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1
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„Cudowne lata”

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EN
The protagonists of this exhibition are not celebrated figures or representatives of elites, but anonymous inhabitants of villages and small towns, accidental passers-by, workers, peasants and young hippies. It was they who in the 1980s rose up from their knees, claimed their dignity and successfully struggled for freedom. Over a hundred photograms on display capture their lives: banal, dramatic, happy or nostalgic, suspended between conformism and heroism. We discover the same faces at weddings, dances, pilgrimages, May Holy Mass services, bus stops, on grey winter city streets, among people queuing up in mud to buy sausages and marching in a May Day parade or in crowds facing ZOMO (Motorized Militia) units in clouds of tear gas. The photograms correspond to more than 200 works of art: paintings, examples of the graphic arts and sculptures, which in an artistic abbreviation show the difficult two last decades of People’s Poland. This image of the “wonder years” would be incomplete without the accompanying sound track prepared by Marek Gaszyński and composed of the powerful rock music and blues of the 1970s and 1980s. For the young generation of the period, such music was a sui generis enclave of freedom and hope as well as friendship and cultural identification. It still resounds with youthful nonchalance and courage and, predominantly, with an immortal wish for constructing yet another republic of dreams, contrary to common sense and the depressing daily life of the “wonder years”.
2
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Wesołego alleluja, Polsko Ludowa!

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EN
Socialist realism was proclaimed in 1949 as the binding and sole correct programme intended for all domains of culture, and although several years later it ceased being officially in force, it never died. Ridiculed, it was recalled as resolutely as it had been previously announced. The post-1970s inaugurated a strange time for folk art. In the wake of the Gomułka-era drabness, which ended with the bloody events along the Baltic littoral, the authorities were compelled to offer the people something in return: Coca-cola, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the Fiat family car, prefabricated housing estates, an opportunity to travel to the West. Supporting folk art fitted the reconstruction of society performed in a new spirit, and thus assumed the rank of a state issue and part of the cultural policy.
3
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Święte ikony stalinowskie

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EN
A presentation of the different ways of portraying Stalin during the period of the greatest intensification of his cult. Portraits played an essential part due to the fact that the leader of the Soviet state, totally devoid of natural charisma, was unwilling to made public appearances. His omnipresence was guaranteed by icons, through whose intermediary the nation remained in a constant and almost mystical contact with its Leader. Stalinist icons possess multiple features of Orthodox icons, and were the object of a truly religious cult best evidenced in accounts about the mourning after Stalin’s death, when, in the one hand, special altars were erected while, on the other hand, his portraits became the target of intentional profanation. The author also considers the complicated history of photographs, whose purpose was to falsify Stalin’s appearance and biography, as well as monuments and the history of their erection and toppling.
4
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Estetyka PRL: ludowość i groteska

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EN
The article considers the aesthetics of the People’s Republic of Poland and proposes certain interpretations from the perspective of the anthropology of culture. Accepting that the code of culture at the time included two functioning “circulations”: official and unofficial, there must have occurred a certain duality of thinking. Assorted artistic undertakings were granted a suitable framework (i.e. a convention making it possible to distinguish certain contents, associated with daily reality). Folklore qualities and the grotesque, comprehended as sui generis cultural categories (not solely aesthetic), modelled ways of thinking, behaviour and artistic expression in both circulations.
