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| I Silesian Uprising | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofSilesian Uprisings | |||||||
 Monument to Silesian rebels inWodzisław Śląski | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Polish Military Organization of Upper Silesia | Weimar Republic | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Alfons Zgrzebniok | Karl Höfer | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 23 people | 35 people | ||||||
I Silesian Uprising was an armed uprising organized by thePolish military organization in Upper Silesia with the aim of annexing this region to Poland. The uprising began on the orders of Maximilian Ixal or someone from the command of prisoners of war in Upper Silesia on the night of August 16–17, 1919.[1] It took place against the will of thePolish government andWojciech Korfante in the northern part of the Pszczyn county and lasted until August 24 of the same year.[2]
After the defeat of Germany inWorld War I and the flight of KaiserWilhelm II to the Netherlands in November 1918, the situation in Upper Silesia became extremely tense. This process was influenced not only by military failures, but also by the growing radicalization of social and national sentiments among Poles living in the region. At thousands of rallies, including those held at the Polish house «Beehive» in Bytom on November 10, 1918, resolutions were adopted aimed at creating an independent Poland, which was to include Polish Silesia. The participants also spoke in favor of restoring social relations, nationalization, an eight-hour working day, fair pensions and earnings, as well as an insurance system.[3] With the partial collapse of the German administration and after the Berlin Revolution, the Polish population of Silesia quickly began to organize people's councils. One of the first was the People's Council in Bytom, established on November 12, 1918. These councils represented the interests of the Polish population before the German administration or acted as the sole administrative and legal authority where there was no German administration. As a result of the formation of the People's Councils, the Supreme People's Council was formed in Bytom. Simultaneously with the People's Councils, other Polish organizations appeared, such as the Polish Professional Association, with about 200,000 members, the Central Trade Union of Poland with more than 60,000 members, the National Workers' Party with about 50,000 members, as well as thePSP and the Christian People's Association.[4] The German authorities tried to contain the spontaneous organizational development of Poles in Silesia by appointing Otton Hersig, known as the «executioner of Poles», as government commissioner. An order was also issued by the President of the Opole district, Joseph Beatty, in which pro-Polish activities were recognized as high treason.[5] At the request of Commissioner Otton Hersig, the government in Berlin reinforced the military corps stationed in Upper Silesia, sending there the 117th Infantry Division under the command of Major GeneralKarl Höfer (later known as Nazi andSS Oberführer).[6][7]