Germany – (Weimar Republic) Commemorative medal for the 10-year referendum in Upper Silesia.

Description

Bronze medal 1931. (unsigned) Commemorative medal for the 10-year occupation and referendum in Upper Silesia.  The referendum 20. March 1921 in Upper Silesia. Standing miner with hammer on his shoulder and Silesian coat of arms / 2 lines of writing between oak branches.

The referendum in 1921 on the state affiliation of Upper Silesia was the climax, but not the end, of a long-standing battle for the favor of the Upper Silesians, fought with weapons and propaganda, which also included the geopolitical interests of the Allies. This was preceded by the collapse of the old order in Europe as a result of the First World War. New states based on national ideas emerged on the ruins of the multinational empires. But where the population was ethnically heterogeneous, regional conflicts arose over land, state affiliation and national identity. This was also the case in Upper Silesia. The population, which was largely nationally indifferent, now had to choose between Germany and Poland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1921_Upper_Silesia_plebiscite

This medal was often given to veterans, supporters of the German cause in the plebiscite, and members of various paramilitary groups that participated in the Silesian uprisings.

Today, it is a collector’s item with historical value.