Cold War Poland: The Catholic Church--Destalinization Truce (1956-70)
Figure 1.--Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski had become duuring the Stalinist era an international symbol of resistance to totalitarian Communism. After the Stalibst era, Cardinal Wyszynski managed to secure rights for catholics unheard of the Comminist world. A kind of truce in the wake of the 20th Party Congress developed in Poland betweem the Comminist state and the Catholic Church. The Sovietrs were not happy with the Polish Comminist compromses with the Church. But with Stalin gone there was a reluctance to intervene. The Soviets made clear in Hungary, however, that their tolerance had limits. Here we see Cardinal Wyszynski in 1966 . Notice the children in Polish folk dresses stressing the Church's character as a national institution--just the opposite from the Soviet installed and failing Communist Government. Cardinal Wyszynski was a mentor to a young priest Karol Wojtyła, the future pope.
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski had become duuing the Stalinist era a Polish national hero and international symbol of resistance to totalitarianism. He had to hide from the Gestapo during the NAZI occupation and was iltimately arrested. He was imprisined by the Communists. Lesser individuls could be quietly dispatched by NKVD and MBP, but actions against Cardinal Wyszynski would have caused both a domestic an international outcry. The Soviet 20th Party Congress and Nikita Khrushchev's Secret Speech denouncing Stalin ushered in a new era (February 1956).
The result was a period of de-stalinization in the Soviet empire. This gave Cardinal Wyszynski room for manuever. Communist Party reformers ended the most egregious manifestation of Stalinist brutality. There was an inreason recognition of the problems the Communists were encountering. This was especially the case with Poland and its unique situation.
The immediate result was the Polish October or Thaw. It was a dramatic change in the Polish politics (October 1956). While less dramatic than the Hungarian Revolution (October 1956), may have actually had a deeper impact on the Soviet eastern European Empire affecting the Soviet relationship with their subject satellites. [Bereend, pp. 115-16.] Władysław Gomułka, who had been replaced by Bierut in 1948 at the onset of the Stalinist oppression, was returned to power. [Dinka] Under Gomulka, the Communists reduced restrictions on the eastern Catholic churches which began to grow, with assistance from the main Roman Catholic Churchs. [Wynot] The Communists did not, however, end thgeir efforts to supress the Church. Atheism is an integral component of Marxism. And drawing the ire of Polish Communists was that the Church was such a vibrant national institution -- something tha bwas intolerable in a totalitarian Communist police state. The Communists recognized that the devotion of the Polish people was to strong to attack the Church frontally, unlike the siuation in the Soviet Union itself and other countries in the Soviet Eastern European empire. A kind of informal truce developed between the Communist State and Catholic Episcopate. The open assault on the Church would end, but a range of less brutal restrictions would be imposed. In return, the Church would not only refrain from involving itself in politics, but recognize the legitimacy of the Communist state. As a result, Polish Church gained a range of toleration and freedoms that were unprecedented within the Soviet empire. The Church was allowed to publish periodicals, although the Goverment severaly limited the number of copies published. The Church's right to control the selection and training of its priests was recognized. Most astounding was allowing religious education to again take place in state schools. Given the beliefs of Catholics and Communists, it was from the beginning an uneasy truce.
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski had become duuing the Stalinist era a Polish national hero and international symbol of resistance to totalitarianism. He had to hide from the Gestapo during the NAZI occupation and was iltimately arrested. He was imprisined by the Communists. Lesser individuls could be quietly dispatched by NKVD and MBP, but actions against Cardinal Wyszynski would have caused both a domestic an international outcry.
Soviet 20th Party Congress: Destalinization
The Soviet 20th Party Congress and Nikita Khrushchev's Secret Speech denouncing Stalin ushered in a new era (February 1956). Some if the grearest negarive reaction to Khrushchev's Secret Speech was Eastern European Coomunist leaders who understood the limited hild they had on power without Siviet power.
