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Aid Organisations and Prison Ministry in Communist Poland and Their Role in the Resocialisation of Prisoners after 1980

100%

Kudlak G., Zimny M.

Acta Poloniae Historica

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2018

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vol. 118

PL

This article traces the history of penitentiary and post-penitentiary practices by churches (primarily Catholic) and social aid organizations in Poland. The involvement of churches and social organizations in prisoner assistance began, partly underground, during the period of the Polish partitions, and took on formal roles and structures during the Second Republic of Poland (1918–39). However, beginning with the Second World War and until the year 1980 the earlier practice of ministry in prisons was significantly limited. The Nazi and Soviet hostile attitude towards religion was continued and in some ways exacerbated during the period of communist governments in Poland, when the function of prison chaplain as well as prison chapels themselves were liquidated, and all that officially remained of the conduct of religious services in prisons was the administration of last sacraments to prisoners about to be executed or terminally ill. During this period the church’s support for prisoners was mostly limited to that offered by clergymen who were themselves inmates. The role of prison ministry and social aid organisations in both penitentiary and post-penitentiary work was revived following the strikes, and consequent mass arrests, which took place in August 1980. The new scope and dimension of prison ministry began with the re-instatement of the function of prison chaplain and has evolved in recent decades to the point where today prison chaplains and church ministries, working alongside non-governmental aid organizations, have become an indispensable part of both the administration of prisons as well as post-penitentiary supervision and assistance.

2

The idea of a fragile state: Emergence, conceptualization, and application in international political practice

100%

Ficek R.

Stosunki Międzynarodowe - International Relations

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2021

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vol. 57

93-110

EN

This paper studies the concept of a ‘fragile state,’ its origins, uniqueness, and the circumstances determining the changing dynamics of the presented subject, as well as the possibility of its application in the practice of International Relations (IR). The analysis of the conceptualization process, as well as the instrumental treatment of the idea of state’s fragility structures by decision-makers responsible for shaping foreign policy - especially in the context of the global development and security strategy - underlines the complexity and incoherence of the fragile state’s concept, which is currently considered as one of the most ‘wicked problems’ of the modern world, often torn by numerous brutal military conflicts. The author of the piece uses the term ‘fragile state’ to describe not only the form and conditions of disintegration of the state’s political and social ties and the dismantling of its state-legal infrastructure, but also analyzes issues related to the economic collapse, poverty, hunger, humanitarian disasters, armed conflicts, as well as numerous cases of elementary civil liberties and human rights violations. The article argues that deepening the comprehending of the fragile state’s idea, along with emphasizing its conceptual vagueness and complexity, concerning the ‘politically correct’ discourse on the problems of ‘fragility’ and states’ weakness, is necessary for a better awareness of the ambiguous and the perplexing nature of state power operating within the most politically unstable and insecure regions of the so-called ‘Third World.’

3

90 lat tradycji – historia i działalność Korpusu Pomocniczego Pań SWAP w Ameryce

37%

Maksymowicz A.

Polonia Journal

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2016

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issue 3-4

113-150

EN

1795–1918 Poland was partitioned by three invaders – Prussia (later German Empire), Russia and Austria and didn’t exist on political maps. The outbreak of the World War I woke hope for the rebirth of the Polish state among Poles, including those in the U.S.A. and Canada. During WWI over 20,000 volunteers of Polish origin went from North America to Europe to fight in the Polish Army in France (“Blue Army”) and in Polish-Bolshevik war (1919–1921). After Poland regained its statehood, over 14,000 soldiers re-turned to America. Most of them faced a dramatic situation – wounded, disabled, homeless and without their jobs, they didn’t receive any help from the state, because (according to law) they weren’t the U.S. veterans and therefore had no right to federal health care. Poland, considering them Americans, didn’t support them either. Consequently, the entire responsibility for helping the veterans took numerous Polish organizations in the USA. Some of them – like the Polish Army Veterans Association (PAVA, or in Polish Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Armii Polskiej w Ameryce, SWAP) – were founded just in this respect: to help the veterans. PAVA was established in 1921 in Cleveland, with many branches all around the country. It was a men’s organization whose main function was self-aid. Four years later, the PAVA Ladies’ Auxiliary Corps (Korpus Pomocniczy Pań SWAP), one of the most significant organizations, was created. The article presents the Corps’ activity, under Agnieszka Wisła. The organization has been focused on humanitarian and charity work and has distinguished itself enormously in this endeavor. Their tasks have been among others: caring for the disabled and the sick veterans; organizing help for the homeless and unemployed veterans – i.e. the establishing and maintaining the shelters and nursing homes; visiting the sick veterans in hospitals and nursing homes; raising money by organizing charity balls or exhibitions of their needlework; arranging various entertainment events in order to acquire funds for The Corps’ activities; participating in funerals and caring for the graves of Polish veterans; assisting in organization and taking part in patriotic events (like veterans’ parades, lectures and readings, organizing patriotic trips to Poland); organizing the “Cornflower Days” (Cornflower symbolizes the Blue Army), i.e. – raising funds not only among the Polonia but also among Americans of other origins. At some point of time (mainly in the 40. and in the 50.) there were few thousand members of the Corps working in America, for instance: in 1946 there were 4614 members, and in 1958 as many as 5079 members. Today Auxiliary Corps has about 250 members. Until today the Auxiliary Corps is one of the oldest, strongest and most dynamic Polish women's organizations in America. They have supported thousands of Polish veterans and their families with material as well as moral help for over 90 years now. Their history as well as history of the PAVA is commemorated at the Polish Military Heritage Museum in New York.

