Although the plebiscite in 1921 had resulted in the majority of the population wanting Upper Silesia to remain a part of Germany, the industrialized eastern part was granted to Poland. To call this fate to the minds of a wider public, the authorities initiated the production of the revisionist culture and propaganda film LAND UNTERM KREUZ (Ulrich Kayser, GER 1927). It gives an account of the historical development of Upper Silesia as well as the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles and the plebiscite for the German population in the form of a drama about the loss of one's homeland and expulsion. After LAND UNTERM KREUZ had initially been banned, it premiered on the "Plebiscite Memorial Day" in 1927 in the Upper Silesian town of Gleiwitz, leading to massive ill feelings in the German-Polish relations. (Brigitte Braun)