The result was a period of de-stalinization in the Soviet empire. This gave Cardinal Wyszynski room for manuever.
The Polish October Thaw
Communist Party reformers ended the most egregious manifestation of Stalinist brutality. There was an inreasing recognition of the problems the Communists were encountering. This was especially the case with Poland and its unique situation.
The immediate result was the Polish October or Thaw. It was a dramatic change in the Polish politics (October 1956). While less dramatic than the Hungarian Revolution (October 1956), may have actually had a deeper impact on the Soviet eastern European Empire affecting the Soviet relationship with their subject satellites. [Bereend, pp. 115-16.]
Władysław Gomułka
Władysław Gomułka (1905-82) was born in Białobrzegi near Krosno siuthern Polamd, at the time part of the Austri-Hungarian Empire. He roise to be first secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, the ruling communist party of Poland (from 1956-70). His parents emigrated to the United States but were disapointed. They returned to Austria Hungary, disillusioned. His father, Jan Gomułka, was politically active, a strongly committed socialist. Jr was an oil worker
. a resource that was beginningbto become important. Władysław finished primary school (1917) and afterward trained as a locksmith. Poland achieved its independence after World War I. Soon after at the age of 16 years, he followed his father into youth socialist movement. In Europe. it was common for political parties to have youth movements, unlike Anerica where there was no primary youth movement that was non-political. After a few years he jooned the clandestine Communist Party of Poland. Within in a few months he was arrested for revolutionary activity. He was in and out of prison during the following decade. Stalin dissolved The Polish Communist Party (1938). Many Eyropean Communists, fleeing the rising tide of Facism, incliding Polish Communists, fled to the Soviet Union for refuge. It proved a datal mistake for most. Stalin used this opportunity to purge foreign Communists. The small number of sirvibors were basically a core of quivering supplicants. . Gomułka who was inprisoned at the time, remained in Polamd. He was released when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland (Seprember 1939). He participated in the doomed defense of Warsaw. Then skipped away to the Soviet-occupied eastern part of the country. He he worked as a minor official at a paper mill in Lwów. The Germans invaded the Soviet Union, m=then including firmer easrern Poland (June 1941). Gomułka resumed his political activities. He initially returned to his native region of Krosno where he organized a communist underground, a very eamgerous activity. He then moved to Warsaw (July 1942). He became the district secretary and a member of the Central Committee of the newly founded Polska Partia Robotnicza (Polish Workers’ Party PPR). He is said to have cattied out attacks with his underground on the German occupation targets. Here we have few details, butbattacks on the Germans has severe repercussions. After German arrests of key PRR activists, Gomułka became PPR secretary-general (November 1943). Gomulka played a key role woth drafting the Party’s ideological manifesto. He helped set up the Krajowa Rada Narodow (National Home Council - KRN) in alliamc with other leftist parties. Red Arny troops entered eastern Poland as part of the massive Bagration Offensive wjich destroyrf German Army Grouos Center (July 1944). Gomułka made his wayveast to Lublin. This is where Stalin et up a Communist-dominated provisional government. Gomulka was appointed deputy premier (January 1945). Hecwas assigned the portfolio of the Recovered Territories (June 1945). At the First Congress of the PPR in Warsaw, Gomułka was elected a member of the Politburo and secretary-general of the Central Committee (December (1945). Gomułka was, however, replaced by Bierut in (1948). Bierut was hand pickd by Stalin to pursue the hadline policies he wanted. [Dinka] Gomulka was mot returned to power until after Mikita Khruschev inintuated the the De-Stalinizartion effort at the 20th Party Congress (1956).