PL

W latach 1795–1918 Polska znajdowała się pod zaborami, podzielona między trzy mocarstwa – Prusy (później Cesarstwo Niemieckie), Rosję i Austrię – i nie istniała na politycznych mapach. Wybuch I wojny światowej obudził wśród Polaków, także tych w USA i Kanadzie, nadzieję na odrodzenie się państwa polskiego. Podczas I wojny światowej ponad 20 000 ochotników polskiego pochodzenia wyruszyło z Ameryki Północnej do Europy, aby walczyć w Armii Polskiej we Francji („Błękitnej Armii‖) oraz w wojnie polsko-bolszewickiej (1919–1921). Po odzyskaniu przez Polskę państwowości, ponad 14 000 żołnierzy wróciło do Ameryki. Większość z nich stanęła w obliczu dramatycznej sytuacji – ranni, niepełnosprawni, bezdomni lub bez pracy nie otrzymywali żadnej pomocy od państwa, ponieważ (zgodnie z prawem) nie byli weteranami amerykańskimi i w związku z tym nie mieli prawa do opieki zdrowotnej. Polska, uznając ich za Amerykanów, również się nimi nie zaopiekowała.Całą odpowiedzialność za pomoc weteranom wzięły zatem na siebie liczne polskie organizacje w USA. Niektóre z nich – jak Stowarzyszenie Weteranów Armii Polskiej w Ameryce (SWAP, Polish Army Veterans Association, PAVA) – powstały właśnie w celu pomocy weteranom. SWAP utworzony został w 1921 roku w Cleveland, z wieloma placówkami w całym kraju, jako głównie męska organizacja samopomocowa. Cztery lata później, powołano jego siostrzaną, jedną z najbardziej znaczących organizacji – Korpus Pomocniczy SWAP (PAVA Ladies' Auxiliary Corps). Artykuł poświęcony jest działalności założonego i kierowanego przez Agnieszkę Wisłę Korpusu Pomocniczego. Organizacja koncentrowała się na pracy charytatywnej i humanitarnej na rzecz weteranów, a do głównych jej zadań należało m.in.: dbanie o niepełnosprawnych i chorych weteranów; organizowanie pomocy dla bezdomnych i bezrobotnych poprzez tworzenie i utrzymanie schronisk i domów opieki; odwiedzanie chorych weteranów w szpitalach i domach opieki; zbiórki pieniędzy w ramach bali charytatywnych lub wystaw robótek ręcznych; organizowanie różnego rodzaju imprez rozrywkowych w celu zdobycia środków na działalność Korpusu; uczestnictwo w pogrzebach i opieka nad grobami polskich weteranów; pomoc w organizacji i udział w imprezach patriotycznych (jak parady, wykłady i odczyty, organizacja wycieczek patriotycznych do Polski); organizowanie „Dnia Bławatka" (bławatek jest symbolem Błękitnej Armii), podczas którego prowadzone są kwesty na rzecz polskich weteranów nie tylko wśród Polonii, ale także wśród Amerykanów innego pochodzenia. W pewnym okresie (głównie w latach 40. i 50.) Korpus Pomocniczy liczył kilka tysięcy członkiń, np.: w 1946 roku było 4614 członkiń, a w 1958 aż 5079 członkiń. Obecnie organizacja skupia około 250 pań. Korpus Pomocniczy jest do dziś dnia jedną z najstarszych, największych i najbardziej aktywnych polskich organizacji kobiecych w Ameryce. Przez ponad 90 lat korpusianki wsparły tysiące polskich weteranów i ich rodzin, zarówno w formie materialnej, jak i duchowej. Historia Korpusu Pomocniczego oraz Stowarzyszenia Weteranów Armii Polskiej w Ameryce jest upamiętniona w Muzeum Tradycji i Oręża Polskiego w Nowym Jorku.

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Aid Organisations and Prison Ministry in Communist Poland and Their Role in the Resocialisation of Prisoners after 1980

The idea of a fragile state: Emergence, conceptualization, and application in international political practice

90 lat tradycji – historia i działalność Korpusu Pomocniczego Pań SWAP w Ameryce