5
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Estetyka PRL – teksty wizualne i znaki w propagandzie

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EN
In the totalitarian system propaganda creates a cohesive, mendacious world, easily controlled. A unification of the visual language codes facilitates capturing differences – subjugation renders ”invisible” while non-adaptation or rejection of the established pattern produces the effect of disclosure. Particular fragments of existence in People’s Poland contain two discernible categories used for the introduction of order, which comprised the foundation of propaganda and originally were the foundation of the success of totalitarian authorities and then contributed to their downfall. Both in some way belong to each other: myth and hero, the cultural hero. Images of leaders were the constructs of mental portrayals whose realisations assumed an arbitrary and canonical character. The formula of such texts produces the impression of texts “encoded” in folk-type culture. The hieratic nature of portraits is particularly exasperating within the context of public ceremonies, and visual texts are modelled by, for all practical purpose, the only formal directive characteristic for the religious iconographic theme in its most perfect version, i.e. The Last Supper: a long table, the presidium rostrum, with a charismatic protagonist performing the gesture of a greeting and the party apostles gazing at the deity. A further part of the text analyses illustrations of state visits and “semi-private” likenesses, with wives or informal circumstances. The indolence of the propaganda of People’s Poland, incapable of creating a single meaningful sign, a pictogram that would be universally recognisable and stir emotions, offers much food for thought. While striving towards symbolization, propaganda concentrated on the natural language, ignoring visual metaphoric, which once again refers us to the folklore type of culture.
EN
Similarly to contemporary Polish historiography, its post-war predecessor – usually described as the historiography of the People’s Republic of Poland – was just as variegated. Noticing this variety calls for an approach that will not only make it possible to perceive this feature but, primarily, to evaluate it positively by treating it as “natural” within the range of scientific praxis. It is exactly the absence of the possibility of such a treatment of differences within the universally accepted perspective of research that makes it impossible to disclose its great variety. The consequence assumes the form not only of an inferior image of the historiography of the Peoples’ Poland period but also a restriction of comprehending the research praxis of the historians of that time. More, it makes it difficult to ponder such historiography and to discover an answer to the question: what was the historiography of People’s Poland like, and what should be our attitude towards it? The titular anthropological perspective of historiography-methodological research, which treats distinctness within scientific thought as its “natural” state, opens up a totally different path towards studying and understanding the historiography of the People’s Poland era. Here, the objective is to reach the historiosophic-methodological differences of such historiography, to follow its variety by means of a “thick description” and to formulate diagnoses pertaining to the cultural frames of cognition.
7
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tO WHAt exteNt

80%
EN
Card. Stefan Wyszyński, being both the Primate of Poland and the highest social authority, in the period of People’s Republic of Poland, independent of the communist authorities, was an important point of reference influencing public opinions and social attitudes in our country. His attitude towards the state, which was the People’s Republic of Poland, is extremely important for understanding not only his decisions at particular stages of relations between the communist state and the Church, but also allows us to better understand the specific character of the PRL as a political system, its relationship with the communist party and with the Soviet center of the communist bloc, and to what extent it represented the Polish nation as a political community. Analysis of the Primate’s attitude with regard to important political events (elections to the communist Sejm, his attitude to political breakthroughs and social events – especially social resistance against communist regime), supplemented with an analysis of the Primate’s homiletics, allows me to formulate the thesis that the Primate of the Millennium considered the PRL as a Polish state, however he regarded it as degenerated through the structures of external dependence on the USSR and the ideological domination of the communist party – PZPR. In conclusion, the People’s Republic of Poland was a Polish state that fulfilled some of the needs of the Polish nation, regarded as a fundamental political community, but it was still far from being perfect. However, the fact that – in his view – People’s Republic of Poland was actually the Polish state, was highly significant. It imposed on Catholics a moral obligation to participate in social life, in a space inaccessible to the communist party, and to undertake all efforts to prevent the threat of external military intervention of the USSR and its allies.
EN
During political “thaw”, in years 1955−1956 in the People’s Republic of Poland, it write in newspapers about themes banned earlier. One of such many theme formerly banned was censorship (Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows). Journalists wrote about books banned by censorship, prohibited publications and black-listed writers, whose books had removed from libraries and destroyed. Situation is changed in 1958 – it is not allowed to write again about existence and activity of censorship
EN
The history of old age has only relatively recently become explored as a research topic in Poland. This sketch focuses on the relationship between old age and poverty in People’s Republic of Poland. Old age, however, was a significant object of interest of the PRL authorities in at least two aspects. The first was the social security system, particularly in relation to old age and disability pensions, and the second, social care for the aged.
