Beyond the Battle of Warsaw. The Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920 in Western Geopolitics - a webinar with Piotr Puchalski, Ph.D.

Friday, August 28, 2020, at 11:00am

Watch the recording of the webinar HERE

To mark the centennial of the Battle of Warsaw (August 12-25, 1920), a momentous event in Poland's history, we invite you for a webinar with a specialist in diplomatic and political history in the interwar period, dr. Piotr Puchalski, who will examine the role played by the Polish-Soviet War in determining Western geopolitical aims.

The Battle of Warsaw (August 12-25, 1920), also known as the Miracle of the Vistula, was a series of battles that resulted in a decisive Polish victory during the Polish-Soviet War. Poland, on the verge of total defeat, repulsed and defeated the Red Army, and Polish victory over the Soviets halted the spread of communism further westwards into Europe. Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik leader called it "an enormous defeat" for his forces, and British politician, diplomat, and author Edgar Vincent D'Abernon included this battle on his expanded list of most decisive battles in the world's history.

Beyond the Battle of Warsaw

  The Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920 in Western Geopolitics

- A webinar with Piotr Puchalski, Ph.D. 

Friday, August 28, 2020, 11:00 a.m. EDT 

The famous Battle of Warsaw that took place around the Polish capital in August 1920 takes absolute center stage in any narrative of the Polish-Soviet War, and for good reason. The brilliant tactical decision to break through Soviet lines at a weak spot between the Western and South-Western Fronts, attributed to Józef Piłsudski, was a major reason behind the Polish triumph. The diplomatic actions that unfolded behind the scenes, however, are somewhat less known, and yet they illuminate the geopolitical importance of the Polish struggle for Western Europe. In his talk, Puchalski will examine the role played by the Polish-Soviet War in determining Western geopolitical aims.

Piotr Puchalski holds a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an Assistant Professor of modern European history at the Pedagogical University in Kraków. He specializes in diplomatic and political history of the interwar period. In his upcoming book, he analyzes the role played by colonial aspirations in the formation and development of the interwar Polish state.

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