The non-military activities of the Border Defence Corps in the light of the reports and literary output of the soldiers who belonged to this formatio Cover Image

Pozamilitarna działalność Korpusu Ochrony Pogranicza 1924-1939 w oczach żołnierzy tej jednostki
The non-military activities of the Border Defence Corps in the light of the reports and literary output of the soldiers who belonged to this formatio

Author(s): Mateusz Werner
Subject(s): History
Published by: KSIĘGARNIA AKADEMICKA Sp. z o.o.
Keywords: history; the Second Republic of Poland; the Polish Army; the Border Defence Corps (1924-1939); civilizing mission; eastern borderlands of Poland; literature; poetry; songs; military reports; Polish culture; sports

Summary/Abstract: The article attempts to describe the operations of the Border Defence Corps. These operations can be seen as a civilizing mission led by the army in the eastern borderlands. After presenting an overview of the state of research and the origin of the formation, the author elaborates upon the activity of BDC dividing it into two types. Indirect actions were connected with the military presence in the border zone. Direct actions were the initiatives of the soldiers deliberately directed at the local population. These actions concerned such spheres as: education, culture, sports or charity. The value of this text lies in the fact that the non-military activity of the BDC is shown through the eyes of the officers of this formation. The latter usually evaluated their work highly in official reports, poems and songs. This, however, is a more complex issue, which, due to methodological and source problems, could not be resolved in this article.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 42
  • Page Range: 27-50
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: Polish