EN
The main purpose of the paper is to present the “biography” of selected things which appear in autobiographical narrative interviews conducted within the project “Experiencing the Systemic Transformation Process in Poland. A Sociological Comparison on the Basis of Biographical Analysis.” The author discusses different social actions connected with things, for example, the migrations of things, emancipation through things, collecting things, and reconstructs the stages of life of such things as: notebooks, cassette, and video tapes. The considerations are mainly embedded in the context of the People’s Republic of Poland and the process of transformation of the 1990s. The sociology and anthropology of things are theoretical frames of the analysis.
EN
During political “thaw”, in years 1955−1956 in the People’s Republic of Poland, it write in newspapers about themes banned earlier. One of such many theme formerly banned was censorship (Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows). Journalists wrote about books banned by censorship, prohibited publications and black-listed writers, whose books had removed from libraries and destroyed. Situation is changed in 1958 – it is not allowed to write again about existence and activity of censorship
Horyzonty Polityki
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2022
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vol. 13
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issue 43
11-25
EN
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Determining how the existing inter-war law was approached and how new legal regulations were introduced in the early Polish People’s Republic. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The new political situation that took place in Poland after World War II, due to the seizure of power by the communists, brought about a fundamental change in systemic and legal matters. The understanding of the function of law has changed, which seems to have affected the legislative process as well. The scientific goal was realized on the basis of normative acts, theoretical and legal literature as well as historical and legal literature. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The following parts of the article attempt to answer the following questions: How was the new legal regulation created? How was the law instrumentalised in common and military courts? To what extent have secret organizational orders been used as a way to create new courts and extrajudicial bodies? RESEARCH RESULTS: At the beginning of the functioning of the People’s Republic of Poland, the legislative activity was not aimed at enacting the law in accordance with the principles of establishing legal provisions and the principles of legislative technique. All the rules known to a democratic state were disregarded. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The discussed issue is important not only from the point of view of historians of law, but also historians, lawyers and political scientists.
PL
CEL NAUKOWY: Ustalenie, w jaki sposób podchodzono do zastanego prawa międzywojennego i jak stanowiono nowe przepisy prawne w początkach Polsce Ludowej. PROBLEM I METODY BADAWCZE: Nowa sytuacja polityczna, która miała miejsce w Polsce po II wojnie światowej w związku z przejęciem władzy przez komunistów, przyniosła zasadniczą zmianę w kwestiach ustrojowych i prawnych. Zmianie uległo rozumienie funkcji prawa, co najprawdopodobniej wpłynęło również na proces legislacyjny. Cel naukowy został realizowany na podstawie aktów normatywnych, literatury teoretycznoprawnej i historycznoprawnej. PROCES WYWODU: W kolejnych fragmentach artykułu podjęto próbę odpowiedzi na następujące pytania: W jaki sposób stanowiono nowe przepisy prawne? Jak dokonywano instrumentalizacji prawa w sądownictwie powszechnym i wojskowym? W jakim zakresie wykorzystywano tajne rozkazy organizacyjne jako sposób na tworzenie nowych sądów i organów pozasądowych? WYNIKI ANALIZY NAUKOWEJ: Działalność legislacyjna w początkach funkcjonowania Polski Ludowej nie miała na celu stanowienie prawa zgodnie z zasadami stanowienia przepisów prawa i zasadami techniki legislacyjnej. Lekceważono wszystkie zasady znane państwu demokratycznemu. WNIOSKI, INNOWACJE, REKOMENDACJE: Omawiana problematyka jest istotna nie tylko z punktu widzenia historyków prawa, ale również historyków, prawników i politologów.
