Anarchism in Poland
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[edit] Anarchist History
A Short History of Polish Anarchism
The movement developed at the end of the 19th century under the influence of anarchist ideas coming from Western Europe and Russia. However, these ideas were not uniform.
We can distinguish the ideas of the controversial Niechayev, valiant Bakunin, anarcho-communist Kropotkin, and pacifist Leo Tolstoy.
The first and the most significant anarchist group in Poland during the Russian rule, was organised in 1903 in Bialystok.
This group mainly consisted of people of Jewish ethnicity. In the next years such groups appeared in other cities: Warsaw, Lodz, Kielce, Siedlce and other. The Russian revolution of 1905 and the "bloody sunday" in Petersburg strengthened the activity of all groups.
Besides active propaganda, they began to make acts of terror, such as: assasinating police officers or owners of large factories, robbing banks, etc...
Today, most polish anarchists reject such acts of terror. But one should realise the extent of the cruelty and despotism of the Tsar's power at the beginning of this century. Young anarchists were often executed without a trial. The police very often fired to the demonstrating workers.
Meanwhile, anarchists in Poland began to be influenced by materials propagating anarcho-syndicalism. The followers of this idea rejected terrorism because it was anti-social and because it disrupted the anarchist movement. Instead, they organised revolutionary trade-unions and propaganda activity.
The most significant Polish theorists of Anarchism and Anarcho-Syndicalism were: Edward Abramowski, Waclaw Machajski, professor Zielinski and Augustyn Wroblewski.
E. Abramowski (1868-1918) called himself a "state-rejecting socialist", but we should keep in mind that in those days "socialism" meant something else than to day. Abramowski wrote such works as: "Ethics and the Revolution", "The Republic of Friends", and "The General Conspiracy against the State".
His alternative for the state were voluntary unions, organised on the principle of interest and mutual services, and associated in cooperatives. These unions would be the main basis of individual freedom, providing welfare, justice, fraternity and order. They would rise from below, spontaneously, without any compulsion. Such unions, associated in cooperatives, should constitute a community without any power and police. The lack of these institutions doesn't mean that chaos will enter into human life. On the contrary, it would emancipate energy and creativity that are now limited by the system.
The example expanding social conciousness during the first "Solidarity" period, following the inroduction of the martial law of 13 December 1981 shows how huge are the potential abilities of people who feel that they can change life and reality.
But let's get back to Abramowski. Being strongly influenced by Leo Tolstoy, he also called to refuse to pay taxes and to do the military service. Although he was opposed to the catholic church, he often referred to christ's teachings which were, according to him, against the state and power.
Abramowski also condemned the "state socialism". He thought that it that the "policy of modern socialism is not the policy of freedom". Socialism is a strenthening of the state's power, whose aim is contrary to individual freedom, and tends to secularise every sphere of human life."
Another significant Polish anarchist was Waclaw Machajski, born in 1876. He began as an active member of the Polish Socialist Party, but later on he turned his back on the intelligentsia. He came to think that all the evil in the world came from the ideologies created by the intelligentsia. He argued that the working class could only be freed by the destruction of the state.
In the years 1920-1939, anarcho-syndicalist ideas influenced a lot the activity of the Union of Trade-Unions (Z.Z.Z.) which wanted to join the IWA. During World War II, members of the Union created ZSP, the Union of Polish Syndicalists, which took active part in fighting the fascist occupants. It published secretly a newspaper called "The Syndicalist".
After the war, the anarchist ideas came back to life during the 80's, when the Movement of Alternative Society was founded. Soon after that, in many cities of Poland, small groups of anarchists appeared. All of them took part in the resistance against the communist regime.
As weapons, besides stones and Molotov cocktails, they used sense of humor, irony, and laughter, making happenings and street performances. The most known of this kind of groups were: Pomaranczowa Alternatywa (The Orange Alternative), Klub Sigma, Miedzymiastowka Anarchistyczna... Many of those groups are still active within the Anarchist Federation.
The anarchosyndicalist section of the Anarchist Federation has published in the 80's a newspaper called "Kombinat" (The Factory), and today the Anarchist Workers' Initiative (Anarchistyczna Inicjatywa Robotnicza - AIR) is publishing a newspaper called "Direct Action" which is distributed to workers in many cities.
"Solidarity", which at the beginning, in 1981, had a syndicalist program has recently become just another political party with no interest in the workers' freedom.
[edit] Credits
- Anarchist History taken from A Short History of Polish Anarchism
[edit] Active Groups
- ABC/ACK - www.ack.most.org.pl
- ACK Warszawa - po box 30; 02-741 Warszawa 121. biuletyn@ack.w.pl
- ACK Poznan - po box 5; 60-966 Poznan 31. sanch@poczta.wp.pl
- ACK Bialystok - po box 43; 15-662 Bialystok 26.
