 Under Prussian and German rule, the Polish minority suffered from forced Germanization; for example Poles were denied Polish schools, and refused to teach their children German.The German official Heinrich Mettenmeyer wrote that German-appointed teachers were treated with highest disdain by Polish children and their parents

After World War I as a consequence of the Treaty of Versailles Tczew became part of the so-called "Polish Corridor" and was incorporated into the re-established Polish state.On January 30, 1920, Polish General Józef Haller arrived in the town with his troops.