A new administration
The Inter-Allied Administrative and Plebiscite Commission took over the plebiscite territory in February 1920. It was chaired by French General Henri Le Rond. France, Britain and Italy participated in Allied administration, but their interests and partition proposals differed.
Sources for this passage
- Treaty of Versailles, Article 88 and Annex; editorial notes in FRUSFRUS editorial note: proclamation 11 February 1920; Second: administration; Partition plans: Allied proposals
- II Powstanie ŚląskieFRUS editorial note: proclamation 11 February 1920; Second: administration; Partition plans: Allied proposals
- Ideas for the Division of Upper Silesia After the PlebisciteFRUS editorial note: proclamation 11 February 1920; Second: administration; Partition plans: Allied proposals
Two commissariats
Wojciech Korfanty headed the Polish Plebiscite Commissariat at the Lomnitz Hotel in Bytom. Kurt Urbanek led the German commissariat in Katowice. The campaign involved newspapers, meetings and organisational work; competition extended beyond electoral argument.
Sources for this passage
- II Powstanie ŚląskieParagraph on commissariats and spring campaign
The dispute over the security police
One central dispute concerned the Sicherheitspolizei, the German security police retained in the plebiscite territory. The Polish side accused it of partiality and involvement in violence. Replacing it with a Polish–German police force became a principal aim of the August 1920 uprising.
Sources for this passage
- II Powstanie ŚląskieCampaign violence and demands for parity police
Violence in Katowice
On 17 August 1920 violent unrest in Katowice led to clashes with French soldiers. Andrzej Mielęcki, a doctor and Polish plebiscite activist helping the wounded, was killed by German rioters. Attacks on Polish institutions deepened the security crisis.
Sources for this passage
- II Powstanie ŚląskieParagraphs on 17–18 August unrest
The course of the fighting
The August 1920 uprising had stronger organisational support than the 1919 action. Alfons Zgrzebniok again directed operations. Insurgents took industrial areas and surrounded larger towns containing Allied garrisons or strong police units.
Sources for this passage
- II Powstanie ŚląskieCommand, blockade and industrial district paragraphs
The Second Uprising is conventionally dated from the night of 19–20 August to 25 August 1920. Mirosław Węcki’s detailed account also includes actions from 18 August and clashes through 28 August. Orders, the principal phase and final actions need not share the same date range.
The differing scopes are not reduced to one supposedly exact date.
Sources for this passage
- II Powstanie ŚląskieSecond: actions 18–28 August; exhibition leaflet: 19/20–25 August
- Powstania śląskie 1919–1921: exhibition leafletSecond: actions 18–28 August; exhibition leaflet: 19/20–25 August
The Plebiscite Police
The Allies dissolved the Sicherheitspolizei and established a parity-based Plebiscite Police, the Abstimmungspolizei (APO). This significantly changed the conditions of the campaign. It did not settle the region’s state affiliation: the vote still lay ahead.
Sources for this passage
- II Powstanie ŚląskieSecond: outcome; FRUS editorial notes: 24 August police reorganisation
- Treaty of Versailles, Article 88 and Annex; editorial notes in FRUSSecond: outcome; FRUS editorial notes: 24 August police reorganisation
Sources
- Ideas for the Division of Upper Silesia After the Plebiscite
Renata Skoczek · Institute of National Remembrance · 2021-05-07
- II Powstanie Śląskie
Mirosław Węcki · Instytut Pamięci Narodowej · 2025-08-19
- Powstania śląskie 1919–1921: exhibition leaflet
Instytut Pamięci Narodowej · 2021
- Treaty of Versailles, Article 88 and Annex; editorial notes in FRUS
Allied and Associated Powers; US Department of State editors · Office of the Historian, US Department of State · 1919 (treaty); 1947 (FRUS volume)
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