Departament Polityczny Ministerstwa Spraw Wewnętrznych w okresie dwudziestolecia międzywojennego w Polsce - wprowadzenie do badań
The Political Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in interwar Poland: An introduction to research

Summary/Abstract: The Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Second Polish Republic was a key ministry responsible for, among other things, monitoring public sentiment, controlling the activity of political parties, cooperating with local administrations, and combating anti-state activity. Its responsibilities also included surveillance of the political opposition and press censorship. These tasks were primarily handled by the Political Department, which was granted special powers in this regard after the May Coup (1926). The importance of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as the Political Department itself, for the government of the time is undeniable. Despite their significant role and assigned responsibilities, as presented in this study, no monograph has yet been written on this topic. Research conducted in the Central Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw revealed numerous archival sources on the subject that have not been studied in detail. The article aims to identify the main research issues to be addressed in detail in the forthcoming monograph. These include the influence and operating methods of the Political Department in terms of social and political control, its cooperation with and pressure on the security services, and its assessment as a professional tool for achieving political goals by the Sanation camp. The Political Department was undoubtedly a key element in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The presented text also demonstrates the complexity and ambiguity of the assessment of the Department's activities: on the one hand, it was a stabilising element of the state, and on the other, a tool for restricting political freedoms, especially after 1926. Clarifying these issues may further deepen our understanding of the functioning of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its subordinate institutions in the Second Polish Republic.

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