BORDER PROBLEM ON SPISH AND ORAVA IN CZECHOSLOVAK-POLISH RELATIONS IN 1945-1947

The districts of Northern Spiš and Upper Orava in the northwestern part of Slovakia became the object of territorial disputes between the Czechoslovak and Polish republics after the collapse of Austria-Hungary. The essence of the discussions was different approaches to assessing the national composition of the local population. Polish ethnology emphasized their Polish ethnic roots and the uncertain national identity of local “górals” (mountaineers). The counterargument consisted in the Slovak national and cultural movement, which clearly prevailed in the region. In addition, the absolute majority of locals identified themselves as Slovaks. Further the borderline shifted depending on political conditions in favor of one or another side. Under the conditions of Red Army entering the region in 1945, military and political changes intensified the confrontation. The Soviet military administration inclined to resolve the conflict on the basis of national self-determination. However, the principle of returning to the borders as of September 1938 was recognized at the state and international levels. That is to say, a number of settlements with a predominantly Slovak population were returned to Poland. Such a scenario was profitable for the Czechoslovak government. The principle of pre-Munich borders left control of the Czechoslovak Republic over the part of Teschen Silesia (Trans-Olza). It was more economic and strategic important than the sparsely populated mountainous terrain of Northern Spiš and Upper Orava. The local Slovak population resorted to peaceful and sometimes violent forms of protest. The Polish authorities responded with repression and discriminatory measures. Local national leaders and Slovak emigrants in the USА tried to bring the problem to the international area. Appeals, petitions and memoranda to Czechoslovak statesmen, world leaders and international institutions demanded introduction of international control in the region and realization an official plebiscite there. However, only the diplomatic protests of the Prague government against the persecution of Slovaks in the ceded territories led to a certain practical effect. The Czechoslovak-Polish treaty in 1947 cemented the existing situation, but protected the local Slovak population by granting them the rights of a national minority.