During the Second World War, it was taken over by Soviet Union under Stalin , who assigned it to Poland.
Its German name is "Schlesien", earlier German writing was Slesia or Slezia( before existence of modern German language “sch” and ss or tz=cz).
Origins
There are many theories as to how Silisia derived its name. These theories tend to fally along the lines of national interest. The "Silesia is part of Germany" argument claims that the name is derived from the Silingii, a Germanic tribe like the Vandals and the (Celtic) Germanic Lugier or Lygier and many more, who all lived south of the Baltic Sea in the Elbe?, Oder, and Vistula river area , as recorded by historians starting in 98 AD, 150 AD, 550 AD and later centuries.
Polanen , a Slavic tribe were first mentioned in the 10st century. Earlier Slavs moved into the area of Germany between Vistula river and Oder. Under the Frankish kings and emperors the area known as Silesia was a part of Moravian? and Bohemian.
"Silesia is Poland" argument is based on etymology and the fact that now most of the place-names in the area are Slavic .
A third theory claims that the area was indeed "originally" (as far as they are the first people purported to have lived in the area) inhabited by the Silinger,Vandali a Germanic people and the Lugier or Lygier earlier named as Celtic people, later as Germanic. Liegnitz in Silesia is named after the Celtic god Ligo. When some Vandali moved from the area and in 429 went to Northern Africa, others stayed behind. When in the 530's Byzanthium took over the Vandali kingdom in Africa those Vandals returned to Germania. In the middle of the 6th century messages between the Vandals from Silesia to the Vandals in Africa are recorded.
The place-names, which were in Slavic form also used by the new inhabitants, who were since the agressive take-overs by Boleslaw I Chrobry until 1150's more Slavic . After 1150 Silesia was overwhelming Germans again and all these people became known as Silesians.
Parenthetically, it should be noted that there is considerable debate among archaeologists and historians as to whether there is such a thing as a Celtic-Germanic people. Exhibits such as the one in Rosenheim (Bayern) certainly demonstrate that the Celts had an influence on the area; however, the movement of the Celts westward through Europe was such that there is little if any overlap between them and the Germanic tribes.
We need a better transition here -- perhaps some of the good info provided by H. Jonat and now residing on the Talk page could be re-worked?
History -- Middle Ages
History - Early Modern Period
Silesia in the Modern World
A part of Silesia was 'given' to Poland in 1920. After the rule by Russia over Poland and the Polish uprisings in 1830 and 60 ,many Poles moved to Prussia Germany and to Berlin. The flood of Poles was to overwhelming , that trains were not allowed to stop in the border regions as a stop-gap measure to try to keep Prussia Germany from being totally overrun, as it happened a thousand years earlier.
In the course of the Versailles Treaty 1920 the majority of the Silesians including the newly arrived Russia-Poles, had voted to remain with Germany. There were Pan-Slavist elements from Poland and western allies, who wanted to get a hold of Silesia, because it had coal mines and despite the election outcome for Germany, Silesia was split., a part given to Poland.
America never signed this Treaty of Versailles.
1945 all of Silesia has gone to Poland. The Communists ousted most of the German population of Silesia. Some Germans managed to stay in their homeland, when it was taken over by Poland, mainly in Opolskie voivoidship.
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