Pilsudski's Peace of Riga

[Polish Eagle]

According to Wikipedia (risky source on things Polish, but for the purpose of the thread...), the USSR was offering far greater concessions than Poland took at the end of the Polish-Soviet War. This was because the National Democrats under Roman Dmowski did not want more non-Poles in the country.

What if Pilsudski's views triumphed over the Endeks at the negotiations, and Poland came away with much more at the end of the war? These are the main points:

Minsk is handed over to Poland, presumably to be the root of a Belarussian satellite state.

The independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic is assured.

 

[Zaius]

According to Wikipedia (risky source on things Polish, but for the purpose of the thread...), the USSR was offering far greater concessions than Poland took at the end of the Polish-Soviet War. This was because the National Democrats under Roman Dmowski did not want more non-Poles in the country.

What if Pilsudski's views triumphed over the Endeks at the negotiations, and Poland came away with much more at the end of the war? These are the main points:

Minsk is handed over to Poland, presumably to be the root of a Belarussian satellite state.

The independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic is assured.

1. Were the Bolsheviks really willing to recognize any sort of independent Ukraine? I always thought Minsk was pretty much all they were ready to concede.

2. Piłsudski never considered Minsk/Belorussia in itself to be as important to his plans as Lithuania and Ukraine. Once it became clear that the attempt to set up a reasonably strong Ukraine had failed, he apparently concluded that some level of "normalizing" relations with the Bolsheviks by letting them have Minsk would be better than the very limited benefits Belorussia would provide if it were the only separate entity associated with Poland. If all the National Democrats had suddenly dropped dead, the Treaty of Riga would have probably ended up pretty much the way it did in OTL.

 

[user23123]

Another wiki page claims that what the soviets where offering was BSSR in exchange for concession in Ukraine,same wiki claims that the soviets where willing to do so in order to create a fifth column.SO an independent Ukraine is out of discussion,as for Belarus,there are a few question how big will Poland to let Belarus be,because if it is to small it will just end up just as an unsustainable state,not to mention quiet angry at Poland,angry that the Soviets will be more the willing to exploit,another question will be how many rights will Poland be willing to give to the Belarus in case of an Belarus incorporated in Poland.

- So Poland can get an ally,or more depending on where border will be,there is the chance of getting the Baltic state also.
- Or it can get a little bit of strength,depending on who much she will have to give in Ukraine,and how well do the Poland with an incorporated Belarus will function,
- Or another neighbor (or a minority) who will be upset.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byelorussian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic ( Slutsk uprising section )

 

[yourworstnightmare]

I have heard argued that even Pilsudski wasn't ready for a Dnepr border, since he knew it was a Soviet trap to weaken the Polish state by increasing the numbers of Byelorussians and Ukrainians within Poland. Though those sources are somewhat biased.