 991, placing the land of the Polans with its capital, Gniezno, under the protection...

In the year 1000 AD the Polish ruler Boleslaw I of Poland, the son of Mieszko I and Bohemian princess Dobrawa received recognition from the Holy Roman Empire at the Congress of Gniezno, where he was named as a friend and ally of the empire. Bolesław I the Brave (or Valiant) (Polish: ; Czech: Boleslav Chrabrý; 967 - June 17, 1025), in the past also known as Bolesław I the Great, in Polish: Bolesław I Wielki), of the Piast Dynasty — son of Mieszko I and of his first wife, the Bohemian princess Dobrawa — ruled... This article is about the medieval empire. ... The Congress of Gniezno took place on March 11th 1000 and is one of the more important events in Polish history, though scholars disagree over the details of the decisions made at the meeting, especially whether the Polish prince was pledged the kings crown or not. ...

Loss of Lubus

In 1252 Poland lost to Brandenburg the swampy bishopric of Lubus. It became the base for the further expansion of Neumark into the areas located between Western Pomerania and Great Poland. Eventually all communication between the neighbouring provinces was cut by the new province. Lubusz voivodship since 1999 The Lubusz Voivodship (in Polish województwo lubuskie) is an administrative and local government region or voivodship in the western part of Poland. ... For broader historical context, see 1250s and 13th century. ... For the similarly spelled Brandenberg, see Brandenberg (Austria) or Brandenburg (disambiguation) Location Coordinates , , Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE4 Capital Potsdam Minister-President Matthias Platzeck (SPD) Governing parties SPD / CDU Votes in Bundesrat 4 (of 69) Basic statistics Area  29,479 km² (11,382... Lubusz voivodship since 1999 The Lubusz Voivodship (in Polish województwo lubuskie) is an administrative and local government region or voivodship in the western part of Poland. ... Neumark can refer to a region in western Poland, see Neumark (region) a city in Thuringia, see Neumark, Thuringia a municipality in Saxony, see Neumark, Saxony the former German name of Nowe Miasto Lubawskie, Poland This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise... Historic Western Pomerania (outlined in yellow) Western Pomerania (also West Pomerania, Polish: , German: ), is a geographical and historical region in the west of Pomerania in northern Poland and Germany. ... Greater Poland (also Great Poland; Polish: Wielkopolska, German: Grosspolen, Latin: Polonia Maior) is one of the historical regions of Poland. ...

Teutonic Knights

Ducal Prussia (to 1525 Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights) as fief of Crown of the Polish Kingdom 1466-1657

During Christianization parts of non-Christian territories of Prussians (one of the Baltic tribes) were conquered by the German-speaking Teutonic Knights. The Teutonic Knights had been employed by Konrad I Piast of Masovia in 1226, who initiated the Northern Crusades. In the following centuries, the Teutonic Knights became fierce enemies of the Polish Kingdom. Image File history File links Rzeczpospolita_Royal_Ducal. ... Image File history File links Rzeczpospolita_Royal_Ducal. ... Royal and Ducal Prussia in the second half of 16th century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with its major subdivisions as of 1619, superimposed on present-day national borders Ducal Prussia, or the Duchy of Prussia (German: ; Polish: ), was a duchy established in 1525 in the eastern part of Prussia, as western... Events January 21 - The Swiss Anabaptist Movement was born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptized each other in the home of Manzs mother on Neustadt-Gasse, Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union. ... Coat of arms Capital Königsberg (Kaliningrad) Religion Roman Catholicism Government Principality Hochmeister (Grand Master)  - 1209–39 Hermann von Salza  - 1510–25 Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach Historical era Middle Ages  - Northern Crusades 1224  - Absorbed Livonia 1237  - Purchased Neumark 1404  - Hanseatic cities¹ leave, found Prussian Confed. ... Crown of the Polish Kingdom, or just colloquially the Crown (Polish:Korona) is the archaic name for territories of Poland, distinguishing them from territories of Grand Duchy of Lithuania or vassal territories like Duchy of Prussia or Duchy of Courland, which had varying degrees of autonomy. ... Events Chimú Empire conquered by troops of the Inca End of term for Regent of Sweden Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna. ... Events January 8 - Miles Sindercombe, would-be-assassin of Oliver Cromwell, and his group are captured in London February - Admiral Robert Blake defeats the Spanish West Indian Fleet in a battle over the seizure of Jamaica. ... St Francis Xavier converting the Paravas: a 19th-century image of the docile heathen The historical phenomenon of Christianization, the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once, also includes the practice of converting pagan practices, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar... Prussian tribes settlements. ... http://www. ... For the state, see Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. ... The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ... The Teutonic knights in Pskov in 1240. ...

