Polish National Districts (called in Russian "полрайоны", ''polrajony'', an abbreviation for "польские национальные районы", "Polish national
raion
A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is co ...
s") were in the
interbellum period
In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relativel ...
possessing some form of a national autonomy in the
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
and
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republics
The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...
of the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. They were created in an attempt to live up to the postulate of
Leninism about the rights of nations for
self-determination. Also, creation of these regions served one of purposes of the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
to
export the revolution
Export of the revolution is actions by a victorious revolutionary government of one country to promote similar revolutions in unruled areas or other countries as a manifestation of revolutionary internationalism of certain kind, such as the Marxi ...
since after their defeat in the
Polish-Soviet War, the Soviets did not give up their idea of creating a Soviet Republic in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. Polish National Districts were supposed to be the origin of future Soviet Poland,
[Jerzy Waszkiewicz, Polish autonomy in the Soviet ethnic policy system (in Polish)]
but they both were disbanded in mid-1930s and their populations expelled to
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, with many of them killed during the
Great Purge
The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secret ...
.
Origins
The possibility of granting autonomy to Polish-populated areas of the Soviet Union was discussed during the Polish-Soviet war by key persons involved in the
Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee
Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee ( pl, Tymczasowy Komitet Rewolucyjny Polski, Polrewkom; russian: Польревком) (July–August 1920) was a revolutionary committee created under the patronage of Soviet Russia with the goal to e ...
. However, there were no plans to create whole districts; autonomy would be granted to separate villages. In 1925 it was decided that a district would be created in
Soviet Ukraine
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, where, according to the 1926 survey, 476,435 Poles lived. This was 1.6% of the Ukrainian population, but in the
Zhitomir Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...
, their number reached 10%. Among persons who supported the district were Soviet communists of Polish origin, such as
Feliks Kon
Feliks Yakovlevich Kon (18 May 1864 – 30 July 1941) was a Polish communist activist, politician, ethnographer, publicist and journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of the Soviet satirical magazine, '' Krokodil''.
Life and career
Born in ...
,
Julian Marchlewski
Julian Baltazar Józef Marchlewski (17 May 1866 – 22 March 1925) was a Polish communist politician, revolutionary activist and publicist who served as chairman of the Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee. He was also known under the al ...
,
Felix Dzerzhinsky and
Tomasz Dąbal. Thus Marchlewszczyzna was created, and later Dzierżyńszczyzna.
Marchlewszczyzna
![Polski Rejon Narodowy im](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Polski_Rejon_Narodowy_im._Juliana_Marchlewskiego.jpg)
Marchlewszczyzna was the Polish National District (Мархлевский польский национальный район) in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
created as an experiment
[ and as part of the Soviet Korenizatsia campaign][Yakubova, L. ]
Ethnic-based administrative territorial development in the Ukrainian SSR in 1924-1940 (НАЦІОНАЛЬНЕ АДМІНІСТРАТИВНО-ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНЕ БУДІВНИЦТВО В УСРР/УРСР 1924–1940)
'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. 2010 on 21 July 1925[ in Zhytomyr Okruha on resolution of Little Presidium of the ]All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee
All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee ( uk, italic=yes, Всеукраїнський центральний виконавчий комітет) was a representative body of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. It was the supreme legislative ...
.[ Its capital the town of ]Dovbysh
Dovbysh ( uk, Довбиш) is an urban-type settlement in Zviahel Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. The settlement was also known as Marchlewsk after the Polish-born Soviet politician and civil activist Julian Marchlewski. Population:
History
I ...
, later in 1926, was renamed as Marchlewsk.[Historical information of urban-type settlement Dovbysh of Baranivka Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast (ІСТОРИЧНА ДОВІДКА СМТ ДОВБИШ БАРАНІВСЬКОГО РАЙОНУ ЖИТОМИРСЬКОЇ ОБЛАСТІ)]
Dovbysh community. 7 July 2018 The district was one of 32 other national districts that were created in the Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
during that period (1924-1939).[ Creation of the district was based on standards adopted by the 4th session of the ]All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee
All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee ( uk, italic=yes, Всеукраїнський центральний виконавчий комітет) was a representative body of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. It was the supreme legislative ...
