Cieszyn Silesia was cemented as a uniform historic, geopolitical, socio-cultural and economic entity during the period of Habsburg rule.

After the end of World War I, both of the two newly created independent states of Poland and Czechoslovakia claimed the area.

Initially, both national councils claimed the whole of Cieszyn Silesia for themselves, the Polish Rada Narodowa Księstwa Cieszyńskiego in its declaration "Ludu śląski!"

[5] On 31 October 1918, in the wake of World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, most of the area was taken over by local Polish authorities.

The former was not satisfied with the situation and on 23 January 1919 invaded the area[7][8] while both parties were engaged in much larger conflicts elsewhere, Poland in its war against the West Ukrainian National Republic and Czechoslovakia in the war with the Hungarian Soviet Republic over Upper Hungary.

The Czechs claimed that the polls must not be held in the disputed area, as the delimitation was only interim and no sovereign rule should be executed there by any party.

It was inconclusive, and before the reinforced Czech forces could resume the attack on the town, they were pressed by Entente to stop operations and a cease-fire was signed on 3 February.

In this tense climate it was decided that a plebiscite would be held in the area asking its people which country the territory should join.

Plebiscite commissioners arrived there at the end of January 1920 and after analysing the situation declared a state of emergency in the territory on 19 May 1920.

[10] Eventually 58.1% of the area of Cieszyn Silesia, along with 67.9% of the population, was taken over by Czechoslovakia on 28 July 1920 by decision of the Spa Conference.

Poland signed a treaty with Czechoslovakia in Warsaw on 13 June 1958 confirming the border as it had existed on 1 January 1938.

The region also borders Slovakia, along the Polom mountain range and Jablunkov Pass at Mosty u Jablunkova, and Moravia across the rivers Ostravice and Oder.

Geomorphologically, the area of Cieszyn Silesia is located in the Western Carpathians and extends into the mesoregions: Major towns of the Polish part of the region include Cieszyn, Bielsko (western part of Bielsko-Biała), Czechowice-Dziedzice, Skoczów, Strumień, Ustroń and Wisła.

Protestant influence is reflected in the regional saying in the Cieszyn Silesian dialect "Dzierży sie twardo jak lutersko wiara kole Cieszyna."

)[13] Several towns, especially Bielsko, Cieszyn and Fryštát, in the past had a larger Jewish community, but the local Jews were almost completely annihilated by the Nazis during World War II and the local Germans were all deported to Germany or Austria after the war.

Today, many other religious, mostly Christian, denominations are present in small numbers, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists and Pentecostals whose movement within Poland originated in Cieszyn Silesia.

Even in 2006 there were still portraits of Habsburg rulers on the wall in the assembly room of the Cieszyn local council.