Stalinist Repressions in Poland: Show Trials, Concentration Camps, and Intimidation

1. Mature Stalinism 1952-1953/6. Society and everyday life under Stalinism. Show Trials, concentration camps, invigilation and intimidation. Meeting 5.

2. Leaders of Polish underground in Moscow on trial On 21 June 1945 at 4:30 AM a verdict was proclaimed: Okulicki 10 years of prison, Jankowski 8, Jasiukowicz and Bień 5 years, the others 4 months to 1,5 years; three persons were released. Okulicki, Jasiukowicz i Jankowski died in Soviet prisons and never returned to Poland.

6. Stalinist repressions 1944-53 are the years of the hardest repressions in Poland: in 1954 at least 5 million people were entered into the files of the security organs as „criminals and suspects’ 1945-1953 at least 756000 were in custody (jails, arrests) with barely 12 % having a court sentence 1945-53 Special Committee to Combat against Economic Misdoings sentenced 310000 persons (loss of property and alike) 1944-56 probably 20439 were executed or died in prisons 1946-55 there were 3468 death verdicts announced by the Regional Military Courts 1946-55 at least 1363 death verdicts were carried out

7. Labor and Concentration camps – after 1945 many of the former concentration camps were adopted by communist authorities and used until 1956. The number may be as high as 200. Prisoners were often kept there without any trials and verdicts. The reason may have been ethnic and racist (Silesians, Lemko, Ukrainians). The big question is whether these were ”Polish” and whether one can call the ”concentration” rather than ”labor” camps.

8. http://weekend.gazeta.pl/weekend/1,152121,21400644,czy-istnialy-polskie-obozy-koncentracyjne-to-byl-zorganizowany.htmlhttp://weekend.gazeta.pl/weekend/1,152121,21400644,czy-istnialy-polskie-obozy-koncentracyjne-to-byl-zorganizowany.html

9. Show Trials January 1946 – court case against 15 members of the so called „special corps” – seven persons executed, others sentenced to 5-19 years August-September 1946 – trial in Katowice against six members of „Wolnośc i Niezawisłość” (3-10 years prison) October 1946 – court case against founders of „Narodowe Zjednoczenie Wojskowe (Leon Mirecki tortured yet sentenced after one year only to five years) Summing up – probably 150000 were detained and accused in connection with political activity in the years 1945-46 1945-48 some historians claim 71336 persons were detained in connection with military activity

10. Witold Pilecki Polish officer; took active part in 1939 campaign and was the organizer of one of the first underground groups. In September 1940 he voluntarily allowed to ba caught to be sent to Auschwitz, where he organized undercover opposition and sent reports about conditions there. On 26/7 April 1943 he escaped. He fought in the Warsaw Rising and next in the West. On 8 May 1947 he was arrested by Secret Police, and his trial started on 3 March 1948. On 25 May 1948 he was executed in Warsaw. Bierut did not use his power to save him

11. Stanisław Kasznica 1908-1948 Show trial against leaders of Narodowe Siły Zbrojne (NSZ – National Military Formation) results in Stanisław Kasznica and Lech Neyman being sentenced to death and executed Born 1908 Arrested 1947 Sentenced March 1948 Executed 12 May 1948 in Warsaw Last commander of NSZ

12. Helena Motykówna, 22 years old, executed on 18 July 1946

13. Bronisław Kozak, 24 years old, executed on 12 January 1952

14. Andrzej Boroń, 23 years old, executed on 21 September 1949

15. Władysław Czarnecki, 28 years old, executed on 14 July 1949

16. 1948 – Stalin-Tito breakup The Tito–Stalin Split was a conflict between the leaders of SFR Yugoslavia and the USSR, which resulted in Yugoslavia's expulsion from the Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) in 1948. This was the beginning of the Informbiuro Period marked by poor relations with the USSR, until it came to an end in 1955.

17. Stalinist show trials begin on 12 May 1949 with a trial against the Albanian Minister of Interior, Koci Xoxe (Titoist).

18. Traycho Kostov and His Trial The trial against him and his followers started in Sofia on 7 December 1949. Those tried with him were Prof. Ivan StefanoT, Nikola Pavlov, Nikola Nachev, Boris A. Hristov, Tsonyu S. Tsonchev, Ivan S. Gevrenov, Ivan G. Tutev, Blagoy I. Hadzhipanzov, Vassil A._Ivanovski and Ilia I, Bayaltsaliev. The accusation was the following: a) of treason, because they had organized an illegal organization and groups aiming to overthrow the legally established people's power by forceful means; that they have committed actions-aiming at worsening the friendly relations of Bulgaria with the Soviet Union and the People's Democracies; b) of espionage for having collected and transmitted to the British, American and Yugoslav Intelligence Services Information considered as a state secret and also have placed themselves under the orders of a foreign Intelligence Service for spy work; c) of sabotage for having committed criminal acts aiming at the disorganization of the national economy and the supply system of the country.

