# Upper Silesia joins Poland (1922)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1922-upper-silesia-joins-poland
Location: Katowice

In June 1922 Polish troops entered the part of Upper Silesia awarded to Poland, including Katowice and most of the industrial basin. The autonomous Silesian Voivodeship was created. Within the broader Second Republic period: The Second Polish Republic built a state from three former partitions, weathered political crises and the May Coup, and developed its economy and culture before being threatened by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. At this point in the timeline (1922), the governing authority was Józef Piłsudski (Chief of State). Architect of independence and Chief of State; after the 1926 coup he remained Poland's dominant figure until his death in 1935. Upper Silesia joins Poland mattered because it altered the structure of power and the direction of Polish statehood. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Upper Silesia joins Poland mattered because it altered the structure of power and the direction of Polish statehood.

Ruler at the time: [Stanisław Wojciechowski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/stanislaw-wojciechowski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Silesian Voivodeship (1920–1939)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silesian_Voivodeship_(1920%E2%80%931939))
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Upper Silesia joins Poland](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Upper+Silesia+joins+Poland)
- [Wikipedia — Second Polish Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic)