LITHUANIAN-BYELORUSSIAN LANDS IN POLISH POLITICAL PLANS DURING WORLD WAR I

Abstract

The Polish political elite’s views on the future of Lithuanian-Byelorussian lands are considered in the article. The lands were a part of the Russian Empire and were occupied byGermanyduring World War I. The representatives of various Polish parties persistently tried to achieve the inclusion of Lithuanian-Byelorussian lands into the territory of the revived Polish state. Proving the rights ofPolandfor those territories, they pointed to an essential contribution of Poles to the development of the region and to the centuries-old civilizing mission of Polish people extending the Western culture to the lands of historicalLithuania. «Cultural and economic superiority» of Poles in those areas was quite often emphasized. The Poles endured painfully the infringement of their national rights from the occupational authorities during World War I. Proving the need to include Lithuanian-Byelorussian lands in the structure ofPoland, they used not only historical and cultural arguments. Arguing on borders, Polish politicians sought to create favorable conditions for sustainable and successful development of futurePoland. They were convinced that both independence in foreign policy and economic progress were possible only through the attaching of the lands of the formerPolish-LithuanianCommonwealthtoPoland. Such a state would have to be viable and able to have enough opportunities for controlling the main neighbors –GermanyandRussia. All that, according to Polish politicians, would be equitable to the interests ofEuropein general.