The boundary drawn between Poland and Soviet states by the Treaty of Riga that ended the war between them in 1921 meant that the majorities of Poland’s new eastern provinces were minorities–Jewish, Ukrainian, Belorussian (White Russian), and Ruthenians (Rusyns)– in the Polish state. In the summer of 1930 began sabotage actions by Ukrainian nationalists, including the fascist Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists, followed by a ‘pacification’ campaign by Pilsudski’s reactionary military regime. Below, the statement of the Polish Communist Party on those events.

‘Resolution of the C.C. of the C.P. of Poland on the Situation in the Western Ukraine’ from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 10 No. 47. October 16, 1930.

1. Polish imperialism is aiming at the greatest exploitation of the conquered territories and their extension by fresh conquests, by a new march on Kiev. The most abominable national and colonial oppression is part and parcel of the Polish occupation policy in the West Ukraine and West White Russia.

The imperialist rule of Polish fascism in the West Ukraine and Western White Russia has subjected the toiling masses of town and country to the most shameful exploitation and suppression. The unheard-of exploitation of the agricultural workers and poor peasant masses working on the landed estates, the fascist liquidation of the feudal remnants, the military colonisation (which is a robbery of the main masses of the peasantry) of the land which has been taken away from the Ukrainian peasants, the usury of the private and State banks, the pressure of taxation for occupation purposes, the national suppression and the police terror exercised against the broad toiling masses, all this has converted the life of the toiling masses in the Western Ukraine into a regular hell.

The profound economic crisis which shakes the foundations of the capitalist rule in Poland, caused a further worsening of the situation under which the toiling masses in the occupied territories are living. The masses realised that for them there is no other way out but the revolutionary fight in order to drive away the big landowners, the Polish police, gendarmes, spies and the Polish usurpers from their land and the fight for land without compensation. The usurpers have replied to this struggle with military and police punitive expeditions, with pogroms against whole of the Ukrainian villages.

The wholesale incendiarism on the big landed estates and kulak farms and the mass struggle against the Polish fascist administration are manifestations of the revolutionary fight of the main masses of peasants and bra sections of the toiling intelligentzia against Polish imperialism.

The whole of the Ukrainian bourgeoisie and all Ukrainian petty bourgeois parties have right from the beginning opposed with the greatest hostility the struggle of the Ukrainian peasantry. The Ukrainian bourgeoisie licks the boots of the fascist conqueror and condemns the revolutionary movement.

All fracions of Ukrainian nationalism are concluding pacts with Polish fascism regarding a common advance on Soviet Ukrainia.

The Ukrainian military organization (U.W.O.) is attempting to shatter the united front of the fighting toiling masses of Western Ukraine and to beat up their struggle by depriving this struggle, which is directed against the yoke of Polish occupation and against the exploitation by the big landowners and capitalists, of its social content.

All fractions of the fascist camp in Poland, from the “Sanacia’ up to the P.P.S., “Wysvolenie” and the peasants party, are showing their solidarity with and helping Pilsudski in suppressing the revolutionary movement of the Ukrainian masses and in preparing a new march on Kiev.

2. The Communist Party of Poland is, together with the Communist Party of the Western Ukraine, the only Party which recognises the present struggle of the Ukrainian masses against the big landowners and against the Polish kulak colonists and against the Polish administration of occupation as its own struggle. The Communist Party of Poland is the only Party which is fighting against Polish imperialism, for the annulment of the Versailles Treaty and for the right of Western Ukraine to self-determination up to its separation from the Polish State and its incorporation in the Soviet Ukraine. The C.P.P. and the C.P.W.U. show to the suppressed Ukrainian people the only way out of the present hell of exploitation and suppression: the common struggle of the toiling masses of Poland, the Western Ukraine and Western White Russia in order to overthrow fascism by means of an armed revolt of the workers, peasants and soldiers; the common struggle for the workers’ and peasants government.