Initial Steps
As a result of the October revolution there was actual open discussion in the Polish media. There was criticim of the Govermemnt in the state controlled press and the the Catholic press. Gomułka moved tp lift restrictions that had been placed on rhe Church. Cardinal Wyszyński and other bishops were released from prison. Five Catholic deputies were allowed to enter the Sejm, the Polish parliament. Monks and nuns were allowed to return to their monasteries. [Tighe] A new agreement was negotiated between the government and the Church. The Governent resolved to cancel anti-religious measures. The Church renewed the Church's allegiance to the Pollish state. [Cieplak]
The Communists and the Church achieved an unprecdebts level of toleration. Given the beliefs of Catholics and Communists, it was from the beginning an uneasy truce. Cardinal Wyszyński tried to publish a Vatican decree sanctoning Catholics who collaborated with the Government. The Government prevented the Cardinal from doing so (1957). The Government continued its
anti--religious propaganda. They pushed what might be called women's issue as a way of attacking the Church, including it financial base. And they continued their atheism campaign in a variety of ways. It all failed, however, to register with the Polish publics. Nor did police state actions scuceed in supressing the Church. Coomunist state actions weakened the Church, undermining its financial base, but did not at all affect the attachment of the Polish peiole to the Church. In fact as the Polish Communist state failed to achieve either econoic success or the attachment of the Polish people, the public increasingly turned to the Church. The Polish Commnisys could never shake the image of being a creature of the Sobiets and for good reason. In addition, one unanticipated decelopment was the rise of an increasingly vocal and highly batiinalisric Catholic intelligentsia which was becoming an active movement of young Catholics.
Gomulka Retrenchment
Gomulka eventially reneged on a wide range of issues affecting the Church. The commitments as to press freedom. Within only a few Gomułka began to tightened his control. And this included renewed renewed restrictions on the the Catholic press. [Dinka] The Catholic press was not allowed to even respmd to charges against the Church in the state controlled media.
There were a range of discriminatory policies introduced against Catholics in public and professional life. [Kramer]
New tax laws were approved that sought to redefine what was legally included in the term 'worship' (1959). It was meant to undermine the Church financially. Money obtained through activities such as the primate's secretariat, seminaries or Catholic charities were no longer registered as tax exempt. This neant the taxing of church donation funds at the same high level as private enterprise -- 65 percent. This exhorbient level pf taxation cof course was neant to desrroy. And then the Government began seizing church buildings in the western territories (former German lands) were seized as German assets to be forfeted. And high rents were charged for their use by the Church. [Cieplak] And then there was a significant action against the financil well being of members of religious orders. They were no longer permitted to become parish priests or administrators. The Government dismissed them from employment at hospitals, public nurseries, dispensaries and kindergartens. [Cieplak] The next year nuns were denied the right to study at universities or colleges (1960). Than a further impairment. The Government decided not to recognize what members of religious orders has declared as residences. Theyvasically had their civil rights restricted as a result of these and other restrictions. [Cieplak]
Sources
Berend, Iván T. Central and Eastern Europe, 1944–1993: Detour from the Periphery to the Periphery (Cambridge University Press, 1999).
Cieplak, Tadeusz N. "Church and State in People's Poland." Polish American Studies Vol. 26, No. 2 (Autumn 1969), pp. 15-30.
Dinka, Frank. "Sources of Conflict between Church and State in Poland," The Review of Politics, Vol. 28, No. 3 (July, 1966), pp. 332-49.
Clark, Joanna Rostropowicz. "The Church and the Communist Power," Sarmatian Review Vol. 30, No. 2 (2010).
Kramer, John M. "The Vatican's 'Ostpolitik'," The Review of Politics, Vol. 42, No. 3 (July 1980), pp. 283-308.
Tighe, Carl. "Cultural pathology: Roots of Polish literary opposition to Communism," Journal of European Studies Vol. 29. No. 2 (1999)
Wynot, Edward, D., Jr. "Captive faith: the Polish Orthodox Church, 1945-1989," East European Quarterly Vol. 36, No. 3 (2002).
Zajicek, Anna M. and Toni M. Calasanti. "Patriarchal struggles and state practices: a feminist, political-economic view." Bol. 12, No. 5 (1998).