German migration (Ostsiedlung)

In the course of the 12th to 14th centuries, large numbers of German, Dutch and Flemish settlers moved into East Central Europe and Eastern Europe. In Pomerania, Brandenburg, East Prussia and Silesia, the former West Slav (Polabian Slavs and Poles) or Balt population became extinguished or dissimilated except for small minorities. In Poland and Pomerelia (West Prussia), German settlers formed a minority. Evolution of German linguistic area from 700 to 1950 Settlement in the East (German: ), also known as German eastward expansion, refers to the eastward migration and settlement of Germans into regions inhabited since the Great Migrations by the Balts, Romanians, Hungarians and, since about the 8th century, the Slavs. ... An official or de facto standard Flemish language as such does not exist: there are however variants of the Dutch language (which is one and undivided, as guaranteed by the Taalunie, an organisation set up by the governments of the Netherlands and the Flemish region) spoken in Belgium) which are... Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Statistical regions of Europe as delineated by the United Nations (UN definition of Eastern Europe marked red):  Northern Europe  Western Europe  Eastern Europe  Southern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current borders: Russia (dark orange), other countries formerly part of the USSR... Pommern redirects here. ... For the similarly spelled Brandenberg, see Brandenberg (Austria) or Brandenburg (disambiguation) Location Coordinates , , Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE4 Capital Potsdam Minister-President Matthias Platzeck (SPD) Governing parties SPD / CDU Votes in Bundesrat 4 (of 69) Basic statistics Area  29,479 km² (11,382... 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. ... Silesia (English pronunciation [], Czech: ; German: ; Latin: ; Polish: ; Silesian: Åšlůnsk) is a historical region in central Europe, located along the upper and middle Oder River, upper Vistula River, and along the Sudetes, Carpathian (Silesian Beskids) mountain range. ... Countries inhabited by West Slavs (in light green) Distribution of Slavic peoples by language Map showing an approximation location of Polish tribes West Slavs in 9th/10th century The West Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slavic languages. ... Polabian Slavs is a collective term applied to a number of Slavic tribes living along the Elbe, between the Baltic Sea to the north, Solau to the west and Sudetes to the south. ... http://www. ... Pomerelia (German: ) is a historical region in northern Poland. ...

Poland fragmented and re-united

Map of Western Europe from 1911, depicting European territories around 1100.

Poland, like many other countries in Europe, was fragmented in the 12th-13th centuries into several semi-independent duchies. These duchies were ruled by the Piast dukes, who were often in conflict with each other. When the duchies were reunited as the Kingdom of Poland from 1306 to 1320 by King Władysław I the Elbow-high, not all provinces once conquered by Mieszko I. were included, with the duchies of Pomerania, Silesia, and Masovia remaining independent. At this time, the Baltic coast regions were ruled by the Teutonic Knights. Masovia was recovered by Poland in 1526, while many Silesian dukes had allied with the Crown of Bohemia (at that time the Bohemian kings held claims to the Polish Crown). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (938x600, 165 KB) Shrunken portion of Image from . I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (938x600, 165 KB) Shrunken portion of Image from . I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... A current understanding of Western Europe. ... The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ... Noble Family or Dynasty Piast dynasty Coat of Arms Piast Eagle Parents Kazimierz I Kujawski, Eufrozyna Opolska Consorts Jadwiga Kaliska Children Stefan, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw, Kunegunda, Elżbieta, Jadwiga, Casimir III the Great Date of Birth 1261 Place of Birth - Date of Death 1333 Place of Death Cracow Coronation January... Pommern redirects here. ... Silesia (English pronunciation [], Czech: ; German: ; Latin: ; Polish: ; Silesian: Åšlůnsk) is a historical region in central Europe, located along the upper and middle Oder River, upper Vistula River, and along the Sudetes, Carpathian (Silesian Beskids) mountain range. ... Historical division of Masovia Masovia (Polish: Mazowsze) is a geographical and historical region situated in central Poland with its capital at Warsaw. ... For the state, see Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights. ... Historical division of Masovia Masovia (Polish: Mazowsze) is a geographical and historical region situated in central Poland with its capital at Warsaw. ... For other uses, see Bohemia (disambiguation). ...