The revolutionary fight of the toiling masses of the Western Ukraine against the Polish occupation is part of the general revolutionary struggle of the proletariat and of the poor and middle peasant masses of the whole of Poland to overthrow the fascist dictatorship and to set up in its place. the dictatorship of the proletariat, the workers’ and peasants government.

It is the task of the whole C.P.P. to mobilise the toiling masses in town and country for the support of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian masses against the occupation, for the right of the Western Ukraine to self-determination up to separation and incorporation in the Soviet Ukraine, for land for the peasants and agricultural workers without compensation. The Party must show the masses that the overthrow of fascism is impossible without a life and death struggle against Polish imperialism, which is suppressing the Western Ukraine and Western White Russia and is preparing for a march on the Soviet Ukraine and Soviet White Russia.

The struggle which Pilsudski is conducting against the Ukrainian toiling masses must be replied to by the Party with the organisation of meetings, demonstrations and mass manifestations in the streets and political mass strikes in the whole of Poland. The example of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian peasantry must evoke a greater struggle of the poor and middle peasants of the whole of Poland against the capitalists, the big landowners and kulaks, for land without compensation, for the overthrow of fascism, for the workers and peasants government.

The election campaign in Poland must be made use of in order to draw the attention of the toiling masses to the heroic struggle of the workers and peasants of Western Ukraine.

3. It is the task of the C.P. of the Western Ukraine to combat all passivity in view of the growing mass movement in Western Ukraine, to redouble all efforts in order to get the leadership of the present spontaneous mass movement into its hands and to guide it in the direction of the revolutionary mass struggle up to the overthrow of fascism, for the workers and peasants’ government, for land without compensation for the peasants and agricultural workers, for the right of Western Ukraine to self-determination up to separation and incorporation in the Soviet Ukraine.

It is necessary to launch mass struggles against the pressure of taxation on the part of the usurpers under the slogan: “Not a penny in taxes for the fascist government!”, against the loss of feudal tenants rights, against the fascist distribution of land, against the payment of fines imposed by fascism on the insurgent villages, against performance of guard duty on the estates of the big landowners and State farms.

In the villages where the struggle against the taxes has already spread to broad masses, the Party must organise a mass tax boycott. For the leadership of this struggle it is necessary to set up in every village peasant committees, formed on the basis of the united front from below, embracing the masses of poor and middle peasants and the agricultural workers.

It is the task of the C.P.W.U. to link up the present struggle of the peasant masses with the struggle of the proletariat in the towns, and in particular of the Polish proletariat, for a common struggle against the occupation and in order to overthrow fascism.

The workers must reply with political mass strikes and demonstrations to the punitive expeditions of the usurpers, the fines imposed on the Ukrainian villages, and the whole- sale arrests. Workers demonstrations into the neighbouring villages are of special importance in strengthening the revolutionary workers’ and peasants’ bloc.

Joint workers and peasants committees, embracing the town and the neighbouring villages, must be set up for a common leadership of the struggle.

The Party must devote particular attention to the organisation of a mass defence brigade in the factories and villages.

For the further development of the revolutionary movement in Western Ukraine we must increase our work in those detachements of the Polish army intended by fascism to be sent into the districts which are the scene of the struggle of the Ukrainian toiling masses. The fraternisation of the population with the army, the drawing of the soldiers over to the side of the fighters is the task of the moment.

The mobilisation of the toiling masses in town and country in the Western Ukraine for the struggle against Polish imperialism, against the occupation, against fascism and social fascism, the taking in hand of the present spontaneous movement of the peasant masses and its linking up with the struggle of the proletariat, the development of the programme of the dictatorship of the proletariat- these tasks must constitute the content of our election campaign in the Western Ukraine.

We must explain to the masses that the votes cast for the anti-fascist workers’ and peasants’ bloc are à demonstration against Polish imperialism, for the overthrow of fascism, for the dictatorship, of the proletariat, for the workers’ and peasants government.

The election campaign must serve to expose thoroughly the common front of the Ukrainian nationalist groups with the fascist usurpers.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/inprecor/1930/v10n47-oct-16-1930-inprecor-Virginia.pdf