# Poland annexes Zaolzie (1938)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1938-poland-annexes-zaolzie
Location: Zaolzie
Categories: battle

After the Munich Agreement, Poland issued an ultimatum to Czechoslovakia and annexed the disputed Zaolzie area near Cieszyn. 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 (1938), the governing authority was Ignacy Mościcki (President of Poland). Chemist and inventor elected with Piłsudski's backing; interned in Romania in 1939 he transferred office to Raczkiewicz. Poland annexes Zaolzie mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed. 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
Poland annexes Zaolzie mattered because it changed the military or territorial balance and influenced the political choices that followed.

Ruler at the time: [Ignacy Mościcki](https://poland-history.com/rulers/ignacy-moscicki)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Trans-Olza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Olza)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Poland annexes Zaolzie](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Poland+annexes+Zaolzie)
- [Wikipedia — Second Polish Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Polish_Republic)