With Poland and the Balkans perilously close to the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine I thought it would be interesting to look at the changes in the borders in this region. It has changed significantly. Eastern Europe, partly because of the periodic shifts in borders of states the region has a very complex ethnic makeup that makes drawing borders perilously difficult.
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| 1921 Polish stamp |
Poland and Lithuania are good examples of countries whose borders have changed significantly. The
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a very large kingdom that extended
well into today’s Ukraine and Russia. It was at its height in the early
17th century. As the kingdom weakened it was partitioned between 1772
and 1795 to the point that it did not exist as an independent nation. It
remained this way until the Peace Conference of 1919 which
reestablished Poland and Lithuania as independent nations.
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| Republic of Central Lithuania (green) Poland (beige) Lithuania (gray) East Prussia (orange) Wikipedia |
However, there was disputed territory between the two countries. In the
northern section of the reconstituted Poland that bordered Lithuania a
client state was formed that lasted barely two years (1920-1922) — the
Republic of Central Lithuania. Although it was recognized by the League
of Nations it was not recognized by Lithuania. Because the republic
included the historic capital of Vilnius, Lithuania claimed it as their
own territory. The short-lived republic was absorbed into Poland in 1922
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| Republic of Central Lithuania stamp, 1921 |
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| 1923 Lithuanian stamp |
Confused yet? You should be. But imagine how confused the people who lived in that region felt!
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