Wilsons Moment? Wilsons Deutungen von Demokratie und Nation, ihre nationalen Rezeptionen und die Bedeutung für die Grenzkonflikte in Oberschlesien, dem Teschener Schlesien und der Orava

Abstract

While the discussion in historical scholarship to date has focused undoubtedly on Wilson’s
importance to the postulate of national self-determination, this paper shifts the focus and
shows that the linchpin of Wilson’s thinking was democracy. First, in this article the devel-
opment of Wilson’s positioning on democracy and national self-determination is unfolded
in detail. Then, the discussion of the concepts of leading nation-state actors in Germany,
Poland, and Czechoslovakia is summarized. In particular, it becomes clear that the debate
about democracy and nationhood in these states was by no means first triggered by Wilson
and his slogans. The following section examines the impact of Wilson’s postulates on the
contention over disputed border territories. Specifically, it deals with an area of neighboring
regions—Upper Silesia, Teschen Silesia, and the Orava River—that found themselves in a
tri-border area between Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia during the transition period
after World War I. The following section examines the impact of Wilson’s postulates on
contested border areas. With regard to these regions, his ideas were by no means without
effect. Along the lines of the core idea that peoples should be able to decide for themselves
who governs them, and thus should also decide for themselves on their state affiliation, ref-
erendums were scheduled in the three regions.