Polish Corridor and East Prussia. German proposals for the Danzig Corridor

The Polish, or Danzig, Corridor (German: Polnischer Korridor) is the name of a strip of land received by Poland under the Versailles Treaty of 1919 and giving it access to the Baltic Sea. The term was first introduced by Polish politicians in their critical articles regarding German nationalists.

Edition used: Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front. Investigative and judicial materials from archival criminal cases of German prisoners of war 1944-1952. (Compiled by V.S. Khristoforov, V.G. Makarov). M., 2011. Comments.

“Polish Corridor”, Danzig Corridor, found in the historiography of 1919-1945, the name of a narrow strip of Polish territory returned to Poland after the 1st World War and giving it access to the Baltic Sea. Pl. 16,295 square kilometers, length from north to south approx. 230 km, width in the south. parts up to 200 km, in the north. parts (at the narrowest point) 30 km, the length of the coastline is 71 km. "P. to." separated East. Prussia and the "Free City of Danzig" (Gdansk) from the rest of post-war Germany (see the map at Art. Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919). In 1933 the fascist government Germany declared its claims to "P. to.". In 1938, it demanded that Vost. Prussia, the area of ​​the "Free City of Danzig", which was under the control of the League of Nations, and allow Germany to build extraterritorial railways. and highways through "P. to.". Burzh. Produced in Poland under the pressure of people. The masses refused to satisfy these demands of the German imperialists, which was one of the pretexts for the German attack on Poland on September 1. 1939.

Used materials of the Soviet military encyclopedia in 8 volumes, volume 6.

Read further:

Germany in the XX century (chronological table).

Historical faces of Germany: | | | In |

Danzig corridor, - the name in 1919-45 of a narrow strip of Polish. land received by bourgeois-landlord Poland under the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and giving it access to the Baltic. m. Polish arrays. Balt. lands, as well as app. Polish lands to the Oder and Neisse, were, according to the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919, left as part of Germany. Polish The city of Gdansk was together with the adjacent territory. allocated to a special state. education - "Free City of Danzig" (under the protectorate of the League of Nations). Since Gdansk was separated from Poland, P. to. ended with a narrow strip of the sea coast just 71 km away, on which there were several. small settlements. In 1922, on the site of one of the villages, the construction of the Polish. of the city of Gdynia, the width of the P. k. did not exceed 200 km, and at its narrowest point it was 30 km. Keeping Polish under its yoke. lands to the east and west of P. k., Germany controlled the outlet of Wormwood to the sea. After the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the imperialists put their practical. the task of achieving the elimination of P. to. in order to deprive Poland of access to the sea and connect the East. Prussia, which remained part of post-Versailles Germany, with other German territories. After the establishment of the fascist dictatorship in Germany (1933), the Nazi government began to show Polish. pr-wu specific territories. claims. Re-acc. the rulers of Poland ignored the threats from Germany. After the capture by Poland in the beginning. oct. 1938 Cieszyn Silesia, which followed the Munich Agreement of 1938, Polish. the imperialists began to hatch plans for separating the Transcarpathian Ukraine from Czechoslovakia. They intended to carry out their plans with the help of germs. imperialists. The production of "rehabilitation" Poland, also driven by anti-Sovs. plans, it was ready to collude with the fascists. Germany at the expense of P. to. For this purpose, in October. - Nov. 1938 Polish Ambassador to Germany Yu. Lipsky negotiated with I. Ribbentrop. Hitler's government put forward a project to annex Gdansk to Germany and establish an extraterritorial German border from East to West through P. corridor. Under the pressure of masses of Polish pr-in refused to satisfy the territory. German claims. imperialists, which served as one of the pretexts for the attack of the fascists. Germany to Poland in Sept. 1939. After the defeat of the fascist. Germany, all the original Polish lands, by decision of the Crimean Conference of 1945, and then the Potsdam Conference of 1945, became part of the PPR. Lit .: Grosh V., At the origins of September 1939, trans. from Polish., M., 1951.

Description

Polish Corridor for the first time in centuries after sections of the Commonwealth gave independent Poland access to the sea, which was important for its economy and security, and reduced its dependence on Germany. Medium width corridor did not exceed 200 km(in the narrowest and most vulnerable place - 30 km). The corridor ended in a narrow lane Baltic coast only 71 km long. However, due to constant German pressure, Poland never received its full sovereign control over the corridor. Surrounding it with its territory in the east and west and actually blocking it from the Baltic, Germany held under military control Poland's narrow outlet to the sea. AT 1938 began a gradual increase in the aggression of the government of Nazi Germany. She began to implement the project of annexation Danzig which was managed The League of nations. Germany insisted on granting it the right of land and sea transit through the Polish Corridor. Under pressure from the anti-German masses, the Polish government refused to satisfy these claims, regarding them as a manifestation of imperialism. The refusal to satisfy the request served as one of the pretexts for the attack of fascist Germany on Poland. September 1 1939. The so-called Polish campaign.

