The February Revolution in Russia and the Polish Question

Abstract

After the overthrow of the autocracy in Russia in 1917, the movement for self-determination among the nations attached to the empire gained momentum. The territory of the Polish state included in the composition of Russia at the end of the 18th century — beginning of the 19th century, during the First World War had been occupied by German forces. The question of creating an independent Polish state was raised by Polish public organizations immediately after the victory of the revolution in Petrograd. The socialist movements of the Polish and Russian peoples had been connected by a long-term cooperation. Polish public organizations welcomed the overthrow of tsarism and the first democratic transformation in Russia. From the very beginning, the Petrograd Soviet declared its support for the struggle of the Polish people for the creation of an independent state consisting of three parts within the territories of Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary. On March 14, 1917, the Petrograd Soviet adopted a resolution entitled “Salute to the Polish people” recognizing Poland’s right to the creation of an independent state. The Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet used its newspaper “Izvestia” to shape internationalist views among the revolutionary masses of Petrograd and provided organizational assistance to Polish democratic organizations. The print media of the political parties-members of Petrograd Soviet, did not pay much attention to the adoption of the appeal to the Polish people and noted the publications superficially, concentrating on the discussion of the Appeal to the Peoples of the World.