(15-19 February 1925) and recommendations of Central Commission in affairs of National Minorities at that executive committee.[ It was created to implement an idea in creation of Polish national districts on territories of Ukrainian and Belarusian SSRs.][
The district was located far away from railroad in which numerically dominated settlements of ]khutir
A khutor ( rus, хутор, p=ˈxutər) or khutir ( uk, хутiр, pl. , ''khutory'') is a type of rural locality in some countries of Eastern Europe; in the past the term mostly referred to a single- homestead settlement. type (farmsteads).[ Village Dovbysh was a small settlement around porcelain factory.][ The district did not have telephone and ]telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
communications and by general estimates it was economically backwards.[ At the beginning stage the district was composed of 26 rural communities (so called selsoviet) with general area of 620 km2.][ Later 108 populated places were united into 34 communities (30 Polish, 2 Ukrainian, 2 German).][ In percentage relation the population consisted of 68.8% of Polish people, 19.2% of Ukrainians, 8.8% of Germans, 2.5% of Jews, 0.5% of Russians.][ In 1932 the number of communities increased to 38 with 34 being Polish.][
Official opening ceremony of the district took place on 27 March 1926 with participation of Felix Dzerzhinsky, ]Feliks Kon
Feliks Yakovlevich Kon (18 May 1864 – 30 July 1941) was a Polish communist activist, politician, ethnographer, publicist and journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of the Soviet satirical magazine, '' Krokodil''.
Life and career
Born in ...
, Samuil Lazovert, Boleslav Skarbek, Józef Unszlicht
Józef Unszlicht or Iosif Stanislavovich Unshlikht (russian: Ио́сиф Станисла́вович У́ншлихт; nicknames "Jurowski", "Leon") (31 December 1879 – 29 July 1938) was a Polish and Russian revolutionary activist, a Soviet go ...
at the First district congress of Soviets (27-30 April 1926) where in total took part 103 delegates and 500 visitors.[ The newly created district received valuable presents: from Moscow Factory "Tribuna" were 2 tractors with ploughs, from "Pratsia" association – radio receivers, from Polish department of the People's Commissariat of Enlightenment of the ]Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
– otoscope
An otoscope or auriscope is a medical device which is used to look into the ears. Health care providers use otoscopes to screen for illness during regular check-ups and also to investigate ear symptoms. An otoscope potentially gives a view of ...
s.[ In 1927 took place the Second congress of Soviets of Marchlewski District at which were present Tomasz Dąbal, Samuil Lazovert, Boleslav Skarbek. During celebration of the 10th Anniversary of 1917 ]October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
the Polish District was visited by Polish delegation.[
As a type of Soviet propaganda, the subdivision was located just from the eastern border of the Second Polish Republic and was named after the Polish ]Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
Julian Marchlewski
Julian Baltazar Józef Marchlewski (17 May 1866 – 22 March 1925) was a Polish communist politician, revolutionary activist and publicist who served as chairman of the Provisional Polish Revolutionary Committee. He was also known under the al ...
, who was a rector of the [ and dreamed of Poland becoming part of the Soviet Union. The Marchlewszczyzna had to become an exemplary autonomous district where Bolsheviks sought to demonstrate to their western neighbor ]Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
that Polish as nation also will submit to "government of workers and peasants".[Marchlewszczyzna, Polish autonomous district (Мархлевщина – польський автономний район)]
Studentskyi polskyi klub. 19 November 2015 Function of the Polish District had boldly expressed political composition.[ About that more than once had spoken the leader of Polish section of the Central Commission in affairs of National Minorities Jan Saulewicz.][
The raion was established out of the already existing Pulyny Raion.][ Later in 1930 the rest of Pulyny Raion was transformed into German National District.][ Soon after the establishment of Marchlewski Polish National District, territorial division by governorates in the ]Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
was abolished and Marchlewszczyzna became part at first of Zhytomyr Okruha and after establishing of Kyiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...
in 1932 part of Novohrad Volynskyi Okruha.[
In the initial years of the district's existence, local Poles enjoyed limited autonomy, with 55 Polish-language schools, 80 reading rooms and a Polish daily ''Marchlewszczyzna Radziecka'' (''Soviet Marchlewszczyzna'').][ At the same time, its inhabitants were subject to intense communist propaganda. Polish grammar rules, regarded as ''bourgeoisie'', were changed; however, the district lacked educated people. The majority of its inhabitants were Catholic peasants who were not interested in communist ideas. Therefore, such persons as Tomasz Dąbal were brought there to propagate atheism. An organization named the Polish Anti-Catholic Section was also founded.
As one of Dovbysh residents recall, after local elections some newly elected officials were soon arrested and taken away in "Chornyi voronok" (a special NKVD car that was used to carry detained).][Kabachiy, Roman. ]
Polish in Polissia
'. The Ukrainian Week
''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...
. 29 May 2009 Among such was father of Halyna (Helena) Trybel, Jan Trybel who spent in exile 20 years.[ Halyna Trybel happened to be a mother of ]Yuriy Yekhanurov
Yuriy Ivanovych Yekhanurov ( uk, Юрій Іванович Єхануров, ; born August 23, 1948) is a Ukrainian politician who was Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2005 to 2006 and Minister of Defense from 2007 to 2009.
Background and professi ...
.[
Soviet authorities, who wanted to create Polish laborers, future citizens of the Polish Soviet Republic, built several factories as well as power plants and telephone lines. This also brought about improvement in the quality of life, but all efforts were destroyed in the early 1930s, when collectivization began (see ]collectivization in the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union introduced the collectivization (russian: Коллективизация) of its agricultural sector between 1928 and 1940 during the ascension of Joseph Stalin. It began during and was part of the first five-year plan. Th ...
