Editing Treaty of Riga

| name = Peace of Riga<br>(18 March, 1921)

| image =

| image_width = 300px

| date_effective =

| date_expiration = 17 September 1939

| signatories =

*{{flag|Poland}}<hr>

*[[File:Flag of Russian SFSR (1918-1937).svg|24px]] [[Russian SFSR]]

*[[File:Flag_of_the_Ukrainian_SSR_(1919-1929).svg|24px]] [[Ukrainian SSR]]

| parties =

| depositor =

{{Polish borders}}

{{Borders of the Baltic states}}

[[Image:Rzeczpospolita 1938.svg|thumb|right|250px|Central and Eastern Europe after the Treaty of Riga]]

The '''Peace of Riga''', also known as the '''Treaty of Riga'''; {{lang-pl|Traktat Ryski}} was signed in [[Riga]] on 18 March 1921, between [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]], [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Soviet Russia]] (acting also on behalf of [[Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet Belarus]]) and [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Soviet Ukraine]]. The treaty ended the [[Polish-Soviet War]].<ref>K. Marek. ''Identity and Continuity of States in Public International Law''. Librairie Droz 1968. pp. 419-420.</ref>

The Soviet-Polish borders established by the treaty remained in force until the [[Second World War]]. They were later redrawn during the [[Yalta Conference]] and [[Potsdam Conference]].

{{details|Polish-Soviet War}}

World War I destabilized national borders in Europe. [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]]When the Russian Revolution renounced Tsarist claims to Poland at Brest-Litovsk, Poland established its independence in 1918, but its borders were not formally determined. The Russian Civil War presented an opportunity for Poland under the nationalist, Pilsudski, to regain the Ukrainian territories of the former [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] lost to the Russian Empire during the late 18th century [[Partitions of Poland]]. Meanwhile, many in the Soviet leadership desired to respond to Pilsudki's moves into the Ukraine by[export the revolution]dispatching two Red armies into Poland, and to extend the revolution by military force if necessary. [and]Poland was seen by the Soviets as a land bridge to the West. The [[Polish-Soviet War]] ensued, culminating in the 1920 [[Battle of Warsaw (1920)|Battle of Warsaw]]. Both sides were receptive to ending the conflict. After the military setbacks that followed their defeat near Warsaw, the Soviets were eager to begin peace treaty negotiations.<ref name="Cienciala">[http://www.ku.edu/~eceurope/hist557/lect11.htm THE REBIRTH OF POLAND]. University of Kansas, lecture notes by professor [[Anna M. Cienciala]], 2004. Last accessed on 2 June 2006.</ref> Likewise the Poles, pressured by the [[League of Nations]], were willing to negotiate since its army controlled most of the disputed territories but was nearing exhaustion.

== Preparations for the Treaty ==

Peace talks were started on August 17, 1920, in [[Minsk]], but as the Polish [[counter-offensive]] drew near, the talks were moved to Riga, and resumed on September 21. The Soviets proposed two solutions, the first on September 21 and the second on the 28th. The Polish delegation made a counter-offer on 2 October. Three days later the Soviets offered amendments to the Polish offer, which Poland accepted. An [[armistice]] was signed on October 12.<ref>Geoff Eley, [http://books.google.com/books?&id=PrWkrL_nYiMC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155 "Forging Democracy"]</ref> and went into effect on October 18. The chief negotiators were [[Jan Dąbski]] for Poland and [[Adolph Joffe]] for the [[RSFSR]].

Due to their military setbacks, the Bolsheviks offered the Polish peace delegation substantial territorial concessions in the contested border areas. However, to many observers, it looked like the Polish side was conducting the Riga talks as if Poland had lost the war. In fact, a special parliamentary delegation consisting of six members of the [[Sejm]] held a vote on whether to accept the Soviets' far-reaching concessions, which would leave Minsk on the Polish side of the border. Pressured by the [[Endecja|national democrat]] [[Stanisław Grabski]], the 100&nbsp;km of extra territory was rejected, a victory for the nationalist doctrine and a stark defeat for Piłsudksi's [[federalism]].

The National Democrats envisioned the Polish state containing a population of no more than a third of minorities, a prerequisite, in their eyes, for any successful attempts at [[Polonization]]. The National Democrats were also motivated by internal political concerns. While the National Democrats' base of support was among Poles in central and western Poland, many of the hundreds of thousands of Poles left by them to live under Soviet rule were supporters of Piłsudski. The elections within the territories of the Treaty of Riga were evenly split.

If the Poles and eastern Slavs in the territories given to the Soviet Union had remained in Poland, the National Democrats would have never won an election.<ref name="Snyderriga">{{cite book|author=Timothy Snyder|title=The reconstruction of nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569-1999|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=xSpEynLxJ1MC&pg=PA68|accessdate=16 February 2011|year=2004|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-10586-5|pages=68–}}</ref> Public opinion in Poland also favored an end to the hostilities. Both sides were also under pressure from the [[League of Nations]] to make peace.