Expansion of Brandenburg-Prussia

After the death of the last Pomeranian Duke Bogulaw XIV in 1637 Brandenburg-Prussia inherited parts of Pomerania, and subsequently incorporated whole Pomerania into the Kingdom of Prussia until 1815. In 1742, during the Silesian Wars, Silesia—until then part of the Habsburg Monarchy—came under the rule of the Prussian King Frederick II. Prussia also took part in the Partitions of Poland of the late 18th century, and in the political reshuffle after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The Brandenburg-Prussian state was formed in 1618 when the Duchy of Prussia came under the control of the Elector of Brandenburg (part of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nation). ... Pommern redirects here. ... Anthem Preußenlied, Heil dir im Siegerkranz (both unofficial) The Kingdom of Prussia at its greatest extent, at the time of the formation of the German Empire, 1871 Capital Berlin Government Monarchy King  - 1701 — 1713 Frederick I (first)  - 1888 — 1918 William II (last) Prime minister  - 1848 Adolf Heinrich von Arnim... The Silesian Wars were a series of wars between Prussia and Austria (and their changing allies) for control of Silesia. ... Silesia (English pronunciation [], Czech: ; German: ; Latin: ; Polish: ; Silesian: Åšlůnsk) is a historical region in central Europe, located along the upper and middle Oder River, upper Vistula River, and along the Sudetes, Carpathian (Silesian Beskids) mountain range. ... The Habsburg Monarchy, often called Austrian Monarchy or simply Austria, are the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine, between 1526 and 1867/1918. ... Frederick II (German: ; January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was a King of Prussia (1740–1786) from the Hohenzollern dynasty. ... Anthem Preußenlied, Heil dir im Siegerkranz (both unofficial) The Kingdom of Prussia at its greatest extent, at the time of the formation of the German Empire, 1871 Capital Berlin Government Monarchy King  - 1701 — 1713 Frederick I (first)  - 1888 — 1918 William II (last) Prime minister  - 1848 Adolf Heinrich von Arnim... The Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Lietuvos-Lenkijos padalijimai, Belarusian: Падзелы Рэчы Паспалітай) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... The Congress of Vienna by Jean-Baptiste Isabey, 1819. ...

The most contentious subject at the Congress of Vienna was the so-called Polish-Saxon Crisis. Russia and Prussia had devised a plan in which Poland would become an independent kingdom in personal union with the Tsar of Russia: Tsar Alexander I would become King of Poland, in return for which the Prussians would receive all of Saxony as compensation. The Austrians, French, and British were vehemently opposed to this, to the point of war if necessary. In the end an amicable settlement was reached, by which Russia received most of the Napoleonic Duchy of Warsaw as the "Kingdom of Poland" (called Congress Poland), but not the district of Poznań (Grand Duchy of Poznań), nor Kraków. The former was given to Prussia (which only received 40% of Saxony), and the latter became a free city. The Congress of Vienna (October 1, 1814 - June 9, 1815) was a conference between ambassadors from the major powers in Europe that was chaired by the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich and held in Vienna, Austria. ... Alexander I of Russia (Russian: Александр I Павлович / Aleksandr I Pavlovich) (December 23, 1777 – December 1?, 1825) served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and Ruler of Poland from 1815 to 1825, as well as the first Grand Duke of Finland. ... Coat of arms Map of the Duchy of Warsaw after 1809. ... Map of Congress Poland. ... Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat city county Gmina PoznaÅ„ Established 8th century City Rights 1253 Government  - Mayor Ryszard Grobelny Area  - City 261. ... Grand Duchy of PoznaÅ„ (Polish: Wielkie KsiÄ™stwo PoznaÅ„skie, German: Großherzogtum Posen) was an autonomous province of the Kingdom of Prussia in the Polish lands commonly known as Great Poland between the years 1815-1848. ... For other uses, see Krakow (disambiguation). ... The Free City of Kraków (Polish: Wolne Miasto Kraków), also known as Republic of Kraków (Rzeczpospolita Krakowska), was a city-state created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and controlled by its three neighbors, Russia, Prussia and Austria until 1846. ...

Poland restored and shifted

See also Treaty of Versailles (1919) and the short lived Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (3 March 1918)