- ACK Slupsk - po box 65; 76-200 Slupsk 12. bifa@polbox.com
- ACK Trojmiasto - pomierz@friko2.onet.pl
- ACK Wroclaw - S.A.K.A. ul. Jagielonczyka 10D; 50-240 Wroclaw. pbn@poprostu.pl
- ACK Lublin - Piotr Hiller, ul. Cwiklinskiego 2/30; 20-067 Lublin. cqkier@poczta.onet.pl
- ACK Lodz - CIL, Po BOX 203, 90-950, Lodz 1; falodz@poczta.onet.pl
- Anarchist Library - ul.Pulaskiego 21a; Poznan.
- A-TAK - anarchist magazine from Krakow; atak@poprostu (contact); atak.dystrybucja@wp.pl (distro);
- “A-zine” - an anarchist publication in english contains articles of polish anarchist groups. L.Akai, po box 227; 00-987 Warszawa 4. cube@zigzag.pl
- “BUNKIER” (“B 48”) - underground concert/party space; ul. Wschodnia 48; Torun; dr.ozdzu@interia.pl
- “C-4” - alternative culture centre in Lodz (ul.Weglowa 4).
- “Czarny Blok” (“Black Bloc”) - anarchist publication in polish; po box 43; 15-662 Bialystok 26.
- “De Centrum” - anarchist squat in Bialystok, adress: ul.Czestochowska 14/2;
- EMANCYPUNX - anarcha-feminist group; po box 145; 02-792 Warszawa 78.
- FA (Anarchist Federation) - federation of polish anarchists consisting of many local groups.
- Food Not Bombs
- FNB-Gdansk - po box 118; 80-470 Gdansk 45.
- FNB-Olsztyn - edelweiss@o2.pl.
- FNB-Rzeszow - ul.Kustronia 6/48; 35-303 Rzeszow; tel.602769138.
- FNB-Gliwice - “S.E.K.W. Krzyk”; po box 2; 44-101 Gliwice.
- “FREEDOM” - Centre of Animation an Alternative Culture / Anarchist Centre & Collective; ul. Jagielonczyka 10D; Wroclaw. freedom69@go2.pl
- Grupa Anarchistyczna “Solidarnosc” (Anarchist Group “Solidarity”) - po box 12; 60-975 Poznan 61.
- “INFOSZOP” - infoshop / anarchist & feminist library / info cafe in Warsaw; ul.Lotewska 11; Saska Kepa; Warszawa. Open: Monday-Thursday 18°°-20°°, Saturday 13°°-17°°, Sunday 14°°-17°°; ; tel. +48 503676482
- Inicjatywa Pracownicza FA / IP-FA (Workers Initiative of FA) - federation of groups linked to FA focusing on support for workers;
- IP-FA / Szczecin - Dominik Sawicki, po box 53; 70-474 Szczecin 34.
- IP-FA / Silesia - po box 2; 44-100 Gliwice; inicjatywa_silesia@hoga.pl
- KOLEKTYW AUTONOMISTOW (Collective of Autonomists) - group of activist po box 13; 87-116 Torun 17; michoo77@poczta.onet.pl
- “KROMERA” - squat/culture centre; ul.Kromera 6a; Wroclaw.
- LETS - Local Economy Trade System
- LETS in Krakow. testcyf@kr.edu.pl
- LETS in Poznan. lets@poland.com
- “LITTLE MARY” - anarchist squat in Czestochowa; ul.Warszawska 249/25;
- “Mac Pariadka” - anarchist magazine in polish; pariadka@polbox.com
- “PILON” - underground bar/caffe open Mo-Sa from 6pm; adress: ulica Bulwar Filadelfijski - Torun (under the only one car bridge in the city). pilon@poczta.onet.pl
- RAAF (Radical Anti-Fascist Action) - ; po box 43; 15-662 Bialystok 26. pkropotkin@wp.pl
- “Radical Cheer Leaders” - anarchist female cheer leaders team based in Warszawa. Contact through Emancypunx.
- “ROZBRAT” - squat / anarchist centre, ul.Pulaskiego 21a; Poznan.
- S.E.K.W. “KRZYK” - squat / anarchist centre, po box 2; 44-101 Gliwice (ul.Sienkiewicza 25; tel.+48 504878370).
- “streFA” - infoshop in Szczecin; ul.Domanskiego 1c, tel.504935357.
- “SZWEJK” - anti-military service; ul.Pulaskiego 21a; po box 5; 60-966 Poznan 31
- “TEKNO COLLECTIVE” - underground techno crew from Torun; sadi@poczta.onet.pl
- WIEDZMA ( the WITCH ) - anarcha feminist group; PO BOX 3321-500 BIALA PODLASKA; POLAND; witchgrrrl@poczta.onet.pl ;
- “YA BANDA” - anarchist samba band Milanowek/Warszawa. olga23@go2.pl
