The uprising secured Greater Poland's transfer from Germany to the reconstituted Second Polish Republic, directly shaping the Treaty of Versailles territorial settlement.
Key Facts
- Start date
- 27 December 1918
- End date
- 16 February 1919 (armistice)
- Region contested
- Greater Poland (Province of Posen)
- Treaty affected
- Treaty of Versailles (1919)
- Prior annexation
- Second Partition of Poland, 1793
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Greater Poland region had been under Prussian and then German rule since the Second Partition of Poland in 1793, with a brief interlude as part of the French-backed Duchy of Warsaw (1807–1815). As Germany collapsed at the end of World War I, Polish inhabitants of the Province of Posen sought to reclaim the territory for a restored Polish state, capitalising on the power vacuum left by Germany's defeat.
Beginning on 27 December 1918, Polish inhabitants of the Greater Poland region launched an armed military insurrection against German administration. Polish insurrectionists fought German forces across the province, gradually seizing control of significant portions of the territory in what also became known as the Poznań War, a conflict that lasted until a ceasefire in February 1919.
The successful uprising had a direct influence on the Paris Peace Conference. The Treaty of Versailles formally awarded the contested Greater Poland territory to the reconstituted Second Polish Republic, confirming the military gains made by the Polish insurgents and removing the region from German sovereignty.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent