The Republic of Ostrów () was a short-lived

autonomous republic An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Ma ...

in the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

area of

Ostrów Wielkopolski Ostrów Wielkopolski () (often abbreviated ''Ostrów Wlkp.'', formerly called simply ''Ostrów'', , Latin: ''Ostrovia'') is a city in west-central Poland with 70,982 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship; the seat of Ostr ...

. The republic, declared on 10 November 1918, Gazeta Ostrowska
Przewrót bez jednego wystrzału
/ref>Dwutygodnik Opiekun

/ref> intended to liberate Poles from

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

and the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

. It was formed about a month before the Greater Poland Uprising.

Background

The

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...

was partitioned by Russia, Prussia and Austria during the 18th century. In the second partition, the

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

region, including the town of Ostrów were annexed by Prussia. Throughout the 19th century and into the start of the 20th, the town and the region were a center of the Polish independence movement.

End of German rule

During the autumn of 1918, the imminent defeat of Germany and

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the dissolution of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

following the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

raised the possibility that an independent Polish state could be restored. Although 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 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

was established in early November, the question of the Greater Poland region remained unresolved. As a consequence, various Polish organizations began planning for an armed uprising to ensure that the area would become part of the new Polish state.

Formation of Citizens' Committee

In Ostrów, a Citizens' Committee was formed by local Poles in September 1918, which then prepared for a takeover of the city's administration. After the outbreak of revolution in Germany, local German workers began to form their own committees and a

Soldiers' Council A workers' council, also called labour council, is a type of council in a workplace or a locality made up of workers or of temporary and instantly revocable delegates elected by the workers in a locality's workplaces. In such a system of politi ...

was created on November 10 by the German troops stationed locally. On the same day, Poles in Ostrów created two organizations of their own: the People's Committee and a youth group called the Emergency Communication Services. These were joined by the 1st Regiment of Polish Infantry based in the city.

Unilateral declaration of independent republic

On the same day, around one thousand people gathered in the local "Catholic House". There, Włodzimierz Lewandowski, a soldier in the ''

Landwehr ''Landwehr'' (), or ''Landeswehr'', is a German language term used in referring to certain national army, armies, or militias found in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Europe. In different context it refers to large-scale, low-strength fo ...

'', urged Polish citizens to take up arms against the German Soldiers' Council. The Citizens' Committee, however, was hoping for a non-violent resolution of the conflict. Aleksander Dubiski, who had been elected "marshal" of the gathering, urged the crowd to issue a general proclamation stating: : ''Over a thousand soldiers and citizens of all classes have decided unanimously today that, according to the Wilson Plan recognized by all fighting nations, the city and county of Ostrów constitutes Polish territory, which belongs to the Nation of Poland. We express our sympathy for the movement for freedom of our German co-citizens. Until the Polish People's Republic finally takes over the government, this Polish committee considers itself to be the only legitimate authority.'' The following day, Polish controllers were introduced into German administrative offices with the power to counter-sign any orders issued by German authorities. The local ''

Landrat The Landrat () is the chief administrative officer of a German ''Landkreis'' or ''Kreis'' and thus the highest municipal official. In most states they are also the lower state administrative authority (so-called "dual position" of the Landrat). ...

'' was removed from power. The next day, insurrectionists took over the garrison, together with its arms supply, as well as other significant public buildings in the city. Throughout November, German pro-revolutionary newspapers in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

reported on the creation of the Republic.

End of republic

On November 26, believing the insurrection to have begun too early, the '' Naczelna Rada Ludowa'', which claimed authority over the entire pro-Polish movement in

Wielkopolska Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

, prompted the armed Polish units to disband. The Polish Citizens' Committee signed an agreement with the German Soldiers' Council. The 1st Regiment and other organizations then moved to the

in nearby

Szczypiorno Szczypiorno is a municipal neighbourhood of the city of Kalisz, Poland, located in its south-western part. Formerly until 1976 a separate village at the outskirts of the city, it is best known as a seat of a World War I and Polish–Soviet War pr ...

and

Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...

and joined similar insurrectionist formations. A month later, the Greater Poland Uprising began in

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

. On December 31, 1918, the 1st Regiment returned to Ostrów and liberated it.Monthly cultural magazine Kalisia Now
NR 10-11-12
/ref>

Modern interpretation

A TV series about the Republic was made in 1985 and, in 1986, the movie ''Republika Nadziei'' (''Republic of Hope'') was released. The book ''Republika Ostrowska: Przyczynek do historii powstania wielkopolskiego, 1918-1919'' (''Republic of Ostrów: A contribution to the history of Greater Poland, 1918-1919'') by Zenon Dykcik was published in 1995.''Republika Ostrowska: Przyczynek do historii powstania wielkopolskiego, 1918–1919'',

Commemoration

In 2008, in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic, a reconstruction of the events surrounding its proclamation and the wider conflict within Greater Poland was organized in Ostrów Wielkopolski.serwis Urzedu Miejskiego w Ostrowie Wielkopolski
Obchody 90. Rocznicy Proklamowania Republiki Ostrowskiej (Celebrations of the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Ostrów)
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostrow, Republic of 1918 in Poland Ostrów Wielkopolski Germany–Poland relations (1918–1939)