Post-war situation
On November 11 1918 the First World War ended. The Great War, as it was called at the time, brought death to tens of millions of people and annihilation to many former powers. At the same time, new countries appeared on the map of Europe – among them, reborn after 123 years of enslavement, Poland, which lost its independence in 1795. Prussia, Austria and Russia occupied its lands for over a century. However, its situation was very complicated – both the imperial ambitions of the previous partitioners and the independence aspirations of other nations meant that the young state often had to fight for its new borders.
War, inescapably inducing poverty and destruction, triggered a surge in support for revolutionary movements. In November 1917 a revolution broke out in Russia. The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the present authorities and began building the world’s first communist state. Their perspective was not limited to Russia alone – their ideal was a worldwide proletarian revolution. To reach that goal, they established the Communist International – an association of communist parties from all over Europe subordinate to the Russians and assigned to implement Russian policy in their countries. At the same time the Red Army was ready to invade the West. Soon the next countries standing in Russia’s way – Estonia, Latvia, and Poland – were to be destroyed by Bolshevik troops.
Support for communism was particularly strong in Germany. Germany had difficulties accepting Polish independence and consistently pursued an anti-Polish policy, leading to armed conflicts over the disputed lands of Greater Poland and Silesia. Humiliating defeat and post-war poverty were perfect soil for the seed of radical ideologies. This led to the rise of the Spartacus League, which attempted to unleash a socialist revolution, and the foundation of Communist Party of Germany.
Zachodnie granice Polski kształtowane były na mocy postanowień traktatu wersalskiego, natomiast granice wschodnie tworzone były nie przez polityków i dyplomatów, a przez armie poszczególnych państw, które na bezkresnych ziemiach Europy Wschodniej wytyczały nowe granice. Wycofujące się oddziały niemieckie pozostawiały wolną przestrzeń, która była przedmiotem zainteresowań wielu państw. Również Wojsko Polskie, a także mieszkająca na tym obszarze mniejszość polska, postanowiły wykorzystać sytuację i ukształtować ostateczne granice Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej.
First days of January 1919 were marked by clashes between the forces of Self-Defense, created by the Polish inhabitants of Vilnius, and the communists. The clash lasted several days – it ended with the conquest of the city by the nearby Red Army units and Poles’ withdrawal from the city. Shortly afterward, on February 13, 1919, a small unit of the Polish Army, going eastward, came across a Red Army unit near Bereza Kartuska (in present-day Belarus). The encounter concluded with a Polish victory and turned out to be the first battle of the Polish-Bolshevik war.
First clashes
In the year of 1919 several skirmishes between the Polish and Bolshevik forces took place. The Polish forces managed to occupy two important cities – Vilnius and Minsk. The Polish Army also joined the Latvian-Bolshevik war. In January 1920 the Polish-Latvian forces jointly liberated the Latvian Dyneburg.
The decision of Marshal Józef Piłsudski to support the emerging Ukrainian state in the east was a breakthrough for the war. In April 1920, Piłsudski allied with the Ukrainian leader Symon Petlura. Polish statesman believed that the existence of the independent Ukrainian state would also be beneficial for Poland as it would separate Poland from Russia.
On April 25, 1920 the Kyiv expedition began – the allied Polish-Ukrainian forces set off to liberate the Ukrainian capital from Bolshevik rule. On May 7, the city was liberated, and two days later, a solemn parade of allied forces took place. It was hugely symbolic given that just a year before Poles and Ukrainians fought fiercely against each other for the rule of Lviv.
The Red Army launched an offensive. Massive Bolshevik forces were deployed against Poland, including the notorious 1st Calvary Army led by Siemion Budionny, known for both mobility and cruelty. According Bolsheviks’ plans, the Red Army was to conquer Warsaw, then get to Germany, join with the local revolutionaries and march together to the West. On June 10, 1920, Polish soldiers withdrew from Kyiv. Massed Bolshevik column were heading towards the Polish capital…