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The Political Bureau of the United Polish Workers' Party

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2019

Richard F. Staar
Richard F. Staar*
Affiliation:
Harding College, Searcy, Arkansas
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Extract

The Political Bureau of the United Polish Workers’ Party (PZPR —Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza) occupies the most powerful position in contemporary Communist Poland. It represents the summit of the Party and governmental pyramids, supplying the policies which determine the direction and rate of Poland's development and includes the highest level of such decision-making as Moscow leaves to the Polish Communist Party. The internal operations of this high command have been cloaked mostly in secrecy, although a few facts came to light in connection with the Gomułka controversy. No records of its deliberations, however, are accessible.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Slavic and East European Review , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , April 1956 , pp. 206 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies 1956

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References

1 Table 1 shows, as of May, 1955, the key positions held by Politburo members in the governmental structure as well as in top Party organs. This chart illustrates the system of interlocking directorates, practised on all levels in Soviet-type states.

2 Already as early as 1949, Party members comprised 176 of the 269 chairmen in county people's councils, 6a of the 66 chairmen in city people's councils, 192 of the 269 local sheriffs, a total of 2,516 of the 3,832 directors of nationalized industrial establishments, 143 of the 274 board chairmen in cooperative societies, 554 of the 975 administrators on state farms, and 20,000 of the 30,000 odd trade union board members. Zambrowski, R. and Swiigtkowski, H., O statucie i zadaniach organizacyjnych PZPR (Warszawa, 1949), pp. 9 and 12Google Scholar.

Although no such statistics have been released over the past six years, it is obvious that the ratio of Party members in key positions has increased tremendously during that period.

3 A detailed biography appears in a compilation of his speeches and articles. Władyslaw Gomułka-Wiesław, W walce o demokracjq ludowq (Łódz, 1947), I, 7-9.

4 A good account of Gomutka's downfall appears in Utam, A. B., Titoism and the Cominform (Cambridge, 195a), pp. 146-88Google Scholar.

5 J. Światło, “Sprawa Gomutki i Spychalskiego,” Za kulisami bezpieki i partii (Munich, Radio Free Europe, 1955), pp. 14-21. The author, Józef światlo, held the rank of colonel in the Ministry of Public Security. He personally arrested Gomułka at the mountain resort of Krynica in July, 1951. Swiatło defected to the West, while on an official trip to Berlin. Source courtesy of Dr. Jan Nowak, RFE, Munich.

6 Gios ludu, Warszawa, January 9, 1947; and Robotnicza, Polska Partia, Kalendarz robotniczy na rok 1949 (Warszawa, December, 1948), pp. 204–5.Google Scholar.

7 See the speech made by Spychalski at the August-September plenum of the PPR Central Committee in Noxve drogi, XI (September-October, 1948), 72-80.

8 Partia Robotnicza, Polska Zjednoczona III Plenum KC PZPR (Warszawa, 1949), p. 4.Google Scholar.

9 Trybuna ludu, Warszawa, November 1, 1951. The latest mention of Spychalski was made in a speech by Politburo member and then Public Security Minister, Stanistaw Radkiewicz, at the Central Committee's eighth plenum, in connection with “political diversion.” Nome drogi, III (March, 1953), 123. Józef światło arrested Spychalski in 1951 at Wroclaw, where the latter had been working as an architect.

10 Swiatkowski's latest official biography appeared in Sztandar ludu, Lublin (October 4-5), 1952. No public announcement was ever made of his dismissal from the Politburo. This must have occurred either at the fifth (May 10, 1950) or at the sixth (July 16, 1950) Central Committee plenum. Świątkowski's picture appears among the photographs of Politburo members in Kalendarz robotniczy na rok 1050 (published in March, 1950), p. 153; however, his picture is missing from the 1951 issue of this publication (printed in November, 1950), pp. 140-41. Only the two above-mentioned plenums took place between March and November of 1950, i.e. in the period between the publication dates of the two volumes. Swiatkowski's expulsion presumably took place at the May, 1950, plenum, because Rokossovski and Nowak were coopted by the Politburo at that time.

11 Biographic sketches of Matuszewski appeared in Kalendarz robotniczy na rok 1949 and 1951, pp. 151 and 201 respectively.

12 Trybuna ludu, March 19, 1954. However, the real heads of the Central Audit Commission are probably his two deputies, who are both trusted Communists: Wacław Rózga (CAC chairman, 1948-54) and Marian Czerwinski.

