288 Chapter 3
Coding changes: End Date changed from November 18, 1920.
MID#258
Started in March 1939. See the narrative in the 255 Germany/290 Poland dyad dispute
list.
MID#169
Dispute Number: 169
Date(s): September 10, 1939 to September 28, 1939
Participants: 365 Russia/290 Poland
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: The Soviet invasion of eastern Poland was roughly concurrent with the
German invasion of western Poland and was a direct result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop
Pact that carved up Eastern Europe into respective spheres of Nazi and Soviet influ-
ence. The pact between the Soviets and Germans made clear what the intended future
division of Poland would be, and the Germans began their invasion on September 1,
in defiance of the British guarantee to protect Poland. The Soviets acted on Septem-
ber 17, 1939, with an announcement that all treaties and arrangements between the
Soviets and Poles were null and void. Troops entered that same day. The last Polish
battalion held out until the Battle of Wytyzno on October 1. The dispute ended with
the German-Soviet demarcation treaty of September 28 that changed parts of the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to coincide with the developments from their joint war
efforts in Poland.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from September 1, 1939. End Date changed
from September 29, 1939. Fatalities changed from Missing.
MID#185
Dispute Number: 185
Date(s): October 19, 1956 to October 23, 1956
Participants: 365 Russia/290 Poland
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side B (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: In the summer and autumn of 1956, the Soviet Union became increas-
ingly concerned about its hold in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland and Hungary,
as the local populations complained about economic stagnation and increased their
demands for individual liberties and independent foreign policies. The Soviets sought
to retain governments friendly to Soviet interests. On June 28, the Polish government
suppressed a riot that had formed from a demonstration by Polish workers, killing and
wounding hundreds, but tensions remained. By November, Wladsylaw Gomulka, who
was held as a political prisoner from 1951 to 1954, was being mentioned as the first