19. Kostov received his sentence on 14 December 1949: death, depriving of all rights and confiscation of all properties. The death sentence was executed on 16 December 1949, by hanging. In reality the aim of Kostov and his followers was to save Bulgaria from full Soviet influence and economic exploitation. After the 20th Congress of the Soviet CP and the BCP's CC plenum of April 1956, Rostov and those sentenced together with him were rehabilitated.

20. László Rajk 1909-1949 18 May f1949 first arrests start (six days after the opening of Xoxe trail). Laszlo Rajk Hungarian Communist; Stalinist; victim of the system he helped create; obviously he was eliminated because of his backgroud – he was a Hungarian Communist, not ‘imported’ from Moscow.

22. Milada Horáková • (25 December 1901, Prague – 27 June 1950, Prague) was a Czech politician executed by Communists on charges of conspiracy and treason.

23. Rudolf Slansky (1901-1952) Slánský was found guilty of "Trotskyite-Titoist-Zionist activities in the service of American imperialism" and on 3 December hanged in Pankrác Prison with 10 ‘accomplices’.

25. Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu On April 28, 1948, Pătrășcanu was arrested and came under the investigation of a party committee. He was accused of having been financed by "bourgeois" figures during the electoral campaign, and even of having been bought by agents of the United States or of planning, together with and Titoist agents, an "imperialist" insurrection in Săvârșin. Pătrășcanu was kept in detention until 1954, when he was executed.

26. 1953 4 January - raise of prices of food and other products (on average 25%, while bread and sausage go up by over 100%) 21-27 January - court case against employees and priests of the Kraków metropolitan see 9 February - state decree concerning church offices being manned only with approval of state officials 24 February - execution of general August Fieldorf “Nil” 5 March - defection of military plane MIG-15 to Bornholm 5 March - Stalin dies. Georgij Malenkov becomes p.m. In September Nikita Khrushchev becomes first secretary of the Communist party of the Soviet Union 7 March - the town Katowice renamed to Stalingrad 8 March - independent Catholic weekly “Tygodnik Powszechny” closed as a result of not placing appropriate article after Stalin’s death 14 March - Klement Gottwald dies shortly after Stalin’s funeral 8 May - Polish Church passes the “non possumus” act

29. 31 May - 2 June - Czechoslovak parliament decrees that all men aged less than sixty and all women aged less than fifty could be forced to work unlimited hours for the state outside of their regular working time, whenever ‘extraordinary difficulties’ develop. Currency reform implemented. Riots and demonstrations break out, especially in the important armament center of Pilsen. 70-80 casualties Machinery at the Lenin Works (the former famous Skoda armament factory) is destroyed, and the flag of the Soviet Union and pictures of Stalin and Gottwald are trampled under foot. Strikes also start in 19 large industrial plants in Bohemia and Moravia, in industrial cities as Kladno and Ostrava. They do not turn violent and end within a week. Estimated, 360,000 workers went on strike, up to 250,000 of them had demonstrated in the streets. (The exact extent of these widespread demonstrations remain unknown, but the Czechoslovak Communist press itself is forced to admit riots by workers). These, of course took place at the instigation of ‘capitalist’ and foreign saboteurs. It is estimated that there were 220 casaulties, yet noone was killed 17 June - treaty of friendship and cooperation between W.Germany and the USA signed

30. June - construction workers in East Berlin (Magdeburg, Erfurt, Lipzig) protest against the increase of work quotas; demonstration is crushed by Soviet tanks – at least 21 people are killed and 187 injured; another 1200 or more end up in jails and concentration camps. In all about 270 killed + 100 executed + 50 executed soldiers. June - Rakosi must share power with Imre Nagy (till April 1955) 10 July - Beria arrested; on 22 December he is executed with associates; the CPSU is run by Malenkov, Molotov, Khrushchev 14-21 September - court case against bishop Czesław Kaczmarek and other Kielce priests 25/26 September - Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński, Primate of Poland arrested on charge of supposed conspiracy against the state 5 December - Józef Światło, director of Department X of the Ministry of Public Security defects to the west (Radio Free Europe broadcasts in 1954 reports about situation in the Polish Security Forces)

31. Berlin 1953

34. 1954 20 January - the newly constructed steel plant in Nowa Huta receives the name of “Lenin Steel Plant” 21 July - First steel blast furnace opened in Nowa Huta 28 September - first Radio Free Europe broadcast of Światło’s reports “On backstage of Security forces and the Party” (Za kulisami bezpieki i partii) 13 December - Władysław Gomułka released from prison 1955 21-24 January - III Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of PZPR criticizes “wrongdoings in the party and state administration” 5 May - France, Great Britain and USA declare the end of occupation of Germany; FRG joins NATO 14 May -Warsaw Pact called to life 15 May - four occupying powers sign the Austrian State Treaty (end of occupation of Austria) 21 July - Warsaw Palace of Culture completed as a gift of Soviet people to the Polish nation 4 September - a new, changed version of “Po Prostu” is published in Warsaw (this former student weekly soon becomes the symbol of change during the Thaw)