EN
The theoretical stratum of this sketch deals with the relative autonomy of the literary work. This feature consists of the fact that literary texts are not only language-oriented but also wish to speak about the world around us. The thematic stratum is concerned with questions that proved to be significant for representatives of the so-called Generation ’68. The attitude of the representatives of the New Wave appears to pertain to issues associated with poetics and various ways of thinking about literature (poetry). It became obvious, however, that the controversy concerning the character of literature is not a problem resolved simply by those who write poems but goes much further. It relates, above all, to questions concerning our nature, objectives and definitions of the world of values. Responses to such questions delineated fundamentally the lifestyle of the citizens of People’s Poland: should society support so-called small stabilisation by ignoring the mechanisms of the state and socio-political reality or, as the existentialists would say, the unauthentic lifestyle? Or, on the contrary, should people desire an authentic life, a life immersed in truth? Questions of this sort occupy central place in the literary critique of Stanisław Barańczak (predominantly, his two volumes of essays: Nieufni i zadufani and Etyka i poetyka).
EN
The subject of detailed analysis presented in the article is the daily shopping and food expenses incurred by a single family resident in a large Polish city in the period of the People’s Republic of Poland. The source material for the analysis is the ledger of daily food expenses originating from a set of household accounts in the household of a female clerk in Łódź, which in its entirety covers the period from August 1952 to August 2004. The analysis presented herein, however, is based on a detailed analysis of records pertaining to only three selected months of the autumn of 1960, that is expenses dated from 1st September to 30th November 1960. The main aim of the analysis is not to exhaustively document the specificity of the period of the People’s Republic of Poland, but only to present the source material and its interpretative capability, as well as to show a small section from the picture of daily life revealed by one family’s three-month expenses. The author demonstrates that a detailed description of the daily shopping may constitute a very clear illustration of the specificity of private life in the given time and cultural space, as well as a reflection of not only the socio-economic, but also the political conditions in which the shopping is done.
Ikonotheka
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2018
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vol. 28
199-231
EN
Books and periodicals for children and teenagers constituted an important instrument of education and also social persuasion in the People’s Republic of Poland. In such publications, illustrations played a crucial role. Printed in several dozen or even several hundred thousand copies, such publications circulated among great numbers of young readers, therefore becoming a very effective medium for disseminating certain desired views. There can be no doubt that the messages directed at the youth largely reflected the opinions held by the adult section of the society: the authors and the people ordering and authorising the publication. The numerous topics presented in a form suitable for young readers included architecture. The nature of architecture-related themes was varied indeed; at times architecture (historical or contemporary) appeared in the foreground, but most often depictions of buildings served only as a visual backdrop for the narrated story. However, even presented in the background, the forms of architecture chosen by illustrators were not received indifferently by the readers, since they conveyed a certain model imagery of houses, flats, housing estates, or entire cities. Since such images were published by the thousand, a thorough analysis of the issue would not fit the spatial constraints of a single article. The aim of the text is, therefore, restricted to identifying the possibility for expanding the source material for studies on architectural culture; it focuses on a single theme, namely the methods in which publications for children and young readers issued in communist Poland presented, and often even propagated, modernist architecture. Due to the choice of the subject matter, the article mainly concentrates on the period of the post-Stalinist Thaw when modern forms gained a true monopoly in Polish architecture. The tendencies observable in architectural theory and practice at the time were reflected with considerable fidelity in publications for young audiences. Popular images included the vision of a modern metropolis with heavy pedestrian and automobile traffic, full of high-rise buildings, lit by lamps and neon lights after dark. Depictions of modernist housing estates with blocks of flats, as well as modern schools or playgrounds were equally common. The message conveyed by such imagery may easily be summarised by the title of one of the children’s rhymes analysed above, namely Nasz dom [Our home]. Both the texts and the visual depictions of the day constructed a vision in which modernist architecture became the natural habitat of contemporary people. The present article describes numerous depictions which corroborate such an interpretation of the phenomenon under analysis.
PL
This article seeks to investigate the problem of modernity in post-war communist Poland (People’s Republic of Poland, Pol.: Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) through the prism of concepts and ideas of model family and possibilities of shaping it, as promoted in the expert discourse and guidance practices. On the interpretation level, it is important to refer to modern – that is, rational and expert knowledgepropelled – social control methods, strictly connected with the concepts or ideas of modern society. The crucial aspect is the tension between biopolitics understood in terms of actions and strategies of modern dictatorship devised to control a population and the concepts of modernity that appeared in expert discourses in the context of, i.a., decreasing natality, modern birth control methods or practices related to maternity/paternity. Analysed are experts’ opinions proving dominant in the discourse, including the arguments put forth at sessions of the Family Council and the Planned Parenthood Association.
