“This is All Their Fault...”: The Rola Weekly and the Revolution Cover Image

„Obca jakaś robota”. „Rola” i rewolucja
“This is All Their Fault...”: The Rola Weekly and the Revolution

Author(s): Małgorzata Domagalska
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, 19th Century, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), History of Antisemitism
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: the Rola weekly; antisemitism; Jan Jeleński; revolution of 1905; Catholic press; nineteenth century;

Summary/Abstract: The revolution of 1905 had a significant impact on the social and political life of the Kingdom of Poland. Not only did it lead to the emergence of the foundations of civil society, but it also contributed to the emergence of a new political scene. Jan Jeleński, the publisher of the antisemitic Rola weekly, was also an active participant in those transformations. He got involved in many activities, including organizing the Polish Catholic Association, an election campaign to the Duma, or publishing a new newspaper. According to him, similarly to the opinion of other conservative and Catholic milieus, the revolution had a clearly negative influence on Polish society. He perceived it as a result of behind-the-scenes machinations of Germans and, above all, of Jews who supposedly drew profit from the chaos in the Kingdom. According to Rola, Jews were also responsible for the emergence of socialist parties which, while focusing on Jewish interests, brought harm to Polish workers. And thus, in Jeleński’s weekly, at the threshold of the twentieth century, antisemitism became a convenient tool of political strategy. It served as a means of deprecating political adversaries, strengthened the stereotype of the Jew as an enemy, and the rhetoric shaped at that time became deeply rooted in the Polish public discourse for many years to come.he Rola weekly, antisemitism, Jan Jeleński, revolution of 1905, Catholic press, nineteenth century.

  • Issue Year: 20/2017
  • Issue No: 39
  • Page Range: 125-142
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Polish