Ethnic composition of the corridor

After the Treaty of Versailles, the issue of observance of the rights of ethnic Germans, who found themselves in the position of a minority and were not accustomed to this, became acute in the region. After the passage of the territory of the corridor to Poland, the local German population (418 thousand, according to the data of 1910) painfully perceived their new “non-titular status”. So-called "positive discrimination" began almost automatically against them. Repatriation to Germany became a way out for some of the local Germans who did not want to accept the Polish citizenship. Their share in the population began to decline also due to lower birth rates. Nevertheless, the numerical (0.2 million - 19.1%) and economic weight of the German minority remained a significant reason for stimulating German nationalism and revanchist ambitions in Germany itself.

Percentage of the German population in the "corridor" according to the census after its transfer to Poland in .

District, county, poviat (Polish and German names)	Population	Germans	Share, %
Dzyaldovo(Soldau)	23.290	8.187	34,5 %
Lyubava(Löbau)	59.765	4.478	7,6 %
Brodnitsa(Strasburg)	61.180	9.599	15,7 %
Vombzhezno(Brizen)	47.100	14.678	31,1 %
Torun(Thorn)	79.247	16.175	20,4 %
Chełmno(Culm)	46.823	12.872	27,5 %
Svece(Sweden)	83.138	20.178	20,3 %
Grudziadz(Graudenz)	77.031	21.401	27,8 %
Tchev(Dirschau)	62.905	7.854	12,5 %
Wejherowo(Neustadt)	71.692	7.857	11,0 %
Kartuzy(Karthouse)	64.631	5.037	7,8 %
Koscezhina(Berent)	49.935	9.290	18,6 %
Starogard Gdańsk(Prussian Stargard)	62.400	5.946	9,5 %
Chojnice(Konitz)	71.018	13.129	18,5 %
Tuchola(Tukhel)	34.445	5.660	16,4 %
Sempulno-Krajenskie(Zempelburg)	27.876	13.430	48,2 %
Total	922.476	175.771	19,1 %

After 1945

Literature

Notes

Categories:

• Poland in the 20th century
• Germany in the 20th century
• History of Poland
• Baltic Sea
• Poland during World War II
• History of Gdansk
• Pomerania

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

See what the "Polish Corridor" is in other dictionaries:

- (Danzig Corridor) in literature, the name of a strip of land received by Poland under the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and giving it access to the Baltic Sea ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- “POLISH CORRIDOR” (“Danzig Corridor”), in literature, the name of the strip of land received by Poland under the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and giving it access to the Baltic Sea ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (“Polish Corridor”) Danzig Corridor, the name found in historiography in 1919 1945 of a strip of land received by Poland under the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 (See Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919) and giving it access to ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Danzig corridor, name in 1919 45 of a narrow strip of Polish. land received by the bourgeoisie. landlord Poland under the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and giving her access to the Baltic. m. Polish arrays. Balt. lands, as well as app. Polish land... Soviet historical encyclopedia

- (“Danzig Corridor”), in literature, the name of a strip of land received by Poland under the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and giving it access to the Baltic Sea ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Polish corridor- (Danzig Corridor) (Polish Corridor) Polish Corridor, formerly. the region of Poland, which extended into the north. towards the coast of the Baltic Sea and separated East Prussia from the rest of Germany. Being in the 18th century. part of the Polish Pomerania, in ... ... Countries of the world. Vocabulary

- (Polish Corridor), nam. terr., separating the former. Vost. Prussia from Germany. Withdrawn to Poland under the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, gave her access to the Baltic Sea. Historically terr. from the 18th century belonged to Polish Pomerania, but was ... ... The World History

- (also the Brussels Corridor, De-exclavation of Brussels, fr. Un couloir francophone) has become one of the most controversial plans for the administrative and territorial reorganization of Flanders in order to unite de facto French-speaking (de jure ... ... Wikipedia

It. corridore, Spanish corredor, fr. corridor, from lat. currere, run. Narrow passage from one room to another. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots. Michelson A.D., 1865. corridor corridor ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Wallonia (also the Brussels Corridor, De-Exclavation of Brussels, French Un couloir francophone) proposed in 2008 a plan for the administrative and territorial reorganization of Flanders in order to unite de facto French-speaking (de jure ... ... Wikipedia

After the First World War, under the Treaty of Versailles. "Corridor", consisting of part of Polish Pomerania along the Vistula, forming the Pomeranian Voivodeship, but excluding the Free City of Danzig. The term was first used by Polish politicians, translated from German to to criticize German nationalists.

