„W świetle uchwał XX Zjazdu...” Szczecińskie echa moskiewskich wydarzeń z lutego 1956 roku, część II

• Authors: Eryk Krasucki

Title variants

EN

“In the light of the resolutions of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union...” Repercussions of the Moscow events of February 1956 in Szczecin, Part two

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The first information concerning the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union were of ritual nature and did not diff er from the standards hitherto used. It seemed that it would take a long time before the metaphorical thaw took place there. While in Warsaw the change could be already felt, in Szczecin old propaganda patterns were employed, which can be seen on the example of the creation of the weekly magazine "Ziemia i Morze” – a periodical which later became the vital symbol of the local change. Within several weeks the original lack of debates and references to Khrushchev’s speech was transformed into a brave discussion about the “Secret Speech”, the political system and events of the previous decade. Representatives of the local intelligentsia – academics, journalists, but also common workers played an enormous part in the debate. The lethargy of the last few years quickly disappeared. There appeared bold texts printed also in the official party newspaper which contradicted the expectations of the confused local authorities. In the attitude of the representatives of the authorities one could feel a game of various interests, but conservatism and a fear of radical change prevailed. There were hardly any signs of what was to happen in October 1956.

Keywords

EN

communism; the Khrushchev Th aw of 1956; “Th e Secret Speech” of Nikita; Khrushchev; the local party machine; propaganda

• Publisher: Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu
• Journal: Zapiski Historyczne
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 78
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 47-71

Contributors

author

Eryk Krasucki

• Instytut Historii i Stosunków Międzynarodowych, Uniwersytet Szczeciński