[MichaelB_PL]

Originally Posted by Kathy

Polonization predates the interwar period.

One of the reasons Ukrainian survived as a language was because when it was oppressed in the Austro Hungarian Empire, Ukrainian intellectuals moved to Russian controlled Ukraine, and vice versa. This was especially the case in the mid to late nineteenth century.

How exactly were the Ukrainian intellectuals opressed in AH Empire? By Poles or Austrians?

As for a "Polish reaction", I disagree. The Poles were worried about losing cheap labour. It may be viewed as a somewhat Marxist notion, but history proves that empire is always about wealth. That is as true today as it was in Roman times.

I do not think that is correct - AFAIK the Poles saw national minorities as a source of potential danger, not as a (beneficial) source of cheap labor.

Look for example at the peace conference at Riga of 1921, which ended the Polish-Soviet war - Poland rejected a Soviet territorial offer in a rather unusual way, demanding that less land should be given by the Soviets, basically saying "no thanks, you keep these lands".

Why did the Polish negotiators reduce the territorial gains of Poland? Because the Polish politicians wanted a more nationally homogenous state, prefering homogenity over the benefits given by additional cheap labour.

Peace of Riga - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In fact, a special parliamentray delegation consisting of six members of the Sejm held a vote on whether to accept the Soviets' far-reaching concessions, which would leave Minsk on the Polish side of the border. Pressured by the national democrat Stanisław Grabski, the 100 km of extra territory were rejected, a victory for the nationalist doctrine and a stark defeat for Piłsudksi's federalism, for the national democrats envisioned a unitary Polish state with no more than 1/3 minorities within its borders, a prequisite for any successful Polonization attempts in their eyes."

The Poles have experienced many ethnic based conflicts in the 1918-1921 (Polish-Ukrainian war, Polish-Lithuanian war,the Silesian Uprisings) and because of that they were painfully aware of how easily ethnic issues can spark war - IMO they did't see national minorieties as beneficial source of cheap labour.

The plight of Ukrainians in the nineteenth century, where they were, essentially, serfs for pans, was exceptionally brutal. I have no doubt it was similar for Polish peasants.

Yes, there was even a armed rebellion of Polish peasants under Jakub Szela.