Silesian Uprisings - First Silesian Uprising (1919)

First Silesian Uprising (1919)

On 15 August 1919, German border guards (Grenzschutz) massacred ten Silesian civilians in the Mysłowice mine (Myslowitzer Grube) and caused the First Silesian Uprising against German control over Upper Silesia. The massacre sparked protests from the Silesian Polish miners. Ultimately, several Polish leaders were arrested during a general strike of about 140,000 mine workers. Revolting, the miners declared that they want the police and local government officials to be both German and Polish in the future.

Roughly 21,000 Germans soldiers of the Weimar Republic's Provisional National Army (Vorläufige Reichsheer), with about 40,000 troops in reserve, quickly suppressed the uprising. What followed was German repression of the ethnic Poles of Silesia, and approximately 2,500 Poles were either hanged or executed by firing squad. 9,000 ethnic Poles sought refuge in the Second Polish Republic along with thousands of family members (altogether about 22,000 persons). The repressive actions came to an end when Allied forces were brought in to restore order, and the refugees were allowed to return later that year. Once the Uprising had been crushed, a strong resentment arose within the Silesian Poles, reinforcing the Polish culture with which they identified.