In September 1939, World War II began. The largest and most tragic conflict in the history of mankind was initiated, with an attack on Poland, by two totalitarian states – Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. The armies of both countries entered the Second Republic a dozen days apart. Their goal was first to smash the Polish Army and then to occupy Poland and divide it between their influences.
The occupation of the Second Polish Republic, both German and Soviet, was ruthless and very brutal. Poles, but also other nations living in the country on the Vistula River, were subjected to harsh repression. First of all, both occupiers decided to exterminate the widely understood elite of the Polish nation, including the murder of professors, teachers, civil servants, officers, etc. At the same time, from the very beginning of World War II, the Germans and Soviets struck directly at Polish society. Ordinary citizens were murdered, detained, taken to concentration camps, resettled in Siberia, etc. In a word, the Germans and Soviets unleashed widespread terror, in accordance with totalitarian ideas, to which the people of the Second Republic, of different nationalities, religions, cultures, fell victim.
In addition to the above, the occupiers decided to carry out another administrative partition of Poland. The basis for their actions was first the notorious Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of late August 1939 and the less famous, but nevertheless ultimately binding on both sides, German-Soviet treaty „on borders and friendship” of September 28, 1939. According to the latter document, the Germans seized the entire western and central areas of Poland, part of which was incorporated into the Third Reich, while the so-called „General Government” was formed from the rest. The Soviets, on the other hand, seized eastern Poland, i.e. areas with cities such as Bialystok, Brest, Grodno, Kowel, Lviv, Lutsk and Stanislawow, among others, were incorporated into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
In the above-mentioned territories occupied by the Krasnoyarmyks, so-called „temporary regional boards” were immediately set up to head administrative cells corresponding to Polish provinces. Then, already after the signing of the above-mentioned treaty „on borders and friendship,” the leadership of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) decided to convene so-called People’s Assemblies in Belarus and Ukraine, which then intended to ask the Soviet authorities to incorporate these areas into the USSR.
The above move was intended to prove to the world that the Red Army’s entry into the territories of the Second Republic was entirely justified. It was allegedly desired by the two nations – Belarusian and Ukrainian, supposedly oppressed by the Poles during the existence of the Second Republic. This situation was painted in ironic terms by „Solidarity” bard Jacek Kaczmarski, singing in one of the stanzas of his „September Ballad”: „[…] Already wiped off the maps Versailles bastard [i.e., Poland], Already free Jew and Byelorussian, Never again will the Polish hand force them to do anything […]”.
Interestingly, the Soviets, back in September 1939, also decided to form a so-called Polish People’s Assembly, which, like the two aforementioned assemblies, planned to apply to the USSR for the incorporation of eastern Mazovia and Lublin Province into that country. However, this intention was never realized, as both lands were eventually incorporated into the German sphere of influence, in accordance with the provisions of the treaty „on borders and friendship.”
The People’s Assemblies in Belarus and Ukraine were to be composed of deputies, designated, of course, by the Communist authorities, to be elected by a „democratic” vote. The election campaign, encouraging participation in the elections, was launched on October 7, 1939, while the elections themselves were set for October 22 of that year. The pseudo-campaign was conducted in an atmosphere of escalating terror. On the order of the day, for example, were mass arrests of people whom the NKVD deemed dangerous. In addition, the Communists launched an entire propaganda machine to convince the people living there that the annexation of Belarus and Ukraine to the Soviet Union would only bring them benefits, such as land that would be taken away from the Polish „bourgeoisie and landowners” and given to the people.
Despite the use of the above-mentioned measures, the Soviets had to rig the elections to the People’s Assemblies, as the real results were highly unsatisfactory to them. Nevertheless, according to official data, more than 95% of eligible voters participated in the Belarusian vote, while more than 90% participated in the Ukrainian elections. More importantly, however, more than 90% of support went to Communist-backed candidates, although some of them were so hated by the local community that they did not get the required support and the vote had to be repeated.
Ultimately, these plebiscites „emerged” the People’s Assemblies, which sat on the following days: The People’s Assembly of Western Ukraine met from October 26-28, 1939 in Lviv, while the People’s Assembly of Western Belarus convened in Bialystok on October 28-30 . In both cases, during the first days of the session, resolutions were passed to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to incorporate Western Ukraine into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and Western Belarus into the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. Of course, the Supreme Soviet did not remain deaf to these requests, and on November 1 and 2, both considered them positively.
Polish authorities in emigration reacted to the above decisions. Polish Foreign Minister August Zaleski prepared a note stating: „The Polish government is in possession of evidence that a plebiscite was ordered in the Polish territories temporarily occupied by the USSR, which, in accordance with the so-called will of the population, approved the incorporation of these territories into the USSR. The Polish government declares that the ordering of such a plebiscite in areas under occupation is incompatible with the provisions of the law of nations.” Zaleski’s reaction was most appropriate, since according to the 1907 Hague Convention: „As soon as power has actually passed from the hands of the legitimate government to those of the occupying power, the latter shall take all measures in its power for the purpose of restoring and securing, as far as possible, order and social life, observing, except for absolute obstacles, the laws in force in the country.” With this, the Soviets broke down international law. In this, however, they were specialists – they always signed everything and willingly, and then brutally trampled over previously initialled documents. A perfect example of their behaviour was the breaking, on September 17, 1939, of the non-aggression pact concluded by the Polish and Soviet authorities more than seven years earlier.
