(This is a repost with permission from the blog of Kaz Dziamka. I have made some minor edits for context – Ian)
The topic of Poland is impossibly complex. I can only touch upon a few points, and even this may take more than just one post.
An average American stops thinking once he or she hears the word “communism.” It’s so easy: everything about communism was bad, evil, and black.
But it wasn’t.
First of all, the word itself is a semantic trap. Like “democracy,” the word has several meanings, and none of them applies to Poland. Calling post-war Poland “socialist” is better.
Socialist (Communist) Poland can claim some enviable accomplishments. All education was free. It was also high quality. The English Department of the University of Cracow, for example, had one of the most ambitious and advanced programs in the world. The Technical College in Cracow (AGH) was one of the best in Europe. (I could offer other examples, but not now.)
I repeat: all education (including, of course, college and university education) was free. Not only free: students who came from poor families could qualify for free board and lodging. (What can the US offer in comparison?) Also, children of most families could enjoy annual summer vacations. (They were called “wyjazdy na kolonie” and were fully subsidized by the firms where their parents were employed. The destinations were usually such attractive regions as the Baltic Sea coast and the lakes districts in northern Poland or the mountains in the south. (What can the US offer in comparison?)
Medical care was also free. Yes, free. (There was a private sector, much more expensive, but not necessarily better.) Of course, it was underfunded. Poland was rising from the dead after the War. Poland received no Marshall Plan. (Some help was provided by the Russians.) Everything had to be rebuilt from scratch.
“Funding” brings me to another remarkable accomplishment of the Polish Socialist Government. Poland was devastated economically; the basic infrastructure was annihilated; Warsaw—a beautiful city—was a heap of smoldering ruins. The roads and railways were mostly destroyed.
And yet within a short time, the Socialist Government found a way to inspire Polish people to rebuild their country–a stunning, virtually unprecedented accomplishment. (A Finnish journalist once reported that the Poles should have been really proud of themselves and not feel intimidated by the “wealth of the West” because the US, for example, with the exception of Hawaii, was not even touched by the apocalypse of the Second World War. Within a short time, though, Socialist Poland became one of the most industrially developed countries in Europe.
But there is so much more. Maybe, I will continue. I don’t know, though. The task seems insurmountable.
An important post by Larry Johnson. Another one. (Poland’s Puzzling Support for Ukraine)
I have already recommended Larry Johnson’s Blog to the oldest Polish magazine “Myśl Polska” (Polish Thought), published continuously since the Second World War, now a rare dissident publication, censored, of course, by the pathologically russophobic PIS-controlled Polish government.
This is a repost with permission from the blog of Kaz Dziamka.
Featured Image Credit: Elijah G. on Unsplash
Ian Kummer
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Socialist Poland had good cinema btw. They had a bunch of great directors: Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz, Juliusz Machulski. Not sure there is anything like that now.
Yes, Maria, indeed. Also Jerzy Skolimowski (The Departure) and, of course, Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water).
Nie napisane jest o problemach Polski, o bezwzględnym podporządkowywaniu sobie narodu egoistycznym i globalnym celom tzw. zachodnich demokracji. W wyniku “Teheranu i Jałty”, jak i w wyniku tzw. pokojowej transformacji – która w efekcie nie różni się w skutkach od agresji i neokolonialnego podporządkowania.
It is not written about the problems of Poland, about the ruthless subjugation of the nation to the selfish and global goals of the so-called “western democracies”. As a result of “Teheran and Yalta”, and as a result of the so-called peaceful transformation – which in effect does not differ in its consequences from aggression and neocolonial subordination.
When Americans find out Communism has nothing to do with purple hair and neo-pronouns the elites are going to be in big trouble.
That’s the essence of propaganda. Take an “enemy” belief system and so thoroughly distort it, both its detractors AND its supporters have a ridiculous understanding of it. Most people in the global community associate “communism” with making sure the general population have enough food, housing, and jobs. It’s not supposed to be an authoritarian police brigade that SWATs people for misgendering someone on Twitter.
Wish I had figured that out sooner 😀
It’s been a long journey, from your dad’s offhand comment ‘was Marx wrong or just early,’ to your blog giving a balanced view on Stalin, then ending up on tankie YouTube / Twitter. Blame the algorithm if you want.
I wish I had figured it out sooner too. Good to see you Randolorian!
You people don’t understand a f*ck these politics , do you ?
Who are you directing this comment toward?
Ian, this „Zygmunt” guy is probably another typical disgruntled, irrationally aggressive “Polakatolik,” (As described by the most perceptive Polish Slavonic philosopher, Jan Stachniuk.) An exceedingly unpleasant Polish Catholic, to be given a wide birth.
Thanks Kaz, duly noted!
А вы, конечно, понимаете все). Как Фрейд).