The Situation in the Soviet Union Before and After the Death of Joseph Stalin from the Perspective of 'Polish London (1952-1953)'

• Authors: Wolsza T.
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The domestic situation in the Soviet Union, the policy pursued by the Kremlin towards the Central-Eastern and Western Europe and the whole world, as well as predictions associated with the political elites in Moscow comprised the most important issues which focused the attention of the émigré circles in 'Polish London' in the years 1945-1953. Apparently, the most involved in preparing expert opinions and political commentaries were politicians from the government circles and journalists. The best known among the 'Soviet studies' experts who had emerged among the 'Polish London' milieu were Aleksander Bregman, Zygmunt Szemplinski (who signed his texts as Stanislw Klinga), Jerzy Niezbrzycki (who used the pen name of Ryszard Wraga), Stanislaw Kodz and Stefan Lochtin. Distinguished politicians included Waclaw Grzybowski, the former Polish ambassador in Moscow, and General Wladyslaw Anders, who personally met Stalin and observed the events in the Soviet Union prior to, and in the course of the second world war. Polish émigrés were interested primarily in political and economic questions. In 1952-1953, i. e. from the Nineteenth Congress of the Soviet communist party to the death of Stalin, they acquainted Poles living abroad with the Kremlin policy towards Poland, Europe and the rest of the word. Their analyses also took into account the daily life of the Soviet citizens, and presented prognoses connected with the hierarchy of the Kremlin elite of power. After Stalin's death the Polish press in Great Britain held an extensive discussion in which almost all the participants indicated the commencement of the Malenkov era. On the other hand, it is worth stressing that the debate also pointed to the fact that not only Malenkov, but all the remaining Soviet dignitaries played a role distant from that of the 'Red tsar', i. e. Stalin.

Keywords

EN

POLISH EMIGRATION; SOVIET UNION; STALIN J.

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Historii im. Tadeusza Manteuffla PAN w Warszawie
• Journal: Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej
• Year: 2004
• Volume: 34
• Pages: 219-237
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Wolsza T.

• T. Wolsza, Instytut Historii PAN, ul. Rynek Starego Miasta 29/31, 00-272 Warszawa, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

05PLAAAA0034825