After World War I, in 1918, the Polish state (which was previously an elective monarchy) was re-established as the Second Polish Republic. Its territory included the territories that had been annexed by Prussia in the third partition of Poland. When Prussia became part of the German Empire in 1871, these territories were brought into the empire as well. The territories taken from Germany and ceded to the re-established Poland by the Treaty of Versailles were: Pomerelia (West Prussia), Greater Poland, and half of Upper Silesia. This article is about the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, which ended World War I. For other uses, see Treaty of Versailles (disambiguation) . The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was a peace treaty that officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. ... The first two pages of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in (left to right) German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, at Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus) between the Russian SFSR and the Central Powers, marking... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... An elective monarchy is a monarchy ruled by a someone who is elected by a group. ... Anthem: Mazurek DÄ…browskiego Capital Warsaw Language(s) Polish Government Republic President List Prime minister List Legislature Sejm Historical era Interwar period  - World War I November 11, 1918  - Invasion November 2, 1939 Area  - 1939 388,600 km2 150,039 sq mi Population  - 1939 est. ... The Partitions of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Polish: Rozbiór Polski or Rozbiory Polski; Lithuanian: Lietuvos-Lenkijos padalijimai, Belarusian: Падзелы Рэчы Паспалітай) took place in the 18th century and ended the existence of the sovereign Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. ... For German colonial territories, see German Colonial Empire. ... This article is about the Treaty of Versailles of June 28, 1919, which ended World War I. For other uses, see Treaty of Versailles (disambiguation) . The Treaty of Versailles (1919) was a peace treaty that officially ended World War I between the Allied and Associated Powers and Germany. ... Pomerelia (German: ) is a historical region in northern Poland. ... One of four districts of East Prussia in 1920 - 1938. ... Voivodship wielkopolskie since 1999 Coat of Arms for voivodship wielkopolskie Greater Poland (also Great Poland; Polish: , German: Großpolen, Latin: Polonia Maior) is a historical region of west-central Poland. ... Map of Upper Silesia, 1746 Upper Silesia (Czech: ; German: ; Latin: Silesia Superior; Polish: ; Silesian: Gůrny Åšlůnsk) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. ...

At the Yalta Conference, towards the end of World War II, Joseph Stalin used the puppet Polish government to demand that Poland should receive the provinces of Western Pomerania, Lebus Land Lubusz Land, the remainder of Silesia, the Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk), and southern part of East-Prussia (the present Warmia-Masuria). Poland had to give up its Kresy territories (east of the Curzon Line) to the Soviet Union. The Big Three at the Yalta Conference, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... The PKWN Manifesto, issued on July 22, 1944 The Polish Committee of National Liberation (Polish Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego, PKWN) was a provisional Polish communist government that was created by the Soviet Union. ... Historic Western Pomerania (outlined in yellow) Western Pomerania (also West Pomerania, Polish: , German: ), is a geographical and historical region in the west of Pomerania in northern Poland and Germany. ... Lubus Land, Lebus Land ( pol: Ziemia Lubuska ger: Land Lebus, czech: Lubušsko) on the Oder river. ... Silesia (English pronunciation [], Czech: ; German: ; Latin: ; Polish: ; Silesian: Åšlůnsk) is a historical region in central Europe, located along the upper and middle Oder River, upper Vistula River, and along the Sudetes, Carpathian (Silesian Beskids) mountain range. ... Flag of Danzig The Free City of Danzig refers to either of two short-lived city-states which were centered on the present-day Baltic port known as GdaÅ„sk (German: Danzig). ... For alternative meanings of GdaÅ„sk and Danzig, see GdaÅ„sk (disambiguation) and Danzig (disambiguation) Motto: Nec temere, nec timide (No rashness, no timidness) Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat city county Gmina GdaÅ„sk Established 10th century City Rights 1263 Government  - Mayor PaweÅ‚ Adamowicz Area  - City 262 km²  (101. ... The Province of East Prussia (red), within the Kingdom of Prussia, within the German Empire, as of 1871. ... WarmiÅ„sko-Mazurskie voivodship since 1999 Coat of Arms of Warmia-Masuria Warmia i Mazury (officially, the WarmiÅ„sko-Mazurskie Voivodship) is an administrative region or voivodship of north-eastern Poland. ... Polish voivodeships 1922-1939. ... The Curzon Line was a demarcation line proposed in 1919 by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon of Kedleston, as a possible armistice line between Poland, to the west, and Soviet Russia to the east, during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–20. ...

