Little Treaty of Versailles or the Polish Minority Treaty was one of the
bilateral
Bilateral may refer to any concept including two sides, in particular:
*Bilateria, bilateral animals
*Bilateralism, the political and cultural relations between two states
*Bilateral, occurring on both sides of an organism ( Anatomical terms of l ...
Minority Treaties
The Minority Treaties are treaty, treaties, League of Nations mandates, and unilateral declarations made by countries applying for membership in the League of Nations that conferred basic rights on all the inhabitants of the country without disti ...
signed between minor powers and the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference th ...
in the
aftermath of the First World War
The aftermath of World War I saw drastic political, cultural, economic, and social change across Eurasia, Africa, and even in areas outside those that were directly involved. Four empires collapsed due to the war, old countries were abolished, ne ...
. The Polish treaty was signed on 28 June 1919, the same day as the main
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...
was signed, which is the reason for one of its names. It was the first of the Minority Treaties and served as a template for the subsequent ones; together with Articles 87-93 of Treaty of Versailles, it also formally established Poland as a sovereign and independent state on the international arena.
Background
Poland regained independence as the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of the First World ...
, after 123 years of
partitions
Partition may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive
* Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job
Software
* Partition (database), the division of ...
, in the
aftermath of the First World War
The aftermath of World War I saw drastic political, cultural, economic, and social change across Eurasia, Africa, and even in areas outside those that were directly involved. Four empires collapsed due to the war, old countries were abolished, ne ...
. The victorious powers decided that due to significant non-Polish minorities in areas claimed by Poland (which historically controlled many Lithuanian and Ruthenian territories under the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
and would likely inherit a substantial German minority within its new borders) and the ongoing civilian strife caused by the local wars (in particular the
Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918-1919 and
Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920), Poland had to sign the treaty in exchange for Polish independence and for Poland to sign the peace treaty with Germany (the Article 93 of the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...
stated that: ''"Poland accepts... provisions... to protect the interests of inhabitants of Poland who differ from the majority of the population in race, language, or religion"'').
[See th]
text of the Treaty of Versailles
. Note that identical requirement was given to Czechoslovakia in Article 86. In addition, the treaty declared that Poland had to take over a part of debts of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
n state and grant a
most favored nation clause in transit trade to "Allied and Associated States" (Articles 14-18).
The treaty
The Polish government declared its support for ''"total and complete protection of life and freedom of all people regardless of their birth, nationality, language, race or religion"'' (Article 2) and religious tolerance (Article 7 which stated that ''"difference of religion, creed, or confession shall not prejudice any Polish national in matters relating to the enjoyment of civil or political rights, as for instance the admission to Public employment, functions and honors, or the exercise of professions and industries"''). Provisions of the treaty ''"were obligations of international importance and were guaranteed by the League of Nations"''.
They could not be changed ''"without consent of majority of the League of Nations Council"'' (Article 12). National minorities could direct their complaints to the
League of Nations Council. Difference of opinions ''"in legal or actual matters"'' between Poland and any of the western powers or any of the members of the League of Nations Council, which would result from provisions of the treaty was to have an international character (Article 12).
The treaty was signed by Polish representatives at Versailles (
Roman Dmowski
Roman Stanisław Dmowski (Polish: , 9 August 1864 – 2 January 1939) was a Polish politician, statesman, and co-founder and chief ideologue of the National Democracy (abbreviated "ND": in Polish, "''Endecja''") political movement. He saw th ...
,
Ignacy Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versaill ...
) on 28 June 1919, the same day as the main
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1 ...
(hence it is known as ''Little'' or ''Small Treaty of Versailles''. The parliament of Poland, the
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
, ratified the treaty on 31 July 1919; the treaty was implemented on 10 January 1920. Poland renounced it at the League of Nations forum in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
on 13 September 1934.
See also
*
Warsaw Confederation
The Warsaw Confederation, signed on 28 January 1573 by the Polish national assembly (''sejm konwokacyjny'') in Warsaw, was one of the first European acts granting religious freedoms. It was an important development in the history of Poland and o ...
Notes
References
*
Janusz Pajewski, ''Historia powszechna'', Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, 2002,
*
Carole Fink Carole is a feminine given name (see Carl for more information) and occasionally a surname.
Carole may refer to:
Given name
*Carole B. Balin (born 1964), American Reform rabbi, professor of Jewish history
* Carole Bayer Sager (born 1947), Americ ...
, "The minorities question at the Paris Peace Conference" in ''The Treaty of Versailles: A Reassessment After 75 Years'', Manfred Franz Boemeke, Gerald D. Feldman, Elisabeth Gläser (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 1998,
Google Print - p.249 onward* Carole Fink,
Minority Rights as an International Question', Contemporary European History, Vol. 2 (November 2000), pp. 385–400
* Jennifer Jackson Preece,
Minority Rights in Europe: From Westphalia to Helsinki' Review of International Studies, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 1–18.
* Amber R. Ricke
THE POLISH GOVERNMENT AND ETHNIC MINORITIES:THE EFFECTS OF NATIONALISM DURING THE INTER-WAR PERIOD* Aimee Genel,
Were the Minority Treaties a Failure? - review of Carole Fink. Defending the Rights of Others: The Great Powers, the Jews, and International Minority Protection
External links
Treaty text
{{Paris Peace Conference navbox
1919 in France
1934 disestablishments
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
League of Nations
Minority rights
League of Nations treaties
World War I treaties
Treaties concluded in 1919
Treaties of the Second Polish Republic
Versailles
Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)
Treaties of the United States
Treaties of the United Kingdom (1801–1922)
Treaties of the French Third Republic
Treaties of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
Treaties of the Empire of Japan