Zaolzie – The Polish – Czech conflict

Anybody have any input of this subject and its relevance to our Polish history?

Have mercy.....

- I subscribe wholeheartedly to this plea. Aren't there more positive and jollier topics? Have mercy, Przemas.

Sorry about that : (

Just came to mind after several of my co-workers of Chinese decent told me about a conversation they were having on some massive Chinese forum pertaining to some of them writing that they had little sympathy for Poles because as they put it - "We invaded the Czechs with Hitler"

I had several debates with the fellows, but was curious about this boards input on the matter.

I'll just drop it I guess.

- Who cares about their 'sympathy'? They should care whether anyone has any sympathy for them, e.g. for what they have been doing to the Tibetans.

this is a great topic.. i surely would like to know more..

the other thing.. there is/was some kind of a border 'dispute' with slovakia.. i could never find out what it was.. can anyone enlighten me?

Annexation of Zaolzie by Poland is often described as a nearly barbaric act, opportunism and such and out of historic context. It wasn't barbaric. The number of victims was 0 (that's zero). It was opportunistic though.

The historic context is also imprtant. The area was first taken away from Poland by Czechs (1919 I believe). The takeover was hostile and opportunistic, as Poland was involved in a war in the East and all her forces were kinda busy at the time.

The takeover by the Czechs was illegal so the European big shots protested, as usual without any concrete steps to support the protest. In 1920 or 1921, Poland and Czechoslovakia agreed to hold a poll among the population of the territory in question to decide who's gonna rule Zaolzie. They poll never took place. Eventually, Poland did what Czechs had done to Poland some 20 years earlier.

So the bottom line for this conflict was simple: what goes around comes around.

on second thought.. i think we should take it back. czecks swindled poland out of that territory and we should have what is righfully ours.. same goes for eastern border. :D

I remember reading somewhere that this poll/plebiscite did actually take place and that there were foreign observers to make sure of fair play etc.

Apparently the Czechs, counting (well) on foreign ignorance of the languages of either country concerned etc. etc., bussed Czechs in from other parts of the nation so that their votes would outnumber those of ethnic Poles.

As for taking back land etc. perhaps that part of Europe has been moved around sufficiently and should be left as it is.