Potsdam conference aftermath

In 1945, the population of the regions occupied by the Polish and Soviet Armies, and assigned to Poland after the Second World War consisted of Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians. Initially, Poland was promised western areas of the Second Polish Republic as well as East Prussia, Upper Silesia, and most of Pomerania. At the Potsdam Conference, Poland's western borders were drawn along the Oder-Neisse line. Eventually, however, the northern half of East Prussia was kept by Russia (for its warmwater port) and is now know as the Kaliningrad Oblast. The German inhabitants of the areas east of the line either fled westwards or were expelled, often violently, by Soviet forces and the newly installed Communist local Polish administration. After the former population was gone, the areas were resettled by Poles from former Eastern Poland and Central Poland. Today the area is predominantly Polish, though a small German minority still exists in many places including Olsztyn (German: Allenstein), Masuria, and Upper Silesia. Anthem: Mazurek DÄ…browskiego Capital Warsaw Language(s) Polish Government Republic President List Prime minister List Legislature Sejm Historical era Interwar period  - World War I November 11, 1918  - Invasion November 2, 1939 Area  - 1939 388,600 km2 150,039 sq mi Population  - 1939 est. ... 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. ... Map of Upper Silesia, 1746 Upper Silesia (Czech: ; German: ; Latin: Silesia Superior; Polish: ; Silesian: Gůrny Åšlůnsk) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. ... Pommern redirects here. ... Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin meeting at the Potsdam Conference on July 18, 1945. ... The Oder-Neisse line (Polish: , German: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ... Kaliningrad Oblast (Russian: , Kaliningradskaya Oblast; informally called Yantarny kray (, meaning amber region) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) on the Baltic coast. ... Germans expelled from the Sudetenland // The expulsion of Germans after World War II refers to the forced migration of people considered Germans (Reichsdeutsche and some Volksdeutsche) from various European states and territories during 1945 and in the first three years after World War II 1946-48. ... Olsztyn ( ; German: ; Old Prussian: Alnāsteini) is a city in northeast Poland, on the Łyna river. ... Sailing on Lake MikoÅ‚ajki Masuria (Polish: ; German: ) is an area in northeastern Poland famous for its lakes and forests. ... Map of Upper Silesia, 1746 Upper Silesia (Czech: ; German: ; Latin: Silesia Superior; Polish: ; Silesian: Gůrny Åšlůnsk) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. ...

During the Cold War the official position in First World was that the concluding document of the Potsdam Conference was not an international treaty, but a mere memorandum. It regulated the issue of the German eastern border, which was to be the Oder-Neisse line, but the final article of the memorandum said that the final status of the German state and therefore its territories were subject to a separate peace treaty between Germany and the Allies of World War II. A treaty was not signed until 1990 as the "Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany". This meant that for 45 years, people on both sides of the border (and of the issue) could not be sure that the settlement reached in 1945 would not be changed at some future date. For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... The terms First World, Second World, and Third World were used to divide the nations of Earth into three broad categories. ... Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin meeting at the Potsdam Conference on July 18, 1945. ... The first two pages of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, in (left to right) German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Ottoman Turkish and Russian A treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. ... A memorandum or memo is a written form of communication most often employed in business environments. ... The Oder-Neisse line (Polish: , German: ) marked the border between German Democratic Republic and Poland between 1950 and 1990. ... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ... The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany is the final peace treaty negotiated between the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and the Four Powers which occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe: France, the United Kingdom, the United States and...

Until the Treaty on the Final Settlement, the West German government regarded the status of the German territories east of the Oder-Neisse rivers as that of areas "temporarily under Polish or Soviet administration". To facilitate wide international acceptance of German reunification in 1990, the German political establishment recognized the "facts on the ground" and accepted the clauses in the Treaty on the Final Settlement whereby Germany renounced all claims to territory east of the Oder-Neisse line. This allowed the treaty to be negotiated quickly and for German unification of democratic West Germany and communist East Germany to go ahead quickly. The same year as the Final Settlement came into effect, 1990, Germany signed a separate treaty with Poland, the German-Polish Border Treaty confirming the two countries’ present borders. The Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany (in place of a peace treaty), was negotiated between the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and the Four Powers which occupied Germany at the end of World War II in Europe: France, the United Kingdom, the United... This article is about the 1990 German reunification. ... “East Germany” redirects here. ... The Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on the confirmation of the frontier between them was signed on November 14, 1990 and entered into force with the exchange of the instruments of ratification on 16 January 1992. ...

See also

See also: History of German settlement in Eastern Europe, Former eastern territories of Germany, German exodus from Eastern Europe, and Expulsion of Germans after World War II

Historically, large populations of ethnic Germans have been concentrated in Central and Eastern Europe. ... Former eastern territories of Germany (German: ) describes collectively those provinces or regions east of the Oder-Neisse line which were internationally recognised as part of the territory of Germany after the formation of the German Empire in 1871. ... The German exodus from Eastern Europe refers to the exodus of ethnic German populations from lands to the east of present-day Germany and Austria. ... Germans expelled from the Sudetenland // The expulsion of Germans after World War II refers to the forced migration of people considered Germans (Reichsdeutsche and some Volksdeutsche) from various European states and territories during 1945 and in the first three years after World War II 1946-48. ...

References