EN
Despite the considerable influence he exerted on post-war church architecture in Poland, the designer Władysław Pieńkowski (1907–1991) is today an altogether forgotten figure. The current paper outlines his biography and his early oeuvre; this is because his experience in designing office blocks and industrial plants gained while working under the supervision of the most outstanding Polish architects of the mid-20th century, was to be of key importance to his later, independent designs for ecclesiastical buildings. The paper focuses on a particularly important work, one which in many ways constitutes a breakthrough in the architect’s career, namely the church of St. Michael the Archangel in the Mokotów district of Warsaw. This was the first entirely new church to be erected in the capital of Poland after the year 1945. Its construction depended on the dynamic changes in the balance of political forces. The church could be built owing to the support of the PAX Association circle, including the direct involvement of Bolesław Piasecki. In spite of their patronage, however, construction works were repeatedly halted and extended over several years, and the architectural design had to be reworked. The paper contains an analysis of three fundamental designs for the church, now held in the St. Michael the Archangel parish archive and in the architect’s records preserved by his heirs. The first design dates from the period of 1948/9–1951, the subsequent one from the year 1954, and the final one from 1956–1961. The evolution of the design moved from the initial continuation of forms typical of the pre-war Modernised Revivalism, through a peculiar reference to Socialist Realism, to rigorous Modernism. The church of St. Michael the Archangel became Pieńkowski’s testing ground; there, he tried out several solutions which he would consistently utilise in the subsequent years of his career, e.g. the large-scale application of prefabricated elements in both the construction and the decoration of the edifice. The construction of this church was concurrent with important events of a political (the Thaw) and religious nature (the Second Vatican Council). Tracing the history of the design for the Warsaw church and clarifying its connections with contemporaneous church architecture in Poland and in Western Europe made it possible to present the key problems faced by the Polish designers of ecclesiastical architecture in the first decades of the People’s Republic of Poland.
EN
The aim of this paper is to point to the aspect of subjective sense of personal causative power amongst female professors who held their seats during the People’s Republic of Poland. In her research, the author seeks an answer to the question whether the female deputies distinguished by their double role had a sense of subjective causative power, analysing their personal reflection expressed on the subject in available sources. The research in a broader aspect contributes to the question whether women, especially those with a high professional and social status, playing political roles in the Real Socialist system had a real impact on changing the existing reality and whether their activity translated into specific normative decisions or solutions of a permanent nature.
PL
The article discusses children’s fears and imaginings of an atomic bomb and a nuclear threat emerging in the memories of the Poles born in the second half of the 1960s and the 1970s. The sources used are ethnographic interviews conducted by the author of the study, Internet materials and memoirs. The author touches on the issue of transformations of the propaganda narratives concerning the nuclear threat in the subsequent periods of the People’s Republic of Poland, and the stages of the Cold War at the same time. Further, the article discusses the memories of this propaganda from the second half of the 1970s and the 1980s, the influence of family accounts and media reports, as well as concrete views on atomic weapons, the arms race and the disarmament process.
EN
The article analyses the relationship between the concepts: “censorship”, “taboo” and “shame” on the material taken from the reading of censorship reports from the years 1948–1958. It can be assumed that: 1. censorship is an external control established by governmental or religious institutions; 2. taboo is a prohibition imposed by external bodies (mostly religious), but externalised by the subject; 3. shame is an emotion preventing from something considered inappropriate — the level of internalisation seems very deep here, the subject may not even be aware of the imposition of this condition by external institutions. Both quite subtle differences between the concepts (especially between “taboo” and “shame”) and common places — realisations during which the “launch” of censorship, taboo, and shame is simultaneously activated — appear interestingly. An example might be here taken from the moral censorship, where imposed by culture, imbued and accepted sense of what indecent is, has an influence on the legal regulations and the state control practice.
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