We have begun to collect some basic information on the 20th century. During the century Poland has gone through many major political changes that have affected fashion and clothing. Even after the creation od an independent Polish state (1918), Polish fashions tended to be similar to that of neighboring states, especially Germany. We know little about destinctive Polish styles. Today Polish boys wear the same kind of generalized styles worn throughout Europe.
One view of wealthy Poles is provided by Thoma Mann's Death in Venice. Turn of the century boys' clothes are depicted in some detail in the movie. (Movies are notoriously unreliable as evidence, but Death in Venice was an elaborate costume drama and great attention was given to the clothung depicted.) There is little difference in the movie with the sailor suits and other outfits worn by Tadzio and the other wealthy European boys. The boy's family were Polish and in one scene he was dressed in a high-necked cream linen shirt with buttons along one shoulder and embroidered decoration. This style, rather a Russian blouse, was the only garment that Tadzio wore that had a Polish/Russian flavor to it. But this style was widely worn by Western European boys as well.
Even after the creation of an independent Polish state (1918), Polish fashions tended to be similar to that of neighboring states, especially Germany. The Treaty of Versailles recognized the principle of national self-determination and forced Germany to accept a new independent Poland. Military action with the Red Army moved the boundary of Poland signifiantly to the east, incoroporating areas of White Russia and the Ukraine. I have no information on boys clothes during this period. Clothing was probably strongly influenced by Germany, being the nearest major European country and major trading company. Short pants were widely worn, often with long stockings during the winter. Older boys might wear knickers. Poland had a large Jewish population, second only to the Soviet Union in Europe. Many were assisimilated and dressed like other Polish boys. Others were not assimilated and dressed destinctly.
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Poland was occupied by the Germans during World war II for a longer period than any other other country, except for Czecheslovakia. The German occupation of Poland, however, was more brutal than in any other country. An incredible 25 percent of the population
perished in the War. Two areas of Poland were annexed to the Reich. In one area many Poles were recalassified as Aryans. In the other large numbers of Poles were expelled. The NAZI occupation of Poland was perhaps the most batbaric in European hostory. Well chronicled are the NAZI attrocities against the Jews. Less well known is the sustematic effort to destoy the very idea of Poland. The NAZIs recognized that Poland had survived partition and foreign occuptaion in the the 18th century because Polish culture survived. The NAZIs sought to totally destroy the very idea of Poland. NAZI Governor General Hans Frank said about the Poles, "They will work. They will eat little and in the end they will die. There will never again be another Poland." Polish nationalism and culture were attaccked. Chopin was prohibited. Meerly playing a work by Chopin were grounds for arrest. Teachers and educated people from all walks of life were arrested and shipped to the concentration camps. The professors at a Crackow university were invited by the NAZIs to a special meeting. They were arrested and shipped to the Sacsenhousen cocentration camp where they perished. All forms of education had to go underground. The NAZIs also understood that the Church was the very heart of the Polish people. Priests and nuns were arrested and sent to the concentration capms. The NAZIs seized 2 million young Poles and brought them into the Reich for slave labor where many died as they worked unde brutal conditions. By the end of the war, nearly a quarter of the opulation had perished. Children were particularly at risk as they were cast adrift if their parents were killed or arrested. Some blond children were seized by the NAZIs and adopted by German families. There was no consistent German policy. Poland was divided into different administrative districts and part was adsorbed into the Reich. Policies differed depending on the predelections of the NAZI officials in each area. It was difficult to even obtain food in Poland. There was little possibility for parents to give much attention to clothing styles. Boys esentially wore the same styles of clothes worn in the 1930s. Boys mostly wore short pants although older boys might wear knickers.
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Russian "liberation" resulted in the reserection of an independent Poland. The border was pushed far to the west. Territory adquired by the Soviets in the east was replaced by former German Silessia and other territories in the
East. Millions of people were forcibly moved, the Poles by the Soviets in the east and the Getrmans by the Poles in the west. By 1948 the Russians had coreagraphed the creation of the Polish People's Republic. The Russians did all they could to recast Poland in the Soviet mold. The Church and the strength of Polish nationalism made this difficult from the start. It was eventually Poland, spearheaded by the Solidarity movement, that led to the unraveling of Russia's Eastern European Empire in the 1980s and eventually the Soviet Union itself. I have no detailed information yet on clothing trends. Conditions were very poor after the war as so much of the country had been damaged. Little money was available to buy clothes. So many boys wore there clothes even after they had grown out of them.Boys commonly wore short pants. Kinckers went out of style and even older boys wore shorts through the 1950s and into the 1960s. Little boys might wear shorts even during the winter. The long stockings that boys had worn during the winter were replaced by tights by the early 1950s, but by the 1960s were becoming less common. Even the Iron Curtain, however, could not keep out western fashion. Boys clothes began to change in the 1960s and older boys by the 1970s were no longer wearing shorts. Gradually blue jeans became the fashion of choice, although for many years they were mostly worn by teenagers and were enormously expensive. One interesting development was the emergence of Scouting in communist Poland. Scouting was supressed by the communists in Russia, as it was by the NAZIs in Germany. The communists prohibited Scouting throughout eastern Europe as they imposed peoples republics. Eventually Scouting reemerged in Poland although I am not quite sure when the bous wore a khaki uniform with short pants and a destinctive cap.
Free elections in 1989 were the beginning of a new democratic Poland. By this time boys' fashions in Pland had become quite sumilar to those worn in the rest of Europe. I know of no significant differences. The center of Poland's clothing industry is Lodz. If your clothes say "Made in Poland," it's a good bet they came through Lodz. Founded in the 15th century, Lodz was a small town in a big forest until the Industrial Revolution transformed it into a European textile center. It's rapid development during the 19th century paralleled that of Chicago, inspiring comparisons to that American city. With a population of around 850,000 people, Lodz is Poland's second largest city. One of its main annual events is Central Europe's biggest fabrics trade fair,
"Interfashion."
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