LoN Failure - Upper Silesia

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Upper Silesia 1921-1925

Both German and Polish people lived in Upper Silesia, so naturally, both countries claimed that they should own it.

Upper Silesia

Upper Silesia was on the border between Germany and Poland.
Both German and Polish people thought that they should own the region.

Plebiscite

Britain and France agreed that there should be a plebiscite (vote) so that the people could decide on what they wanted.
The League of Nations even sent troops in there to make sure that the plebiscite was run fairly.

Result of the plebiscite

The result was that 60% of people wanted to be part of Germany.
This angered the Polish people in Upper Silesia, who complained to the League that this wasn’t fair or that they didn't like the result.

Result of complaints

As a result, the League split Silesia into sections:
- Germany got the rural land.
- Poland got the industrial area.
Both countries wanted the industrial area as it was rich in iron, coal and steel production.

Further complaints

Although the terms of the partition of Silesia were agreed initially, in the end both Germany and Poland disagreed with it.
The Polish claimed they lost half a million of the Polish people to the land that now belonged to Germany and the Germans claimed that they lost too many coal mines.

Tensions

The League of Nations then presided over discussions between Germany and Poland.
The two countries agreed on trading laws, economic benefits, citizens' rights and border control in the two parts of Silesia.
On the 15th May 1922, the German-Polish Accord on East Silesia was signed in Geneva.
As time went on, tensions between these two countries continued to worsen.

1Key Topics

1.1Conflict & Cooperation 1918-1939

1.1.1The Treaty of Versailles

1.1.2The Terms of Versailles 1

1.1.3The Terms of Versailles 2

1.1.4Versailles & the League of Nations

1.1.5LoN Successes & Failures

1.1.6LoN Failure - Upper Silesia

1.1.7LoN Failure - Corfu & Washington

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Treaties and Agreements

1.1.9The Great Depression

1.1.10Tension in Europe in the 1930s

1.1.11WWII & Failure of the League of Nations

1.1.12End of Topic Test - Tension in the 1930s

1.1.13Grade 9 - Conflict & Cooperation

1.2The Cold War 1945-c.1989

1.2.1Emerging US-Soviet Rivalry

1.2.2Communism in the 20th Century

1.2.3The Truman Doctrine & Marshall Plan

1.2.4East-West Alliances

1.2.5Berlin Crises

1.2.6The End of the Berlin Wall

1.2.7End of Topic Test - East & West

1.2.8Build-up to the Cuban Missile Crisis

1.2.9The Cuban Missile Crisis

1.2.10Cold War Conflict - Vietnam

1.2.11Cold War Conflict - Afghanistan

1.2.12End of Topic Test - The Cold War 1945-1989

1.2.13Grade 9 - The Cold War

1.3From the End of the Cold War to 9/11

1.3.1Reagan & Gorbachev

1.3.2Consequences of the Soviet War in Afghanistan

1.3.3End of Topic Test - End of the Cold War to 9/11

1.3.4Grade 9 - The End of the Cold War

2Changing Interpretations

2.1Changing Interpretations

2.1.1Appeasement

2.1.2The Responsibility for Cold War Tensions

2.1.3End of Topic Test - Appeasement

2.1.4Grade 9 - Changing Interpretations

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