Polskie tradycje w zakresie ochrony bezpieczeństwa publicznego (wybrane zagadnienia dotyczące wschodniego kierunku polskiej polityki zagranicznej w latach 1918-1921)

Анотація

During the first years after regaining independence, Russia and eastern direc- tion were one of the most important directions of the Polish foreign policy. There was seen the way not only to rebuild a strong Polish state, but also to gain and consolidate the power in the international arena. In November 1918, a new geopo- litical situation arose. Therefore, it was hope of rebuilding the Republic of Poland as a strong and extensive territorially. Russia’s enormous exhaustion due to the defeat in the First World War I, the Bolshevik revolution, and the civil war created a unique opportunity to deprive this state of its superpower status. At the end of 1918, after commencing the liberation of Polish lands from the foreign ruling, it quickly turned out that there was no need to count on a quick and simple estab- lishment of the border issues. In this matter, Poland depended on the decisions of the superpowers, which reserved the right to define the borders between Poland and its neighbors during the peace conference. The battle to shape the borders of the reborn Polish state took place primarily in Paris, where on the 28th of June 1919, the western border of the Republic of Poland was marked, while the eastern border largely depended on the strength and the Polish state itself.

The aim of the article is presentation of the problems faced by the Polish foreign service in the first years of the reborn Republic of Poland in the context of relations with Soviet Russia. The article is only of a contributory character, and it deals only with some selected issues concerning the mutual relations. The initial point of di- gression is the time of regaining independence by Poland in November 1918, and the final point is the time of the peace treaty in Riga in March 1921.

Undoubtedly, Soviet Russia was a difficult, unpredictable neighbor. It posed a direct threat to both - the external and internal security of the Polish state. The negotiations and talks undertaken between Poland and Soviet Russia many times did not bring any specific solutions and agreements. The appropriate conditions concerning the normalization of mutual relations have appeared after the conclu- sion of the Treaty of Riga on the 18th of March, 1921. In fact, it was crucial not only for both sides, but it also became a vital aspect of the order in the central and east- ern part of Europe, and it constituted an important supplement to the Versailles peace which had been established two years earlier.