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Polish Church Administration in Western Pomerania in the Face of Increasing Indoctrination in the Years 1945-1972

Polska administracja kościelna na Pomorzu Zachodnim wobec narastającej indoktrynacji w latach 1945-1972

Author(s): Adam Frydrysiak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The article presents the stance of the Polish Church administration in Western Pomerania in the face of increased indoctrination in the years 1945-1972. The activity of the first post-war primates of Poland, August Hlond and Stefan Wyszyński is discussed. Both of them found themselves in a dilemma between the demands of the new state authorities on the one hand, and the expectations of the Apostolic See and the hierarchy of the German Church on the other. It must be remembered that the policy of the communist regime strove to undermine the role of the Church in Poland. The changes that took place in 1956 alleviated the conflict between the state and the Church – the crucial developments included the political thaw after the death of Stalin, the address of Polish bishops to German bishops and the signing of the border treaty between Poland and the FRG.

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The Poznań June 1956 in the Light of Studies on Human Losses

Poznański Czerwiec 1956 roku w świetle badań nad stratami osobowymi

Author(s): Łukasz Jastrząb / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The Poznań June of 1956 is the most tragic event in the citys post-war history. The workers strike of an initially socio-economic character turned into armed riots of a political nature. The army entered the city. Within several hours 57 people were killed or died of wounds and there were nearly 600 casualties. Since then, these incidents have been the theme of numerous studies, books and articles. However, the literature of the subject often repeats the same myths, legends and obvious distortions or errors. The author of the article has been engaged for some years now in a study that sheds new light on many of the widely-held myths of the Poznań June 1956. He has managed to retrace the course of the decision-making process concerning the command to shoot and to solve the question of the so-called first shot. It was also possible to verify the number of fatal victims and the circumstances of their death (accidental in a majority of cases). An analysis of the circumstances of the death of Roman Strzałkowski was undertaken and the results differ markedly from the commonly accepted hagiographical legend. The Poznań June is still in demand of new literature, studies and syntheses. Anyone who claims that there is nothing more to write about is very much mistaken. It is only by publications representing adequate knowledge of the subject, firmly based on sources and a sound methodology, that we can sustain the memory of the events of the most tragic day in the history of Poznań. The various debates and discussions that such publications might generate will be a constructive influence on the state of our knowledge of the Poznań June of 1956.

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The Uncovering of the "Ojczyzna" Organization by the Ministry of Public Security - the Poznań Lead

Rozpracowanie organizacji "Ojczyzna" przez Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - wątek poznański

Author(s): Aleksandra Pietrowicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

‘‘Ojczyzna’’ (Motherland an underground) was a conspiracy organization operating in the years of German occupation of 1939-1945 on the territory of Great Poland and General-Gouvernement. In July 1945 it was disbanded and many of its members took up employment in institutions established on the so-called reclaimed lands. From 1947 the former members of ‘‘Ojczyzna’’ became the object of interest of the public security department. Many persons from this organization and its circle were invigilated as part of a case of uncovering a target code-named ‘‘Alfa’’. Unsuccessful attempts at enlisting agents from among the former members of ‘‘Ojczyzna’’ ended in arrests and the launching of a formal inquiry. The article is based on the operational records of the Ministry of Public Security, regional offices of public security and the District Military Court. It presents the activity of the security apparatus directed against the Poznań milieu of ‘‘Ojczyzna’’ gathered among others in the Institute for Western Affairs.

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"Poland has yet not perished". The Activity of Former Napoleonic Soldiers in the Great Poland Duchy

"Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła". Aktywność napoleończyków w Wielkim Księstwie Poznańskim

Author(s): Bogumił Wojcieszak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The belief that ‘‘Poland has not yet perished’’ was expressed in a wide range of contexts during the Prussian rule. The words of the Dąbrowski Mazurka were an inspiration to fight not only by taking up arms but also by striving for national survival. The author devotes most of his attention to the political attitudes of citizens of the Great Poznań Duchy, who tended towards political realism. The article also refers to the myth of Great Poland citizens in the period before the November Uprising as predominantly engaged in conspiracy and pushing for armed confrontation. In reality, contrary to the legend, political realism took precedence in action. The author focuses on the diversity of activities undertaken by former officers of the Napoleonic army who had settled in Great Poland.

