Separatist views of Józef Kożdoń, leader of the Silesian People’s Party, on the membership of Cieszyn Silesia in the years 1918‒1920 according to the press organ of the „Silesian party”

Abstract

After the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War, the process of rebuilding
the independence of the former empire states began in the autumn of 1918. The establishment
of borders between Poland and Czechoslovakia has become a cause of conflict between these countries.
Józef Kożdoń, a Silesian and the leader of the Silesian People’s Party, joined in. Proclaiming
separatist slogans „Silesia for Silesian people”, he postulated the creation of a free state in the
disputed lands of Cieszyn Silesia and at the same time, proclaimed the indivisibility of this territory.
He was reluctant to cooperate with the Polish side. Events related to the Polish-Czechoslovak
rivalry for an industrialized and strategically important region caused that in the final phase of the
dispute, Józef Kożdoń supported Czechoslovakia. He believed that such a solution guaranteed more
significant benefits for Silesian people and supporters of his idea. Disappointed with the decision to
resign from the referendum, which was to decide about the future of Cieszyn Silesia, and then, because
of the arrangements for the division of the region made by international arbitration on 28 July
1920 in Spa, deeply disappointed slowly distanced himself from the high politics. The author of
the publication presents the activity of JózefKożdoń in the light of events concerning international
competition for Cieszyn Silesia through the prism of releases issued in the press organ of the Silesian
People’s Party – „Ślązak”.