Stanisław Mikołajczyk
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2015) |
Stanisław Mikołajczyk | |
---|---|
Tadeusz Gede | |
Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Reforms | |
In office 28 June 1945 – 6 February 1947 | |
President | Bolesław Bierut |
Prime Minister | Edward Osóbka-Morawski |
Preceded by | Edward Bertold |
Succeeded by | Jan Dąb-Kocioł |
Leader of Polish People's Party | |
In office 31 October 1945 – 27 October 1947 | |
Preceded by | Wincenty Witos |
Succeeded by | Józef Niećko |
Personal details | |
Born | 18 July 1901 Dorsten, German Empire |
Died | 13 December 1966 (aged 65) Washington, D.C., United States |
Political party | People's Party, Polish People's Party |
Stanisław Mikołajczyk (18 July 1901 – 13 December 1966;
Biography
Background and early life
Mikołajczyk's family came from Poznań in western Poland, which in the 19th century was part of the German Empire and known as the Province of Posen. He was born in Westphalia in western Germany, where his parents had gone to look for work in the wealthy mining regions, as many Poles—known as Ruhr Poles—did in the 19th century. He returned to Poznań as a boy of ten.
As a teenager, he worked in a
Early political career
In the 1920s Mikołajczyk became active in the
World War II
When
Prime Minister in exile
When Sikorski was killed in a plane crash in July 1943, Mikołajczyk was appointed as his successor.
However Mikołajczyk faced daunting challenges. It was obvious by this time that the Soviet armed forces, not those of the western Allies, would seize Poland from German occupation, and the Poles feared that Stalin intended both imposing
During 1944 the Allied leaders, particularly Winston Churchill, tried to bring about resumption talks between Mikołajczyk and Stalin, but these efforts broke down over several issues. One was the Katyń massacre. Another was Poland's postwar borders. Stalin insisted that the eastern territories should remain in Soviet hands. Mikołajczyk also opposed Stalin's plan to set up a Communist government in postwar Poland.
As a result, Stalin agreed that there would be a coalition government in the Soviet seized territories of Poland. A Socialist, Edward Osóbka-Morawski, became Prime Minister of the new Provisional Government of National Unity (Tymczasowy Rząd Jedności Narodowej – TRJN), and the Communist leader Władysław Gomułka became one of two Deputy Prime Ministers. Mikołajczyk resigned as Prime Minister of the government in exile to return to Poland and become the other Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture. Many of the Polish exiles opposed this action, believing that this government was a façade for the establishment of Communist rule in Poland. The government in exile maintained its existence, although it no longer had diplomatic recognition as the legal government of Poland.
Return to Poland
Following his return, Mikołajczyk immediately set about reviving the PSL, which soon became by far the largest party in Poland. Some have argued he was further aided by the radical land reform pushed through in accordance with the PPR's project, because it 'created a new class of small farmers who became a firm political base for the PSL'. Of course, Poland had been a largely rural society in any case and Mikołajczyk's programme was not a conservative smallholder programme. The Communists knew they would never win a free or fair election in Poland, and so they set about preventing one, despite the nominal pledges given by Stalin at the Yalta Conference.
In June 1946 the
From 1946 to 1948, military courts sentenced 32,477 people, most of them members of democratic parties for 'crimes against the state'. Only then the elections were held. In order to be sure that the elections would produce the 'correct' results, the Polish security apparatus recruited 47% of the members of electoral committees as agents.[5][6]
The elections produced a parliament with 394 seats for the Communist-controlled "
Later life
Mikołajczyk, who would have likely become
A film, The Right to Vote (O Prawo Głosu, 2008, directed by Janusz Petelski), tells the story of Mikołajczyk's (played by Adam Ferency) struggle.
See also
Literature
- Stanisław Mikołajczyk: The Rape of Poland: The Pattern of Soviet Aggression. Sampson Low, Martson & Co., LTD., London 1948. Whittlesey House, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1948 [1]
- Andrzej Paczkowski: Stanislaw Mikołajczyk, czyli kleska realisty. Agencja Omnipress, Warszawa 1991, ISBN 83-85028-82-X
- Roman Buczek: Stanislaw Mikołajczyk. Century Publ. Co., Toronto 1996
- Janusz Gmitruk: Stanislaw Mikołajczyk: trudny powrót. Muzeum Historii Polskiego Ruchu Ludowego, Warszawa 2002, ISBN 83-87838-59-4
Further reading
- Ferenc Nagy: The Struggle Behind the Iron Curtain. Translated by S. K. Swift. Macmillan, New York, 1948.
- Jan Karski: Story of a Secret State. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston 1944.
References
- ^ Stanislaw Mikolajczyk The Pattern of Soviet Domination Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1948 Page 5
- ^ a b Stanislaw Mikolajczyk The Pattern of Soviet Domination Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1948 Page 6
- ^ Stanislaw Mikolajczyk The Pattern of Soviet Domination Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1948 Page 7
- ISBN 0-7146-8444-9Page 33
- ISBN 83-89078-82-1
- ^ Laar, M. (2009). "The Power of Freedom. Central and Eastern Europe after 1945." Centre for European Studies, p. 38. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Dariusz Baliszewski. "Wprost 24 – Demokracja urn". Wprost.pl. Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.