Regardless, the negotiations for the peace treaty dragged on for months due to Soviet reluctance to sign. However, the Soviet leadership had to deal with increased internal unrest. Between February 23 and March 17, the [[Kronstadt rebellion]] occurred in [[Kronstadt]], which was suppressed; peasants [[Antonovschina|were also rising up]] against the Soviet authorities, who were collecting grain in order to feed the Red Army and this was causing food shortages. As a result of this situation, [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]] ordered the Soviet plenipotentiaries to secure the peace treaty with Poland.<ref name="Cienciala"/> The Peace of Riga was signed on March 18, 1921, partitioning the disputed territories in [[Belarus]] and [[Ukraine]] between Poland and Russia and ending the conflict.

The Treaty consisted of 26 articles.<ref name=palij>{{cite book|title=The Ukrainian-Polish defensive alliance, 1919-1921: an aspect of the Ukrainian revolution|url=http://books.google.com/?id=2T9zYXqL56AC&pg=PA169&dq=treaty+of+riga+26+shall+be+ratified&cd=1#v=onepage&q=treaty%20of%20riga%2026%20shall%20be%20ratified|author=Michael Palij|publisher=[[CIUS Press]]|year=1995|pages=165–168 | isbn=978-1-895571-05-9}}</ref> Poland was to receive monetary compensation (30 million [[Russian ruble|rubles]] in gold) for its economic input into the [[Russian Empire]] during the times of [[partitions of Poland]]. Under Article XIV Poland was also to receive railway materials (locomotives, rolling stock, etc.) with a value of 29 million gold roubles.<ref>{{en icon}} {{cite book |author=J.C. Johari|coauthors=|title=Soviet Diplomacy 1925-41|year=2000|editor= |page=42|pages= |chapter=|chapterurl= |publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD|location= |isbn=81-7488-491-2|url=|format= |accessdate=}}</ref> Russia was to surrender works of art and other Polish national treasures acquired from Polish territories after 1772 (such as the [[Jagiellonian tapestries]] and the [[Załuski Library]]). Both sides renounced claims to war compensation.

Article 3 stipulated that border issues between Poland and [[Lithuania]] would be settled by those states.<ref name=palij/> Article 6 created citizenship options for persons on either side of the new border.<ref name=palij/> Article 7 consisted of a mutual guarantee that all nationalities would be permitted "free intellectual development, the use of their national language, and the exercise of their religion."<ref name=palij/>

==Treaty aftermath==

[[Image:Caricature for Riga Peace 1921.png|thumb|left|250px|Belarusian caricature decrying Peace Treaty of Riga as a [[Partition (politics)|partition]] of [[Belarus]] by Poland and Soviet Russia]]

The Soviet-Polish peace treaty was registered in ''League of Nations Treaty Series'' on August 12, 1921.<ref>''League of Nations Treaty Series'', vol. 6, pp. 52-169.</ref>

The Allied Powers were reluctant to recognize the treaty, which had been concluded without their participation.<ref name=palij/> Their postwar conferences supported the [[Curzon Line]] as the Polish-Russian border, and Poland's territorial gains in the treaty lay about 250&nbsp;km east of that line.<ref name=hup>{{cite book|title=Conflict and chaos in Eastern Europe|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ycNApODqgRUC&pg=PA210&dq=treaty+riga+borders&cd=109#v=onepage&q=|author=Dennis P. Hupchick|year=1995|page=210|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] | isbn=978-0-312-12116-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Guide to International Relations and Diplomacy|author=Michael Graham Fry, Erik Goldstein, Richard Langhorne|url=http://books.google.com/?id=Z5ndamBABdIC&pg=PA203&dq=treaty+riga+curzon+line&cd=1#v=onepage&q=treaty%20riga%20curzon%20line|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|page=203|year=2004 | isbn=978-0-8264-7301-1}}</ref> French support led to its recognition in March 1923 by France, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan, followed by the US in April.<ref name=palij/>

