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• Regained independence was the result of years of Polish endeavours (...)
• The smooth course of the meetings (...)
• There were statements during discussions (...)
• The commissariat, taking over the leadership (...)
• The matter of the affiliation of the Polish territories (...)

The matter of the affiliation of the Polish territories, both those already liberated by insurgents, and the other territories, was determined in the treaty of Versailles signed on 28 June 1919. Soon the customs border between the Prussian partition and the rest of the country was lifted, the Commissariat of the Supreme People’s Council did this on 1 July 1919, and the Polish government followed suit as late as 22 July 1919.

The Commissariat of the Supreme People’s Council, striving for unification, assumed maintenance of the administrative separation of the partition in view of its different legal system, in which the majority of institutions were better regulated than in systems in place in other partitions. From among various different solutions (the Commissariat suggested, among other things, the establishment of a collective authority, government and the appointment of a general delegate) the office of the Minister of the former Prussian partition was elected - a member of the government with a territorially specified scope of activity. 

The last meeting of the Supreme People's Council was held after the adoption of the law of 1 August 1919 by the Legislative Parliament (Sejm) on the temporary organisation of the administration of the former Prussian partition. On 19 August, the Council adopted a resolution on the liquidation of the political organisation of Poles living in the German Reich and its authorities. The liquidation of the Commissariat was entrusted to the Minister of the former Prussian partition. Władysław Seyda, the commissar of the Supreme People’s Council, who the combined two functions for some time, was appointed to this post.

On 6 November, the Commissariat issued a regulation on the liquidation of its own divisions and the delegation of all powers to the Minister. This act crowned the efforts of the Commissariat of the Supreme People’s Council to maintain the existing system and establish such a body, which could manage the administration of the partition in the best possible way and the taking over of the administration on the territories granted to Poland by the treaty of Versailles. The administration departments were transferred in stages and the final liquidation of the office of the Minister took place in the year 1922.

The parallelism of the measures taken was absolutely vital in the process of regaining independence. Regardless of the continued fighting and the fact that decisions being made during the peace conference were still awaited, power was taken over gradually in all spheres. Universal agreement beyond all differences (or at least restraint from the exposure of the particular interests of the respective parties) allowed for the convening of the Partition Sejm of Poznań and the expression of the unity of Poles during its operation. The Sejm created such a framework for the functioning of the Supreme People’s Council and the Commissariat elected by it that these bodies could operate within the German state. After the outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising, not only did the Commissariat ensure effective leadership, but it also took power and led to the unification of the territories of the Prussian partition with other Polish territories. At that time, the administration and schooling systems were taken over, a university, originally called Piast Wszechnica, was established and elections to municipal councils and the Legislative Parliament (Sejm) were organised. All this took place during the ongoing insurgent battles. And this parallelism of the undertaken activities ensured the regaining of independence and the building of the foundations of Polish statehood on a national level. Because only the laying of bricks together could lead to the rebirth of Poland.