Działalność policji politycznej w zwalczaniu ruchu komunistycz-nego w Grudziądzu w dwudziestoleciu międzywojennym

• Authors: Krzysztof Halicki

Title variants

EN

The activity of political police in combating Communist movement in Grudziądz in the interwar period

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

One of the most significant tasks awaiting to be performed by the appointed State Police was combating communist movement. Apart from, what is intelligible, intensive intelligence activity of various German organisations, it was the activity of the communist party that was considered to be the most dangerous when taking into consideration the issue of internal security of Pomeranian voivodeship. As one of the State Police departments, political police was appointed to combat espionage, communism and antinational action. At first, its existence was hidden as something that might have created a negative impression both inside and outside the country. At a later time, it was openly admitted that such a police had to exist. The first information regarding organised activity of the Polish Labour Communist Party (from 1925 CPP) in territory of Pomerania go back to the years 1921-1922. The date when the Grudziądz PLCP unit came into being remains unknown. It is a well-known fact that before the parliamentary election in 1922 there appeared communist proclamations and leaflets. In 1922 a local communist reemigrant from Saxonia, Maksymilian Paweł Gołębiewski, known to police organs, spread agitation action. After eliminating mentioned cases, the action of local communists was paralysed and until October 1924 there was no major attempts recorded to build party structures. Only at the turn of 1924 and 1925 communists started intensive operations aiming at organising communist units in industrial plants. From November 1925 Grudziądz was in the possession of well-organised structures which started radiating on other cities of Pomerania. The police, administration and judiciary authorities through their activity not only neutralized the growth of the communist organisations but also aimed at their utter suppression. In order to do so, various activity forms and methods were applied, heading for neutralization of every group. The forceful control of administration authorities and the State Police effectively paralysed the actions of the Grudziądz communists. In addition, numerous arrests among the party leadership disorganised the party apparatus in many districts to such an extent that it was considered to introduce repressions towards police intelligence organs. The changing structure of the communist organisations in Grudziądz had also influence on the fact that it became more difficult for informers and investigators to be admitted into its ranks. The organised special groups of self-defence had allocated task to reveal and eliminate informers and traitors. Systematic working out of the communist units activity in Grudziądz brought a few activists to be arrested and sentenced to imprisonment in 1935. The effects of Grudziądz political police activity is to be positively rated when it comes to organizing a proper intelligence apparatus and recruitment of a few valuable informers. Owing to systematic and in general well-organised work, they succeeded in failing a few attempts to build party structures by the local communists. Taking into consideration that the Grudziądz political police were understaffed, the positive estimate of the situation is crucial. One should remember about a constant problem bothering the police, namely insufficient financial funds for their running activity and paying informers.

• Publisher: Muzeum w Grudziądzu
• Journal: Rocznik Grudziądzki
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 19
• Pages: 130-152

Contributors

author

Krzysztof Halicki