- In 1951, the USSR took Polish People's Republic with coal-rich “klano Bugu”, offering in return infertile mountain areas in Bieszczady
- At the end of 1952, another proposal appeared. The Polish People's Republic was to give Stalin, among others, the neighbouring “Bugu Circle” of Hrubieszów and receive, for this, the close Przemyśl Dobromil and Chyrów
- Polish archives preserved the content of the russian note and a map illustrating the fresh course of borders. The exchange did not yet occur. The substance may have become besides irrelevant in the face of large changes at the tops of the russian Union
- More crucial information can be found on the Onetu homepage
OneAfter the Second planet War Poland lost a immense amount of land in the east behind the alleged Curzona line, which were annexed by the russian Union. It was almost 180 1000 sq mi, i.e. 48% of the area of II Rzeczpospolita. In return, German-owned areas and east Prussia were annexed to Poland. A full of just over 100 1000 sq km. failure of east Edges and connection of so-called. Lands recovered were sanctioned in the Treaty of 16 August 1945 between the USSR and Polish communists from PKWN.
We all know that story. However, this was not the end of the border perturbation between the USSR and the People's Poland under its control. rather well documented and described, although little known, is the case Exchange of 1951, erstwhile Stalin took for himself the alleged Bug knee, with the towns of Belz and Sokal located there. All due to the fact that the Soviets discovered a rich coal deposit there. In return, the USSR gave Poland a fragment of the pre-war Leski territory with Lower Injections, i.e. barren, mountain dirt and exploited oil deposits.
Review of the russian Plan
But as it turns out, another exchange could have occurred about a year and a half later. papers with a map and information on this subject can be found in the Archive of fresh Acts in the Central Committee's squad of PZPR and have been described years ago, among others, by historian Jack Tebinka in the quarterly "The Latest Days".
What was all that about?
After the exchange of 1951, the russian Union addressed the authorities of the Polish People's Republic with the "proposation" of another territorial exchange. The USSR wanted to get areas that were straight bordering those that had been seized a year earlier. The Soviets were targeted by the city of Hrubiesh and its surroundings. In return, the PRL would receive the same area adjacent to the areas received in 1951. These would include, among others, the cities of Dobromil and Chyrów.
GoogleMapsThere was a change in borders from 1952/1953 against the background of the modern map of Poland. The red ellipse marked about the area which could have reached the USSR, green one, which could have returned to Poland.
Polish communists already in 1945, during the setting of the border with the USSR requested the inclusion of Chyrov in Poland. It was about gaining control of an crucial railway node that remained on the russian side. However, the Soviets did not agree, without taking into account this and many another affirmative amendments to Curzon's line from the point of view of Poland, which emerged among the arrangements of the Yalta Conference and the provisions of the border treaty. Hence, the border in many places crossed not only communication lines, but besides full villages and even individual farms.
There's been a change of boundaries. This is what Poland would look like after 1953.
If the limit proposed at the end of 1952 had entered into force, it would have been from the north to the south: it would have started on Bug, about east to Bereźnica. The russian Union would include Horodło and Hrubieszów, as well as Turkowice and Tyszowce. Finally, at the confederate end, the border line would be in contact with the current border somewhere east of the village of Kornie. On the Polish side there would be villages specified as Annopol, Podhorce, Werbkowice, Łasche and mentioned Kornie, which would no longer be bordered by the USSR, but besides from the east.
The consent to specified an exchange would mean the failure of the majority of the region of Hrubieszów and the east part of the territory of Tomaszów by the Polish People's Republic. The area of the site would be about 1,000, 300 sq mi.
According to preserved documents, the Soviets were to pass on to Poles part of the Drohobyt region with Dobromil and Chyrow. The border, looking from north to south, would begin close the village of Czerniawa. On the Polish side there would be places specified as Hussaki, Stara Sól and Strzelki. At the confederate end, the border line would come into contact with the current border close the village of Sokoliki. On the side of the USSR there would be, among others, Bolanowice, Zylce and Old Sambor.
What did Stalin want? “This would be a useful consideration”
According to Jacek Tebinka, "a russian proposal must be sought in exchange in 1951". According to the researcher, Moscow, after taking over the Bug Colon with Bełz and Sokal, could have known that the coal deposits discovered there were even further westward, thus inactive belonging to the PRL. And since Polish communists had already been curious in the railway junction in Chyrów, whose connection with Przemyśl interrupted the border, Stalin and his surroundings most likely felt that it would be beneficial to make specified an exchange.
From the papers we can learn that the russian side clearly stated that it needed another fragment of the territory of the Polish People's Republic due to the coal deposit, and in return it could return another fragment rich in oil, in fact completely exploited. Any adjustments to the proposed fresh borders could be made to the map during the negotiations. Unlike the 1951 arrangements, the USSR did not rise this time the issue of financial compensation from the Polish side. However, as with the erstwhile exchange, there was a request for forced displacement of the population from both areas.
“The Latest Days”, yearbook, 1994 / Digital Repository of technological InstitutesThe under-change of territories in 1952/1953. In the red region of Hrubieszów, which was to go to the USSR. The green area of Dobromila and Chyrov was to return to Poland.
The preserved note states: "In order to make the coal manufacture in this area, it would be useful to consider the question of possible exchange of territories with the Polish People's Republic under mutually beneficial conditions".
According to the historian, “the paper unfortunately does not contain the date, the addressee or the name of the author of the proposal. The usage of the name Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa indicates that it was transferred to Warsaw after 22 July 1952, erstwhile the Legislative Sejm passed a constitution amending the name of the state". The investigator estimates that the USSR presented a proposal to the PRL authorities at the turn of November and December of this year. The writing must have been accepted by Joseph Stalin.
We can besides presume that the information was presented to Bolesław Bierut and the leadership of the PZPR, due to the fact that the paper was included in a collection containing correspondence from the highest levels of parties.
Reproduction / PAPJózef Stalin and Bolesław Bierut on the propaganda poster.
Trouble with the PRL authorities. Rumors spread
"The communist authorities in Warsaw were most likely not satisfied with the renewed russian initiative to change the border. She could only origin trouble. Consent to the demands of the USSR would mean additional budgetary expenditure, the request to resettle respective tens of thousands of people, and, above all, would confirm the impermanence of the borders of the Polish People's Republic. Rumors about changing the east border to the detriment of Poland have spread among the population since the late 1940s and have been strengthened by the exchange in 1951. However, the PRL government did not have much area for manoeuvre in relations with Moscow,” writes Tebinka in "The Newest Days".
So, in fact, everything was on the best — from the Soviets’ point of view — the way to make the exchange successful, as in the erstwhile year. In the end, however, there was no modification. Hrubieszów remained in Poland and Dobromil and Chyrzy in the USSR, now in Ukraine.
The reasons for failure to implement the plan are not clear due to the deficiency of access to russian archives. 1 possible and highly probable version was Stalin's illness and death on 5 March 1953. specified a breakthrough change at the summits of power in the russian Union most likely made the subject of a tiny border correction in the red empire a insignificant issue. Busy fighting over Stalin’s schedule, russian comrades stopped worrying about Hrubieszov and Chyrov.
