Nationen und Grenzen : Bildung neuer Staaten in Ost- und Mitteleuropa nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg

The projections of the eastern border of the future Polish state were determined by the tradition of the pre-partitionP olish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Rzeczpospolita). In the political programmeso ft he 19 th and early 20 th centuries, the idea of regaining independence coexisted with the idea to restore the state within the pre-partition borders. The progress of nation-buildingp rocesses among the peoples living in the eastern territorieso ft he formerP olish-Lithuanian Commonwealth gaver ise to the need for ap rogramme of compromisea sr egards the eastern border. It seemed that the federation programme, which wascharacteristicofsocialist circles, would be such acompromise. For the political right-wing, represented by the national democrats, the ethnic factor became increasingly significant in addition to historical traditions. In the course of World WarI, the conception of incorporation wasadopted as the eastern territorialprogramme in this environment. With many differences that divided both positions, theywere united by the desiret oi ncorporate the so-called eastern borderlands within the borderso ft he future Polishstate.