In Poland, the Treaty of Riga was met with criticism from the very beginning. Some characterized the treaty as short-sighted and argued that much of what Poland had gained during the Polish-Soviet war was lost during the peace negotiations. By 1921, General [[Jozef Piłsudski]] was no longer the head of state and had participated in the Riga negotiations only as an observer, which he called ''an act of cowardice''.<ref name="Davies">{{cite book | author =[[Norman Davies]]| title =White Eagle, Red Star: the Polish-Soviet War, 1919–20 | year =2003 | editor = | pages =399 | chapter = | chapterurl = | publisher =Pimlico | location = | isbn =0-7126-0694-7| url =http://books.google.com/?id=DMoPXktGwiUC&pg=PA399&lpg=PA399&dq=Riga+an+act+of+cowardice |format =|accessdate = }} (First edition: New York, St. Martin's Press, inc., 1972.)</ref> Piłsudski felt the agreement was a shameless and short-sighted political calculation. Allegedly, having walked out of the room, he told the Ukrainians waiting there for the results of the Riga Conference: "Gentlemen, I deeply apologize to you".<ref name="Surdykowski">{{pl icon}} {{cite book | author =Jerzy Surdykowski | coauthors = | title =Duch Rzeczypospolitej | year =2001 | editor = | pages =335 | chapter =Ja was przepraszam panowie, czyli Polska a Ukraina i inni wpóltowarzysze niedoli | publisher =[[Wydawictwo Naukowe PWN]] | location =Warsaw | isbn =83-01-13403-8 | url = }}</ref><ref name="Bruski">{{pl icon}} {{cite journal | author =Jan Jacek Bruski |date=August 2002 | title =Sojusznik Petlura | journal =[[Wprost]] | volume = 1029| issue =2002–08–18 | pages = | issn =0209-1747|url =http://www.wprost.pl/ar/?O=13734&C=57|accessdate =2006-09-28 }}</ref> In fact, Piłsudski apologized to the Ukrainian officers on a completely different occasion. His words, commonly associated with the Riga conference, were said on May 15, 1921, during Piłsudski's visit to the internment camp at [[Szczypiorno]]. The context however was clearly the same.{{Citation needed|date=March 2007}}

Belarussian and Ukrainian independence movements saw the treaty as a setback.<ref name=zap>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=qtnTh3-2Ki8C&pg=PA75&dq=treaty+of+riga+belarussian+independence&cd=3#v=onepage&q=|title=Belarus: at a crossroads in history|author=Jan Zaprudnik|year=1993|publisher=[[Westview Press]]|page=75 | isbn=978-0-8133-1794-6}}</ref> Four million Ukrainians and over one million Belarussians lived within areas ceded to Poland; in one estimate, only 15% of the population was ethnically Polish.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=Dy_z9bjDqUsC&pg=PA73&dq=treaty+riga+four+million+ukrainians+1921&cd=16#v=onepage&q=treaty%20riga%20four%20million%20ukrainians%201921|page=73|title=A history of the protection of regional cultural minorities in Europe: from the Edict of Nantes to the present day|author=Antony Evelyn Alcock|year=2000|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]] | isbn=978-0-312-23556-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Poland - Key to Europe|author=Raymond Leslie Buell|url=http://books.google.com/?id=-KcfGbrKptoC&pg=PA79&dq=riga+treaty+recognized&cd=3#v=onepage&q=riga%20treaty%20recognized|year=2007|publisher=READ BOOKS|page=79 | isbn=978-1-4067-4564-1}}</ref> The [[Ukrainian People's Republic]] led by [[Symon Petliura]] had been allied with Poland by [[Treaty of Warsaw (1920)|Treaty of Warsaw]], but the Treaty of Riga abrogated it.<ref name="Cienciala"/> The new treaty violated Poland's military alliance with the UPR, which had explicitly prohibited a separate peace. In doing so, it worsened relations between Poland and those Ukrainians who had supported Petliura. These supporters felt Ukraine had been betrayed by its Polish ally, a feeling that would be exploited by [[Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists|Ukrainian nationalists]] and contribute to the growing tensions and [[Massacres of Poles in Volhynia|eventual violence]] in the 1930s and 1940s. By the end of 1921, the majority of Poland-allied Ukrainian, Belarusian and [[White movement|White Russian]] forces had either crossed the Polish border and laid down their arms or had been annihilated by Soviet forces.

==Consequences==

The treaty contributed to the failure of [[Józef Piłsudski]]'s plans to create a Polish-led [[Międzymorze|Intermarium]] federation of [[Eastern Europe]]an countries, as portions of the territory proposed for the federation were ceded to the Soviets.<ref name="Snyderriga"/> Lenin also considered the treaty unsatisfactory; he had to postpone his plans for exporting revolution to the West.<ref name="Cienciala"/>

[[Image:Rzeczpospolita 1789-1920.png|thumb|left|250px|Poland after the Treaty of Riga with the pre-[[Partitions of Poland|partitions]] border of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] marked]]

[[Image:Treaty of Riga.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Second page of the treaty, Polish version]]

While the Treaty of Riga led to a two-decade stabilization of the Soviet-Polish conflict, the conflict was renewed during World War II and the treaty's borders were overridden by decision of that war's Allied powers. In the view of some observers, the treaty's incorporation of significant minority populations into Poland did not serve Poland's best interests, since these minorities persistently pursued independence and borders passing through ethnically mixed areas would prove difficult to defend.<ref name=palij/><ref name=hup/>

