Latvian-Polish Border Dispute

[henryk]

The post WWI border disputes between Poland and Czecho-Slovakia, and Poland and Lithuania are well known. Less known is the border dispute between Poland and Latvia. As with Czecho-Slovakia, Latvia occupied the disputed area during the Polish-Soviet war, at which time the Polish Army
could not intervene. Note that the percentages of ethnic Poles in the disputed area, shown on the map, does not correspond with the data in the body of the article, which states the number of Latvians was small compared with the number of Poles. See source for additional images.
http://latvianhistory.com/2014/09/10/la ... 1919-1939/

[Dr Eisvogel]

The post WWI border disputes between Poland and Czecho-Slovakia, and Poland and Lithuania are well known. Less known is the border dispute between Poland and Latvia. As with Czecho-Slovakia, Latvia occupied the disputed area during the Polish-Soviet war, at which time the Polish Army
could not intervene. Note that the percentages of ethnic Poles in the disputed area, shown on the map, does not correspond with the data in the body of the article, which states the number of Latvians was small compared with the number of Poles. See source for additional images.
http://latvianhistory.com/2014/09/10/la ... 1919-1939/

Ilūkste District and town of Grīva

Polish Census 1919
Poles = 9207 => 53.13%
Russians = 5068
Latvians = 1396 => 8.06%
Belarusians = 1273
Lithuanians = 251
Jews = 134

Total = 17 329

Latvian Census 1920
Russians = 6612
Poles = 6116 => 32.93%
Belarusians = 3015
Latvians = 1702 => 9.16%
Lithuanians = 758
Jews = 323
Germans = 45

Total = 18 571

[henryk]

Thank you.
What are the census results for: Dźwińsk/Daugavpils?

[Dr Eisvogel]

Thank you.
What are the census results for: Dźwińsk/Daugavpils?

Hi, unfortunately I don't have the data from the 1920 Census, only that Daugavpils numbered 31 500 inhabitants.

However, the Latvian Census of 1935 found 51 407 inhabitants and the following percentages in the city of Daugavpils:

Latvians = 32.7%
Jews = 22.1%
Russians = 21.3%
Poles = 17.8%
Belarusians = 2.7%

On the pp. 81-82 you have detailed Latvian census of 1935 by rayonne and city - I guess the data from 1935 were recalculated to match 1959 administrative borders
http://www.lza.lv/LZA_VestisA/68_3-4/4_ ... Nemets.pdf

Atlas of the 1935 Census:
http://www.csb.gov.lv/sites/default/fil ... atlass.pdf

Latvian archival documents in the chapter Liberation of Latgale 1919-1920, pp. 12-13 include documents about relations with Poland
http://www.arhivi.lv/sitedata/LVVA/doku ... sCinas.pdf

Here is the report on 1925 elections for Saeima, so you can trace the success of Polish list in the Ilūkste District and town of Grīva on the pp. 88-89
http://www.cvk.lv/pub/upload_file/vesture/2_Saeima.pdf

Best regards,
Eisvogel

[henryk]

Thank you for the information.
For Daugavpils, comparing the 1925 census percentages you gave, with the 1897 Russian census, as estimated by me from the atlas map:
1925/1897
Latvians = 32.7%/6%
Jews = 22.1%/45%
Russians = 21.3%/27%
Poles = 17.8%/22%
Belarusians = 2.7%/inc in Russians?
From page 22 of the Elections document, for the Polish Party:
District.............................1920................1922...................1925
Riga.......................................................2125..................2021
Kurzeme.................................... ..............807...................577
Zemgale (includes Ilutstes)......(none???)...........(none???).............6056
Latgale (includes Daugavpils).....5525...............9541..................8883
Total..................................5525...............12473................17537
Having French text in the document was helpful.
It is curious that the Lativian for Poland and Polish is Polija and Polu. ,and the Lithuanian is Lenkija and Lenku.

[Dr Eisvogel]

Thank you for the information.
For Daugavpils, comparing the 1925 census percentages you gave, with the 1897 Russian census, as estimated by me from the atlas map:
1925/1897
Latvians = 32.7%/6%
Jews = 22.1%/45%
Russians = 21.3%/27%
Poles = 17.8%/22%
Belarusians = 2.7%/inc in Russians?

Hi Henryk,

I gave the percentages for 1935 Census, not for 1925.