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Risings or Revolts? Within the Sphere of Terminology

Powstania czy rewolty? W kręgu terminologii

Author(s): Andrzej Choniawko / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The author analyzes various terms used for denoting the tragic events of 1956 in Poznan´. The term ‘‘revolt’’, as opposed to ‘‘rising’’ which carries distinct historical connotations, belongs to ahistorical concepts in the methodologically positive sense of the word. The adequacy of the term ‘‘revolt’’ can be seen especially clearly against the backdrop of the tendency to relinquish the term ‘‘rising’’ also with reference to other events that had so far consistently been called in this way. The omission or perfunctory treatment of workers demonstrations violently suppressed by the authorities in studies aspiring to a historical synthesis indicates that the meaning of this type of social conflicts for the reconstruction of social processes continues to be underestimated. Each of such cases provides unique evidence of the contradictions that weigh down on the society, and intersect on various planes. The knowledge about these contradictions gained from the analysis of the origin, course and effects of workers demonstrations can be projected onto wider dimensions, exceeding the territorial and all the more so the chronological scope of workers protests.

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The Apparatus of Public Security in Western Pomerania in the Years 1945-1947

Aparat bezpieczeństwa publicznego na Pomorzu Zachodnim w latach 1945-1947

Author(s): Zenon Kachnicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

Polish communists, wishing to seize and consolidate power in Poland, created a strong and efficient apparatus modelled upon the Soviet NKVD. It was an important element of the process of establishing and safeguarding the new authority. The leadership of the Polish Workers Party (PPR) was from the very beginning aware that without the so-called peoples apparatus of oppression, i.e. the army, the security office and the police force it would be impossible to successfully end the strife for absolute domination on the Polish political scene. Once the structure of the security offices had been established, they engaged in combat not only with the legal opposition but also with the armed underground resistance movement. It must be strongly emphasized that offices of public security were a crucial factor in fighting against the enemies of the PPR. They carried out the orders of the party’s central leadership promptly and ruthlessly, often disregarding the law. Their aim was to crush political opponents even if the latter did not commit any crime or offence. Their mode of operation can be summed up by ‘‘the maxim the end justifies the means’’. The article presents the genesis, structure and activity of the apparatus of public security in Western Pomerania in the years immediately after the Second World War.

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From the Scientific Chronicle

Z kroniki naukowej

Author(s): Piotr Kalka,Stanisław Żerko,Maria Wagińska-Marzec,Author Not Specified / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

Anna Kierzkowska-Tokarska, Być obywatelem Unii Europejskiej Piotr Kalka, Prezydencja Austrii w Unii Europejskiej. Wykład ambasadora Austrii w Polsce Alfreda Länglego Maria Wagińska-Marzec, Polacy i Niemcy – 17 czerwca 1953 i 28 czerwca 1956 – wspólna przeszłość? Stanisław Żerko, Poznański Czerwiec 1956. Uwarunkowania, przebieg, konsekwencje

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The Poznań June 1956 in an International Perspective

Poznański Czerwiec 1956 w międzynarodowej perspektywie

Author(s): Michał Nowosielski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

(Compiled by M. Nowosielski) On the 13th of June 2006 a debate on the Poznań June of 1956 was held at the Institute for Western Affairs. The organizers wanted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first protest of workers in the Polish Peoples Republic with a discussion with experts and participants of the historical events. The topic of the panel was the interpretation and assessment of the Poznań June against the backdrop of the de-communization process in the so-called Eastern block. The participants of the discussion exchanged views on the repercussions of the Poznań rising in the Polish society, the reaction of the party authorities, reception of the Poznań events in other countries of the so-called peoples democracy, and the influence of the Poznań June on subsequent revolts and protests in the countries of Central-Eastern Europe. They tried to situate this protest of workers in the process of formation of anti-communist opposition, the evolution of political culture and relations between the regime and the society.

