Problems of the Polish-Soviet war of 1919–1920 and the Riga Treaty in reflection of the RCP(b) Central Committee Politburo minutes of meetings

Abstract

The role of the problems of the Polish-Soviet war and the Riga Treaty in the activities of the Politburo of the RCP(b) Central Committee is revealed. It is established that in 1919 this problem occupied an insignificant place in the work of the Politburo, the Polish-Soviet confrontation was given a secondary role against the background of the struggle of the Bolsheviks with the White Movement. The protocols of the Politburo of 1920 reflect the growing importance of the Polish front for Soviet Russia. But even in these circumstances, the issues of the Polish-Soviet war did not become dominant in the activities of the Politburo. It paid the greatest attention to the issues of propaganda work and the preparation and progress of peace negotiations with Poland in the summer and autumn of 1920. The materials of the Politburo meetings confirm that it was this party body that made decisions on key issues of Polish-Soviet relations, which were then implemented by Soviet diplomacy. The Belarusian question during the Polish-Soviet war was considered by the Politburo very rarely and only in the context of Soviet Russia’s achievement of its foreign policy goals.