{{see also|Polish minority in the Soviet Union|Belorussian minority in Poland|Ukrainian minority in Poland|Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic}}

The populations separated by the division suffered varying degrees of repressions under their respective governments, particularly in the 1930s. Ethnic Poles left within Soviet borders were subjected to persecution and repressions, their property confiscated.<ref name="Władze">J. M. Kupczak "Stosunek władz bolszewickich do polskiej ludności na Ukrainie (1921–1939)Wrocławskie Studia Wschodnie 1 (1997) Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego , 1997 page 47–62" IPN Bulletin 11(34) 2003</ref> Most Poles left in the Soviet Union by the Treaty of Riga would be deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan in the 1930s.<ref name="Snyderriga"/> Belarussians and Ukrainians, having failed to create their own states, faced difficult situation or outright persecution on both sides of the border. Several hundred thousand Belorussians, Poles, Ukrainians and members of other minorities were executed or deported by the Soviet government during the 1930s.<ref name="Władze"/><ref name=pol>{{cite book|title=Political parties of Eastern Europe: a guide to politics in the post-Communist era|author=Janusz Bugajski|year=2002|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|url=http://books.google.com/?id=9gGKtLTQlUcC&pg=PA4&dq=treaty+riga+Polonization&cd=21#v=onepage&q=treaty%20riga%20Polonization|page=4 | isbn=978-1-56324-676-0}}</ref><ref name="WeinerRussell2001">{{cite book|author1=[[Myron Weiner]]|author2=Sharon Stanton Russell|title=Demography and national security|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=J9nuv7MGQ5MC&pg=PA321|accessdate=16 February 2011|date=June 2001|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-57181-339-8|pages=321–}}</ref> The Polish portion of Belarus and Ukraine were in turn subjected to [[Polonization]]; the minorities, particularly Ukrainians, resisted, leading to the adoption of [[terrorism|terrorist]] tactics by the Ukrainian extremists ([[OUN]]).<ref name="Prybyla2010">{{cite book|author=Jan S. Prybyla|title=When Angels Wept: The Rebirth and Dismemberment of Poland and Her People in the Early Decades of the Twentieth Century|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=SYDpK1cH76oC&pg=PA46|accessdate=16 February 2011|year=2010|publisher=Wheatmark, Inc.|isbn=978-1-60494-325-2|pages=46–}}</ref><ref name="Roshwald2001">{{cite book|author=Aviel Roshwald|title=Ethnic nationalism and the fall of empires: central Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, 1914-1923|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Ba97xyhIZDcC&pg=PA168|accessdate=16 February 2011|year=2001|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-17893-8|pages=168–}}</ref> During government anti-guerrilla operations minority members were arrested or even executed, and cultural institutions lost much support.<ref name=pol/><ref>Ivan S. Lubachko. ''Belorussia under Soviet Rule, 1917-1957'' (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1972), 137</ref>

The Soviet Union, thwarted in 1921, would see its sphere of influence expand after [[World War II]], with its control over the [[People's Republic of Poland]] and [[Territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II|border changes]] that unified Belorussian and Ukrainian territory within the USSR. In 1989, however, Poland would regain its full sovereignty, and soon afterward, with the [[fall of the Soviet Union]], [[Belarus]] and [[Ukraine]] would go on to become independent nations.

== See also ==

* [[Aftermath of the Polish-Soviet War]]

* [[West Belarus]]

**[[Belarusian minority in Poland#1918-1939]]

* [[Right-bank Ukraine]]

**[[History of the Ukrainian minority in Poland]]

==References==

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<div class="references-small">

===Footnotes===

<references/>

===Notations===

* [[Norman Davies|Davies, Norman]], ''White Eagle, Red Star: the Polish-Soviet War, 1919-20'', Pimlico, 2003, ISBN 0-7126-0694-7. (First edition: New York, St. Martin's Press, inc., 1972.)

* ''Traktat ryski 1921 roku po 75 latach'', Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, Toruń 1998, ISBN 83-231-0974-5 (Chapter summaries in English)</div>

== External links ==

===Polish===

* [http://dziedzictwo.polska.pl/katalog/skarb,Traktat_pokojowy_polsko-sowiecki_w_Rydze_z_dnia_18_III_1921_roku,gid,116264,cid,1128.htm?sh=1 Photocopies of the Polish version of the treaty]

[[Category:20th century in Ukraine]]

[[Category:History of Belarus (1918–1939)]]

[[Category:Peace treaties of the Soviet Union]]

[[Category:Poland–Soviet Union relations]]

[[Category:History of Riga]]