Abstract
Following World War I, territorial disputes involving the former German Empire, and particularly the Eastern German periphery, were major issues that affected neighboring countries such as Poland and Czechoslovakia. A plebiscite between Germany and Poland was held in Upper Silesia, which is located on the periphery, to determine the location of the border. Finally, in October of 1921, the League of Nations Council resolved to divide the region into eastern and western sections.
This article focuses on the “Upper Silesian Free-State,” an independent state concept proposed by the Upper Silesian separatist movement. The idea of an independent state was raised in December 1918, with the main aim of separating Upper Silesia from Prussian and German states; later, especially during the “plebiscite campaign” that began in January 1920, the movement advocated for the creation of an independent state that included the southern part of Cieszyn/Těšín. Specific concepts for the Free State began to appear in the movement’s draft constitution, such as the establishment of state offices and universities. In the end, this concept of the “Greater Silesian Republic,” based on the political tensions between Poland and Czechoslovakia over Cieszyn/Těšín at the time, and the collapse of the precondition, fell apart.
