Zygmunt Modzelewski (15 April 1900 – 18 June 1954) was a Polish

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

politician, professor, economist, and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

Life and career

Modzelewski was born in to the family of a railroad worker. He was a member of the

Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania The Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (, SDKPiL), originally the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland (SDKP), was a Marxist political party founded in 1893 and later served as an autonomous section of the Russian Social ...

and

Communist Party of Poland The interwar Communist Party of Poland (, KPP) was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) and the ...

. From 1923 to 1937, he was a member of the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

and even joined its Central Committee. In 1937 he moved to the Soviet Union and was arrested by

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

in the same year in the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

. Despite torture he refused to give false confession and was released in 1939. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he joined the

Union of Polish Patriots Union of Polish Patriots (''Society of Polish Patriots'', , ZPP, ) was a political body created by Polish communists in the Soviet Union in 1943. The ZPP, unofficially controlled and directed by Joseph Stalin, became one of the founding structur ...

and the Central Bureau of Polish Communists and became the first director of Polpress, a precursor to the

Polish Press Agency The Polish Press Agency (, PAP) is Poland's national news agency, producing and distributing political, economic, social, and cultural news as well as events information. It was founded in 1918 as Polish Telegraphic Agency (PAT). PAP serves pri ...

. In May 1943 he was involved in the formation of the

Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

in the camp in Seltsy. At the rank of captain he became a lecturer in the Political Section of the Division. He joined the

Polish Workers' Party The Polish Workers' Party (, PPR) was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) and merged with the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) in 1948 to form the Polish United W ...

in 1944 (and later its successor, the

Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...

) and eventually became the member of its Central Committee. On January 2, 1945, he was appointed Polish ambassador to the USSR. He held this position until June 28, 1945, when the Moscow Conference on the establishment of the Provisional Government of National Unity ended. After returning to Poland, he became Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, effectively heading the ministry in the TRJN between 1945 and 1947. He was a member of the Polish delegation to the Potsdam Conference. He was also a Polish delegate to the session of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations. Involved in the work of the Slavic Committee in Poland. Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1947–1951. From 1951, Rector of the Institute for the Education of Scientific Personnel. From 1948, member of the Polish United Workers' Party and at the same time member of the Central Committee of the PZPR. In 1951, he defended his doctoral thesis in philosophy. From 1951, full professor, and from 1952, full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Between 1947 and 1952 he was a member of Legislative Sejm and in the years 1952–1954 a member of the

Polish Council of State The Council of State of the Polish People's Republic, Republic of Poland () was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of executive (government), executive power. The Council of State consisted of the President of Poland, Presid ...

. He died on June 18, 1954. He was buried at the Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw. He was the adoptive father of

Karol Modzelewski Karol Cyryl Modzelewski (23 November 1937 – 28 April 2019) was a Polish historian, writer, politician and academic of Russian origin, one of the leading figures of the democratic opposition in the Polish People's Republic from the 1960s to the 1 ...

Awards and decorations

POL Order Budowniczych Polski Ludowej BAR

Order of the Builders of People's Poland Order of the Builders of People's Poland () was the highestORDER BUDOWNICZYCH POLSKI LUDOWEJ ...

(22 July 1954) * POL Order Sztandaru Pracy 1 klasy BAR

Order of the Banner of Labour The Order of the Banner of Labour () was a governmental award in Poland during the 20th-century era of the Polish People's Republic, a former Marxist-Leninist state. The order was established by the Sejm (a chamber of the Polish parliament) on 2 ...

, 1st Class (15 April 1950) * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski ZG BAR

Commander's Cross with Star of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(22 July 1949) * POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR

Commander's Cross of the

* Cross of Grunwald, 3rd Class (19 February 1946) *

Order of merits for the people with golden star Rib

Order of Merits for the People with Golden Star (Yugoslavia, 1946) * CZE Rad Bileho Lva 3 tridy BAR

Order of the White Lion The Order of the White Lion () is the highest order of the Czech Republic. It continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an award for foreigners (Czechoslovakia having no civilian decoration for its citizens in the 192 ...

, 1st Class (Czechoslovakia, 1947) * Order of the Dannebrog S

Grand Cross of

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(Denmark, 1947) * Grand Cross of

Hungarian Order of Merit The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of Merit of the K ...

(Hungary, 1948) * Order99441Ribbon

Order of the 9 September 1944, 1st Class (Bulgaria, 1948) * Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic (Romania, 1948)''Dekoracja odznaczeniami rumuńskimi Premiera i członków Rządu RP'', „Trybuna Tygodnia”, nr 9 (1087), 29 lutego 1948, s. 3.

References

*
Biuro Edukacji Publicznej IPN "Zygmunt Modzelewski (1900–1954)" – informacja historyczna
* Aleksander Kochański, ''Modzelewski Zygmunt'' :''

Polski Słownik Biograficzny ''Polski Słownik Biograficzny'' (''PSB''; Polish Biographical Dictionary) is a Polish-language biographical dictionary, comprising an alphabetically arranged compilation of authoritative biographies of some 25,000 notable Poles and of foreigner ...

'' t. XXI, Warszawa-Kraków-Gdańsk-Wrocław 1976
wersja elektroniczna IPSB
1900 births 1954 deaths People from Częstochowa People from Piotrków Governorate Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania politicians Communist Party of Poland politicians Polish Workers' Party politicians Polish United Workers' Party members Members of the State National Council Members of the Polish Sejm 1947–1952 Members of the Polish Sejm 1952–1956 Diplomats of the Polish People's Republic Ambassadors of Poland to the Soviet Union Members of the Polish Academy of Sciences Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Order of the Builders of People's Poland Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Grand Crosses of the Order of the White Lion Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery Ministers of foreign affairs of Poland Members of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party Polish diplomats Polish Marxists 20th-century Polish philosophers Polish economists {{Poland-Sejm-politician-stub