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Direct Foreign Investments in Great Poland. Present State and Prospects

Bezpośrednie inwestycje zagraniczne w Wielkopolsce. Stan obecny i perspektywy

Author(s): Adam Szymaniak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The aim of the article was to characterize the present state and prospects of development of joint ventures with foreign partners in Great Poland. This was done by analyzing the data provided by the General Statistical Office, the National Bank of Poland, the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, the Department of Development at the City Council of Poznań, and the local governments. Data obtained directly from foreign investors operating in Great Poland were an important supplement of the information supplied by the above mentioned institutions. Due to limits imposed by the form of the article, not all of the results of the study could be presented. Thus, they were selected according to the following principal goals of the analysis: values, figures and structure of the origin of direct investments in the region of Great Poland, major economic and financial parameters of joint ventures operating in the region, the influx of strategic foreign investments whose value exceeds 1 mln USD to Great Poland, foreign investments in the capital city of the region – Poznań. In the third part of the article the analyses and statistical data have been referred to the prospects of direct investments in the Great Poland region and Poznań.

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Evolution of the Assessment and Meaning of the Poznań June 1956. From "Imperialist Provocation" to "Conflict in the Family"

Ewolucja oceny i znaczenia Poznańskiego Czerwca 1956 roku. Od "imperialistycznej prowokacji" do "konfliktu w rodzinie"

Author(s): Stanisław Jankowiak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The article deals with the evolution of the appraisal and meaning of the Poznań June of 1956. The Poznań June played an enormous role in post-war history, opening the long way to true freedom, although in June 1956 its participants were not aware of its future impact and had no intention of abolishing the system then in force. This however does not diminish the merits of the rising that changed Poland, even though the inhabitants of Poznań had to wait for decades before its role came to be appreciated.

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Repercussions of the Poznań June 1956 in German Press

Echa poznańskiego czerwca 1956 roku w prasie niemieckiej

Author(s): Aleksandra Kruk / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The article presents the responses of German press to the events of 28th June 1956 in Poznań. The analysis is based on a collection of German press at the Institute for Western Affairs in Poznań (the following titles have been considered: ‘‘Bayern-Kurier’’, ‘‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’’, ‘‘Ost-West-Kurier’’, ‘‘Rheinischer Merkur’’, ‘‘Der Spiegel’’, ‘‘Die Welt’’, ‘‘Der Tagesspiegel’’, ‘‘Die Zeit’’, ‘‘Neues Deutschland’’). The accounts and assessments of the workers riots against the communist regime are evidence of interest in the sources and course of the Poznań rising both in the FRG and the GDR.

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The Beginnings of Common Courts of Law in Western Pomerania on the Example of the Koszalin District (1945-1949)

Początki sądownictwa powszechnego na Pomorzu Zachodnim na przykładzie okreęgu koszalińskiego (lata 1945-1949)

Author(s): Katarzyna Kozioł / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

Judge Kazimierz Cukierski was delegated to organize and direct the district court in Koszalin on 30th May, 1945, and this date is recognized as the beginning of Polish post-war jurisdiction in Western Pomerania. The article presents the first years (1945-1949) of the functioning of the common courts of law on this territory. The main source of information is the account of Judge Kazimierz Cukierski himself. He describes mostly the organizational side of the creation of particular courts in the district, among others problems with finding adequate premises and recruiting personnel, as well as relations with the local civilian population and the representatives of state administration and the army.

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The First District Offices of Public Security on the Territory of Central Pomerania in 1945

Pierwsze Powiatowe Urzędy Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego na terenie środkowego Pomorza w 1945 roku

Author(s): Krzysztof Bukowski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 03/2006

The study brings a concise characterization of the organization and personnel policy of the department of public security and the role it was assigned by the Polish Workers Party (PPR). Special attention is given to the district security offices. The author recounts the circumstances accompanying their creation and shows the conditions of work in particular offices. He also specifies the difficulties encountered by the heads of particular offices in establishing them in Central Pomerania in 1945. The number and type of posts in each of these offices, forms of gratification of the personnel for their work and supply of basic office commodities is described. [The file is big due to numerous digitalised documents.]

