Russo- Polish relations

What did the Milyutin Plan lead to?

• Hundreds of Polish nobles exiled to Siberia

• Polish peasants emancipated and given more favourable terms

• Rural district councils set up which contained members from all sections of Polish society

What were the two events that saw continuity in Russo-Polish relations?

• The Polish revolt, 1863

• The Russo-Polish War, 1920

How did the Polish revolt cause continuity?

• Alex II’s reforms gave Polish nationalists hope for full independence

• Wielopolski’s Polish Gov rejected demands for full independence, which led to rebellion

• Milyutin Plan ended revolt and left Poland under Russian control

How did the Russo-Polish War lead to continuity?

• Armistice between Poland and Russia on Oct 1919

• Confirmed Polish independence and agreed Western Ukraine and Western Belorussian was to come under Polish authority

• Freedom and territory to stay in place until following WW2

What are some of the events which caused a change in Russo-Polish relations?

• WW1

• Lead up to WW2

• Aftermath of WW2

• The Wartime conferences

• Khrushchevs relations with Poland

How did WW1 impact Russo-Polish relations?

• Russia was forced to give up Jurisdiction over Warsaw and Vilna

• Poland free of Russian rule, although official independence not granted until 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

How did the lead up to WW2 impact Russo-Polish relations?

• It became clear Polands fate was to be determined by Nazi policies and the way Russia would respond to them

• Nazi-Soviet pact gave green light to invade Poland

How did the end of WW2 impact Russo-Polish relations?

• Polish Gov. escaped to London

• Russia refused to maintain diplomatic relations after Polish demands for investigation into Katyn massacre

What was the impact of the Yalta conference on Russo-Polish relations?

• Stalin demanded that a new Russo-Polish frontier be established and whole of Poland to be governed by Soviet backed Lublin-style regime

• Churchill and Roosevelt agreed reluctantly

How did the Potsdam conference influence Russo-Polish relations?

• Dealt with the issue of Poland’s Western border

• Stalin persuaded for a line which was well inside ethnic Germany

• Soviet-style government was created across the newly reconstituted Poland

What was Poland renamed to in 1952?

The People's Republic of Poland

How did Khrushchev influence Russo-Polish relations?

• His ‘Secret Speech’ provoked a demand for Stalinist politicians in Poland to stand down, which was supported by workers strikes

• Khrushchev largely agreed to the demands

• Until Khrushchev’s removal in 1964, there was an easing of control over Poland