1. Background

Through the difficulties that followed the East Prussian Plebiscite, which ended with significant German success, the German Ministry for Transport established Seedienst Ostpreuen("Naval Service of East Prussia") in 1922 to provide a ferry connection with the German exclave of East Prussia, to be independent in transit through Polish territory. In the 1920s and especially the 1930s, according to German propaganda, it was reported that German planes and buses that crossed the territory of the Second Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth were fired upon by the Polish police and militia, on their way to/from East Prussia.

The creation of the corridor aroused great resentment in Germany, and all post-war German Weimar governments refused to recognize the eastern borders agreed upon at Versailles.

3. Nazi Era

The Nazis could not achieve their immediate goals without provocation and armed conflict, in 1938 Nazi Germany annexed Austria and the Sudetenland after the Munich Agreement. In October 1938, Germany tried to force Poland to join the Anti-Comintern Pact. Poland refused, as the alliance brought Poland into the sphere of influence of an increasingly powerful Germany.

After negotiations with Hitler after the Munich Agreement, British Prime Minister Chamberlain reported, "He told me in private, and last night he repeated publicly, that once the Sudeten German issue is settled, this is the end of Germany's territorial claims in Europe."

Almost immediately after the Munich Agreement, Hitler changed his word. The Nazis stepped up their requests for the annexation of the Free City of Danzig to the Reich, marking the "Protection" of the German majority.

The situation with the Free City and the Polish Corridor created a number of problems for the German and Polish customs.

The Germans invited the status of an extraterritorial highway (Berlink) and a railway through the Polish Corridor connecting East Prussia with Danzig and Germany. Poland agreed to build a German highway and to allow German rail traffic. However, no agreement was reached on the free city of Danzig.

German newspapers in Nazi Germany and Danzig played an important role in arousing nationalist feeling; headlines were buzzing about how Poland was abusing its economic rights in Danzig At the same time, Hitler also offered Poland additional territory in exchange, such as the possible annexation of Lithuania, Klaipeda, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. However, the Polish leaders continued to fear the loss of their independence and common destiny with Czechoslovakia, although they also took part in its resolution. Some backlash, which in the Danzig issue is inextricably linked with the problems in the Polish corridor, and any decision on Danzig was one step towards the possible loss of Poland's access to the sea. However, confidence in Hitler outside of Germany was very low after the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

In 1939, Nazi Germany made another attempt to reset Danzig's status; the city to be united with the Reich, the Polish population must "leave" or be resettled elsewhere. Poland must retain a permanent right to use the port city and a route through the Polish Corridor must be constructed. However, the Poles had doubts about Hitler and saw the plan as a threat to Polish sovereignty, practically subjugating Poland to the Anti-Comintern Pact, bringing the country close to subjugation. Additionally, Poland had guarantees of support from both the United Kingdom and France in Danzig.

The corrected and less favorable offer came in the form of an ultimatum made by the Nazis at the end of August, after the order had already been given to attack Poland on 1 September. However, in the north on August 29, Ribbentrop handed the British Ambassador Henderson a list of demands that would supposedly guarantee peace to Poland. Danzig was to return to Germany and a plebiscite was to be held there as to the Polish Corridor: all Poles had no right to vote, while all Germans born but living had. An exchange of national minorities between the two countries was proposed. If Poland accepted these terms, Germany would agree to the British offer of an international guarantee that would include the Soviet Union. The plenipotentiary representative of Poland, with full authority, was to arrive in Berlin and accept these conditions for tomorrow. The British Cabinet viewed the terms as "smart", apart from the terms for the Polish plenipotentiary, who was seen as similar to Czechoslovak President Emil Hach, who accepted Hitler's terms in mid-March 1939.

When Ambassador Joseph Lipsky went to meet Ribbentrop on August 30, he was made aware of Hitler's demands. However, he did not have full authority to sign and Ribbentrop ended the meeting. News was then relayed that Poland had rejected the German proposals.

4. Post-war period

In the 1945 Potsdam Conference, which was after Germany's defeat in World War II, Poland's borders were changed thanks to the persistence of the Soviet Union, which occupied the entire area. The territories to the east of the border along the Oder - Neisse, in particular the Corridor and Danzig, were transferred under Polish rule. East Germany recognized this border in 1953, West Germany recognized the border under the Warsaw Pact, and reunified Germany confirmed recognition in 1990 in the Treaty on the Final Delimitation of Germany.