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Editorial

Author(s): Hanka Dmochowska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

Editorial

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The scientific journal

Z kroniki naukowej

Author(s): Izabela Bielka,Natalia Jackowska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

EUROPA I UNIA EUROPEJSKA WOBEC KRYZYSU DIAGNOZY, ROZWIĄZANIA I SCENARIUSZE NA PRZYSZŁOŚĆ „ROK 1989 I LATA NASTĘPNE” TADEUSZ MAZOWIECKI O POLITYCE I POWINNOŚCIACH

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Wilhelm von Humboldt. Between Antisemitism and Judeophobia

Wilhelm von Humboldt. Między antysemityzmem a judeofobią

Author(s): Wiesław Małecki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

The article offers a detailed analysis of an official document of 1809 by Wilhelm von Humboldt titled ‘‘On the Project of a New Constitution for Jews’’, which had a major impact on the process of granting them equal rights in Prussia. This slim document contributed in a direct way to the adoption in 1812 of the most progressive emancipation edict that equaled the rights and obligations of Jews to those of other citizens. Being a momentous manifestation of classic German liberalism it voiced the staunch opposition of a Prussian statesman and philosopher of the law against enlightened absolutism. Humboldt based his arguments on the belief that in the process of creating the rule of law it is indispensable to proclaim an individual’s inalienable rights to freedom and security. The text also mirrors the revolutionary changes that led in the second half of the 18th century to dissolution of the traditional model of Jewish life.

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German Debate on the Future of European Integration (After the Treaty of Maastricht)

Niemiecka debata nad przyszłością integracji europejskiej (po traktacie z Maastricht)

Author(s): Malwina Księżniakiewicz / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

The article discusses Germany’s participation and role in the debate on the future of European integration which accelerated with the onset of the 21st century. German conceptions of the development of European integration and the EU target system as a federation caused widespread debate in Europe and subsequently led to the initiation of work on drafting a constitutional treaty. It eventually turned out to be Germany’s failure as the Constitution for Europe was abandoned after negative results of referenda in France and the Netherlands in 2005. Crisis in the eurozone was yet another factor that sparked the debate on the need of systemic and institutional changes in the EU. Germany consistently asserts its slogan mehr Europa as the sole remedy that can enable the EU to overcome the crisis and give momentum to European integration processes.

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Environment Protection in the Foreign Policy of the FRG

Ochrona środowiska w polityce zagranicznej RFN

Author(s): Helena Wyligała / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

The article provides an analysis of the circumstances conditioning environmental foreign policy (Umweltaußenpolitik), which is an important area of the diplomatic activity of the Federal Republic of Germany on the international arena and allows it to assume a leading role in the developmental processes underway in Europe in the 21st century. The first part explains the concept of Umweltaußenpolitik and outlines the context and methodological assumptions of the research. The research itself was done using the matrix proposed by P. Harris and J. Barkdull in 2002, which has so far rarely appeared in Polish literature of the subject of a country’s foreign policy. On this basis the second part of the article explains conditions characterizing the foreign policy of the FRG that determine the realization of this country’s interests in international environment protection. The indicated determinants help us to assess the ways and forms of Berlin’s anticipations of global ecological problems; they also serve as a background for presenting the strategies and tools employed by German diplomacy to secure its interests.

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„Prosto z mostu” on the Jewish Issue in the Third Reich

"Prosto z mostu" wobec problematyki żydowskiej w Trzeciej Rzeszy

Author(s): Olaf Bergmann / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

The focus of the article is a discussion of numerous press publications on the development of the situation of the Jewish population in Germany under Hitler’s administration in the second half of the 1930s. The analyzed material includes articles, reports, columns and press notes that appeared in ‘‘Prosto z mostu’’, a weekly published in Warsaw until 1935 (nominally it was a literary-artistic periodical but in fact its profile was mainly political). ‘‘Prosto z mostu’’ was undoubtedly one of the most interesting journals released in Poland in the last interwar years. The weekly was closely connected with the milieu of the so called national youth, which in the second decade of Poland’s independence significantly increased its activity and social influence. The editor-in-chief of ‘‘Prosto z mostu’’ was Stanisław Piasecki and among its journalists were leading young politicians and ideologists of a broadly understood national camp, including Jan Mosdorf and Wojciech Wasiutyn´ski, as well as representatives of a much older generation such as Aleksander Swietochowski and Adolf Nowaczynski.

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Polemics and Debates

Polemiki i dyskusje

Author(s): Anna Kochanowska-Nieborak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 02/2013

Obraz Francji i Polski w niemieckojęzycznych relacjach z podróży

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