). Polish peasants opposed it fiercely, and thousands of them perished in the Holodomor (Enforced famine).[
Initially, ethnic Poles constituted around 70% of district's population, which in 1926 totalled around 41,000. Other inhabitants were Ukrainians (20%), Germans (7%) and Jews. In 1930, after several adjacent villages were added to Marchlewszczyzna, the population grew to 52,000, with Poles still constituting 70%. It has been estimated that the district consisted of around 100 villages, settlements and smaller towns.
In 1935 on ]resolution
Resolution(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
* Resolution (debate), the statement which is debated in policy debate
* Resolution (law), a written motion adopted by a deliberative body
* New Year's resolution, a commitment that an individual mak ...
of the Central Executive Committee of the Soviet Union (signed by Grigoriy Petrovskiy) the Polish national raion was abolished and split between newly formed Chervonoarmiyskyi Raion and Baranivka Raion
Baranivka Raion ( uk, Баранівський район) was a raion (district) of Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country af ...
,[ ]Kyiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...
, while some communities were also transferred to either Novohrad-Volynskyi
Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of Polish–Lithuanian ...
or Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative ...
municipalities. In Zhytomyr Oblast
Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...
former Marchlewszczyzna appeared upon creation of the oblast in 1938.[
Soon after dissolution of the Soviet Union, since 1996 in local town school Polish language is being taught once again on efforts of the local Polish Society of Jan Paul II.][ Already in 1990 in Dovbysh was revived local Catholic parish.][
]
Dzierżyńszczyzna
Dzierżyńszczyzna was a Polish National District (Дзержинский польский национальный район, Dzierzhynsky Polish national district) in Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, near Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
and close to the Soviet-Polish border of the time. It was created on March 15, 1932, with its capital at Dzierżyńsk (formerly known as Kojdanava pl, Kojdanów, so that initially it was established as "Kojdanovsky Polish national district").["ПОЛЬСКИЕ НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЕ АДМИНИСТРАТИВНО-ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНЫЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ В БССР В 1930-е гг."]
/ref> It was named after the Cheka director Felix Dzerzhinsky.
Similarly to Marchlewszczyzna, limited Polish autonomy in the area was a real fact, with Polish-language schools, libraries and institutions. At the same time, the inhabitants were subject to intensive communist propaganda. Religious life was suppressed, and the campaign of collectivization, carried out in mid-1930s, met resistance of local Polish peasants. Unlike Marchlewszczyzna, which was the real center of Polish cultural life in the Soviet Union, Dzierżyńszczyzna's influence was limited.
Disbanding
Polish districts were among those which resisted Soviet collectivization
Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member- ...
and atheization. For political reasons, drastic measures were initially not applied in these areas. Eventually, Marchlewszczyzna was disbanded in 1935 at the onset of the Great Purge
The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secret ...
and most of the administration was executed. In the following years, many men were shot (111,091 according to NKVD 00485 Order, women and children deported to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
and other remote areas of the Soviet Union.[
Dzierżyńszczyzna was disbanded in 1937.][
All Polish schools and libraries were closed, Tomasz Dąbal was executed in 1938.
After ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, in both Polish and Soviet historiographies
Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians hav ...
, the existence of the districts was omitted, perhaps because the authorities of both countries wanted to avoid uneasy questions about sudden rejection of the Leninist postulate of the rights of nations for self-determination.
The area of Marchlewszczyzna is still inhabited by the Polish minority, in the town of Dovbysh they make half of the population. There are also Poles in Dzierżyńszczyzna.
See also
*Polish operation of the NKVD
The ''Polish Operation'' of the NKVD (Soviet security service) in 1937–1938 was an anti-Polish mass-ethnic cleansing operation of the NKVD carried out in the Soviet Union against Poles (labeled by the Soviets as "agents") during the period of ...
* Population transfer in the Soviet Union
*German Districts
In all German states, except for the three city states, the primary administrative subdivision higher than a '' Gemeinde'' (municipality) is the (official term in all but two states) or (official term in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia ...
References
* Mikolaj Iwanow, Pierwszy naród ukarany. Polacy w Związku Radzieckim 1921-1939 (''The first nation to be punished: Poles in the USSR, 1921-1939''), Warsaw-Wroclaw. Panstwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. 1991.
* Nikołaj Iwanow, Zapomniane ludobójstwo. Polacy w państwie Stalina. „Operacja polska” 1937–1938, Znak Horyzont, Kraków 2014
{{Authority control
Geographic history of Belarus
Geographic history of Ukraine
Subdivisions of the Soviet Union
20th century in Ukraine
1930s in Belarus
Ethnic Poles in the Soviet Union