13 Chelchowski is being kept in candidate status due to his war-time association with Gomutka. Only one other person, who worked closely with Gomulka during the whole war (Franciszek Józwiak), is still on the Politburo. These two individuals are referred to as krajowcy (the natives) by Swiatlo in a chapter entitled “Niektórzy ludzie politbiura,” op. tit., pp. 13-14.

14 See note under Table 2. Biographic data on Bierut have been published by Życie Warszawy, Warszawa, December 24, 1946; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1950 through 1952; Dziennik Baltycki, Gdansk, October 24, 1952; as well as in a full-length book by Kowalczyk, J., ed., Bolesiaw Bierut—Życie i dzialalność (Warszawa, 1952).Google Scholar Cf. also Swiatlo, op. cit., pp. 5-7.

15 For details on Zawadzki's background, see Życie Warszawy, January 14, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1932; and Dziennik zachodni, Katowice, October 4, 1952. See also światlo, op. cit., p. 12.

16 Published biographies of Cyrankiewicz have appeared in Robotnik, Warszawa, January 7, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1950 through 1952; Dziennik Polski, Krak6w, October 4, 1952; and Dziennik zachodni, October 7, 1952.

17 Sketches of Mine were printed in Życie Warszawy, January 4, 1947; Dioramo, Milano (Italy), August 27, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; Dziennik zachodni, October 7, 1952; and Gazeta handlowa, Warszawa, October 24, 1952.

18 Information about Nowak was made public in Kalendarz robotniczy, 1951 and 1952; and Dziennik zachodni, October g, 1952.

19 For data on Rokossovski, see Kalendarz robotniczy, 1951 and 1952; Narodowej, Ministerstwo Obrony, Informator żolnierza 1951-1952 (Warszawa, 1952), p. 1 Google Scholar; and Gazeta handlowa, October 24, 1952; cf. also Swiatlo, op. cit., p. 8.

20 Biographies of Ochab were printed in Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; Polska zbrojna, Warszawa, April 6, 1949; and Dziennik zachodni, October 3, 1952. See also Światło, op. cit., pp. 11-12.

21 Berman's career has been publicized in Życie Warszawy, January 10, 1947; Glos ludu, January 12, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; Express wieczorny, Warszawa, October 2, 1952. Cf. also Światło, op. cit., pp. 7-8.

22 Biographic data on Mazur appeared in Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; and Gazeta robotnicza, Wroclaw, September 19, 21, and 26, 1952. Cf. Swiatło, op. cit., p. 12.

23 For information on Józwiak, see the following Warsaw newspapers: Życie Warszawy, January 16, 1947; Gtos ludu, September 6, 1948; Rzeczpospolita, March 10, 1949; Gazeta handlowa, October 24, 1952. See also Kalendarz robotniczy, 1949 through 1952; and Światło, op. cit., pp. 13-14.

24 Radkiewicz has been described in Życie Warszawy, January 13, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; Dziennik Baltycki, October 4, 1952; and Światło, op. cit., pp. 9-10.

25 The only official data on Dworakowski's background (identical biographies) appeared in Glos robotniczy and Dziennik tddzki, both published at Łódz on October 10, 1952.

26 This Special Commission was dissolved by the Council of State by decree of December 23, 1954 (approved by the Sejm on March 16, 1955). The law establishing this agency can be found in “Ustawa o utworzeniu i zakresie dziafania Komisji Specjalnej do walki z nadużyciem i szkodnictwem gospodarczym,” Dziennik ustaw Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, No. 53 (December 7, 1945). Zambrowski's biographies are available in Życie Warszawy, January 5-6, 1947; Glos ludu, January 15, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; Nowiny rzeszowskie, Rzeszów, October 4, 1952; and Światło, op. cit., pp. 10-11.

27 Rapacki's career has been summarized in Robotnik, Warszawa, January 13, 1947; Zycie Warszawy, April 19, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1949 through 1952; and Gazeta pomorska, Bydgoszcz, October 2, 1952.

28 Sketches of Chelchowski have appeared in Gtos ludu, January 18, 1947; Kalendarz robotniczy, 1948 through 1952; Slowo ludu, Kielce, October 4-5, 1952; and Swiatlo, op. cit.,pp. 13-14. It is interesting to note that in the latest editions of Kalendarz robotniczy, 1953 through 55 no biographies of Politburo members are given any more, although their photographs do appear.

29 For a detailed discussion of the Party's central apparatus, see: Richard F. Staar, “The Secretariat of the United Polish Workers’ Party,” Journal of Central European Affairs, October, 1955.