THE CITY OF KORETS DURING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF POLISH AUTHORITY IN THE EARLY 1920S

Abstract

The article attempts to trace the establishment of Polish authority using the city of Korets as a case study. It has been established that in the early 1920s, the city was significantly influenced by the Polish-Soviet border, which ran in the immediate vicinity of Korets. Following the liberation of the Volhynia territory from Bolshevik occupation in the autumn of 1920, the Polish administration returned and restored the operations of government bodies and local self-government. In the early 1920s, the following operated in the city of Korets: the Administration of the Chief of the 1st District, the Korets Gmina Administration, the State Police Commissariat, the Magistrate, the State Police Border Post, the Emigration Office, and the Customs Office. During the period under research, the city transformed into an important economic center on the eastern border of the Polish state. Free assemblies of citizens were held regarding important issues of city life in Korets. One of the acute problems for the residents of Korets and the surrounding areas was the issue of communication with other localities of the poviat, voivodeship, and the state. With Korets acquiring the informal status of a border city, various military formations involved in border protection began to be stationed there, which immediately affected the life of the city and its inhabitants. The border status of the city stimulated the activation of contraband trade, which led to the emergence of a number of trading firms oriented towards foreign buyers in the early 1920s. Shops selling various goods operated in the city, providing for not only the townspeople but also the residents of the surrounding villages.