Russo-Polish war

Why was Poland importan to the allies?

a buffer zone between germany and Russia (to stop the spread of communism)

What step were initillay taken to ensure that poland remianed independent?

13th point in Wilson’s 15 points in negotiating peace after ww1, little treaty of Versailles signed on the same date aas the mai. one, confirming Poland’s independence

What was Poland’s importance to Russia?

LENIN EXPECTED A PROleteriat revolution in Poland which would spread, failed

What was Jozef Pilsudki’s main aim?

to restore poland’s pre 17772 borders and secure its position in the region

How did the Bolsheviks view Russia?

geographical bridge to Germany, thu allowing communism to spread there

What was the Russo-Polish war?

military conflict between Soviet Russia and newly nationalised poland

Why did the Bolsheviks want to achieve more wins?

post civil war, wants to gain more

When does germany surrender and Poland proclaim independence in Warsaw?

November 11th 1918

How did the evacuation of the Germans out of Poland occur?

still occupied western parts of the former Russian empire, Jozef Pilsudski stated they would not interfer with the withdawal as long as it occured through East prussia, temporary demarcation line set up between Poland and germany, west of the Kovel-Brest railway

Who was Jozef Pilsudski?

head of Polish army and state

What occured as the germans evacuated?

due to Soviet - german collusion every strip of land evacuated was then held by the red army, Germnay hoped to be able to spark a fight in whih they could be painted as the sole defender of Europe against communism

What did lenin do as the deadline for the evacuTION OCCURED?

as he wished to destroy the wall between Russia and germany, he had an army led by Tukachesvky ( higjly regarded russian general) closing in on the hrodna- Brest krovel line

When was the evacuation ordered to be complete by?

february 1919

When did the Polsih offensive begin, why?

Pilsudski decided it was vital so it began on the 9th february 1919

What is the battle of warsaw also called?

miracle of the Vistula

How did the war initially go well for Russia?

red cavalry were driving out Polsih forces out of ukraine and within 6 weeks the red army had 20 divisions at the gate of warsaw

What was the Poles response to the encircling army?

organized a counter attack to intercept the reds from the south and cut lines of communications, encircling the army

What happened when the Bolsheviks launched what they believed to be their last attack?

Pilsudki had begun his counter attack 24 hours earlier, in fear if they waited warsaw would fall

How did the Poles counterattack go?

red army 8 miles out from the city, Counterattack succeeded, red army was in chaos commnanders lost control of their units and some continued fighting

What was the Russo-Polish war seen as?

the greates disaster until the Afghanistan issue in the 1980s

What was Lenin eventually forced to do?

sign a peacy treaty

How many did the soviets lose?

15-25000 killed, 65,000 captured 231 pieces of artillery lost and 1,023 machine guns taken

How many did the Poles lose?

5,000 people daed with 2,200 wounded and 10,000 missing

When was the treaty of Riga?

19th March 1921

Who signed the ttreaty of Riga?

Poland, Bolsheviks, Belarus and Soviet Ukraine

What did the trety of Riga do?

redrew the soviet- polis border which barely changed until ww2 but thus only lasted 18 years