You can access the relevant results of the 1897 Russian Empire Census here:
http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/rus_lan_ ... hp?reg=127

The City of Daugavpils in 1897

Latvians = 1274 => 1.83%
Jews = 32 064 => 46.02%
Russians = 19 153 => 27.49%
Poles = 11 420 => 16.39%
Belarusians = 1525 => 2.19%
Germans = 3126 => 4.49%

Total = 69 675

Best regards,
Eisvogel

[henryk]

Sorry, about the mistake. This explains why the percentage of Latvians is so much higher. Interesting that the number of Poles is more or less constant. When I visited Daugavpils in 2005, I stayed in a hotel on Warsaw St, a few blocks from a large Polish Community Center and a large Polish school.

[Dr Eisvogel]

Sorry, about the mistake. This explains why the percentage of Latvians is so much higher. Interesting that the number of Poles is more or less constant. When I visited Daugavpils in 2005, I stayed in a hotel on Warsaw St, a few blocks from a large Polish Community Center and a large Polish school.

Hi Henryk,

on the 2011 Latvian Census the percentages for Daugavpils City were:

Russians = 53.6%
Latvians = 19.8%
Poles = 14.2%
Belarusians = 7.2%
Ukrainians = 1.9%
Lithuanians = 1.0%

So, to sum it up (percentage of Poles by census):
1897 = 16.39%
1919 = 53.13%
1920 = 32.93%
1935 = 17.8%
2011 = 14.2%

***

I've found an article that states that there were 8178 Poles in Daugavpils in 1920, which differs from the data in the article you've posted in your first post and I've used both in my first post and in this post.
http://latvianhistory.com/2013/05/27/poles-in-latvia/

Also, there is an example of a Polish Party political poster from the Latvian 1931 elections.
https://latvianhistory.files.wordpress. ... .jpg?w=500
It reads: "Poles-Catholics vote only for list 36".

Best regards,
Eisvogel

[henryk]

Eisvogel, Thank you.

[Piotr Kapuscinski]

According to this video (in Polish) by Dawid Hallmann, strong Russification of Polish minority in Daugavpils has been taking place. He says that the majority of Poles in Latvia speak Russian. Perhaps that was the case also in the census of 1897, which counted language:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kethEknAK2Q

[Piotr Kapuscinski]

Was the census of 1920 really Latvian, or rather Bolshevik/Soviet ??? This one:

Ilūkste District and town of Grīva

Polish Census 1919
Poles = 9207 => 53.13%
Russians = 5068
Latvians = 1396 => 8.06%
Belarusians = 1273
Lithuanians = 251
Jews = 134

Total = 17 329

Latvian Census 1920
Russians = 6612
Poles = 6116 => 32.93%
Belarusians = 3015
Latvians = 1702 => 9.16%
Lithuanians = 758
Jews = 323
Germans = 45

Total = 18 571

[Sid Guttridge]

In 1939 Poland had live or dormant border disputes with almost all its neighbours (Germany, the Czechs, the Slovaks, the USSR, Lithuania and Latvia). It and Hungary were also in some disagreement about the fate of Ruthenia. Romania was the only neighbour with which there was no border friction.

This complicated British and French attempts to guarantee Poland in 1939, because they did not want to be committed to Poland against all those it was in dispute with, just Germany.

Thus, while the public part of their guarantee talked generally of guaranteeing Poland, the secret clauses specified that it only applied to Germany. That is the reason why Germany's attack on Poland on 1 September led to Anglo-French declarations of war, but the Soviet Union's attack on Poland on 17 September did not.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Dr Eisvogel]

Was the census of 1920 really Latvian, or rather Bolshevik/Soviet ??? This one:

Ilūkste District and town of Grīva

Polish Census 1919
Poles = 9207 => 53.13%
Russians = 5068
Latvians = 1396 => 8.06%
Belarusians = 1273
Lithuanians = 251
Jews = 134

Total = 17 329

Latvian Census 1920
Russians = 6612
Poles = 6116 => 32.93%
Belarusians = 3015
Latvians = 1702 => 9.16%
Lithuanians = 758
Jews = 323
Germans = 45

Total = 18 571

Dear Peter K,

the 1920 Census should have been Latvian and not Soviet, because of the following facts:

a) Latvia conducted its census with key date on June 14th 1920, while Soviet Russia (RSFSR) conducted its census with key date on August 28th 1920.
http://www.csb.gov.lv/en/statistikas-te ... 33079.html
http://wolgadeutsche.net/lexikon/_Perepis.htm

b) Polish Army handed over the control over Daugavpils to Latvia on January 5th 1920, so the Soviets never had an opportunity to conduct their Census in that area (Ilūkste District and town of Grīva).

Best regards,
Eisvogel