Source Sheet: Krakow – Communism 1945-1956 – The policy of the communist regime

Source material 1

“Red Army soldiers were committing numerous rapes, thefts; they robbed money, valuables and various commodities, […] murders often took place. […] In the city, the Soviet soldiers intrude private homes, demand accommodation, food and vodka; they are threatening with weapons [...].”

^{Chwalba A., Dzieje Krakowa, t. 6, Kraków 2004, s. 125.}

Source material 2

“S. [Stanisław] Mikołajczyk was immensely popular in Poland. The former Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile was seen as the continuation of the II Republic of Poland. He gave hope for an independent and democratic Poland and was considered to be a guarantor of traditional values, also religious ones, as well as private land ownership. Mikołajczyk hoped that, with the support of the western Allies and Polish society, he would be able to organize an honest election quickly, and swiftly take power.”

^{Chwalba A., Dzieje Krakowa, t. 6, Kraków 2004, s. 144.}

Source material 3

“Of course, the Catholic Church did not play an active part in the official political resistance, to say nothing about its illegal demonstrations. It constituted, however, an ideological and spiritual alternative to the system. It was a guardian of fundamental principles and values, as well as the independence tradition. In Kraków, the Polish Rome, his role was special. […] Kraków was, indeed, a “sacred” city. The government was aware of that fact. It knew that proper relations with the Church would facilitate its political activities. That is why, at least in the beginning, the government avoided open confrontation. […] Already in the first weeks, the government made a few friendly gestures towards the Church and provided it with decent existential conditions. Yet, the conflict between the government and the Church was inevitable. The government started criticizing the Church’s attitude. In the autumn of 1945, the government limited the Church’s influence in numerous spheres of life: the Concordat agreement was one-sidedly broken, […] the new marriage legislation introducing civil marriages and allowing divorces was approved. The criticism of the new governmental policies by the episcopate, written in the form of a letter and read from ambones, gave the new regime a good pretext to curb the anti-government behaviour. The government reacted violently: censorship was intensified, the amount of the printing paper for Catholic magazines was drastically reduced. […] The Ministry of Public Security decided to limit the Church position significantly. Setting up secret services in dioceses and the consequent infiltration of parishes and convents were to be the first steps.”

^{Chwalba A., Dzieje Krakowa, t. 6, Kraków 2004, s. 148-155.}

Source material 4

“The first and fundamental aim of the government was the solidifying and strengthening of power, which meant weakening, and then liquidating legal as well as illegal opposition. The subordination of the state and its basic attributes and instruments accompanied the process of the power reinforcement. From the end of the forties, the domination of society became the main objective of the government. Communists penetrated all social strata, looking for people eager to cooperate and favourable to the new vision of Poland. [...]”

^{Chwalba A., Dzieje Krakowa, t. 6, Kraków 2004, s. 163.}

Source material 5

“The authorities eliminated thousands of real and imaginary opponents. Depriving them of their freedom was treated as the means of disciplining and threatening the society. The government’s aim was that nobody would feel safe, and that fear would envelope almost everybody. On the arrest lists, there were priests, women, teenage boys and old men.”

^{Chwalba A., Dzieje Krakowa, t. 6, Kraków 2004, s. 186.}

Source material 6

“In the meantime, one has to live somehow in the system one does not accept. In the end, people adjusted themselves; tiredness and lack of hope played an enormous role here. Yet, adjusting oneself and fulfilling one’s duties did not mean the acceptance of the system. A lot of people lived from day to day, in order not to get stifled and deprived. At the same time, an occurrence favourable to communists was increasing: people tried to become invisible, because such people could survive best – in this way the system was subjugating them. With time, more and more became friendly towards the system, not only under compulsion, but also from real conviction. The Stalinist doctrine played havoc especially among the young. Some believed in it, some capitulated. People from various social strata and of various descent were among them.”

^{Chwalba A., Dzieje Krakowa, t. 6, Kraków 2004, s. 181.}