Directorate of Civil Resistance (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

''Kierownictwo Walki Cywilnej'', short KWC) was one of the branches of the Polish Government Delegate’s Office during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Its main tasks were to maintain the

morale Morale, also known as esprit de corps (), is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value ...

of the

society, encourage

passive resistance Nonviolent resistance (NVR), or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, ...

, report German atrocities and cruelties to the Polish Government in Exile, and to organize

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

. In addition, it was responsible for the law and justice in occupied Poland. It organized trials of traitors, collaborators and provocateurs as well as the most cruel members of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

and SS. The verdicts varied from boycott,

fines Fines may refer to: * Fines, Andalusia, Spanish municipality * Fine (penalty) * Fine, a dated term for a premium on a lease of land, a large sum the tenant pays to commute (lessen) the rent throughout the term *Fines, ore or other products with a s ...

, and lash to

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

. The trials were carried out by civil Underground court and the verdicts were enforced by the Państwowy Korpus Bezpieczeństwa. From 1942 on, the KWC also prosecuted crimes such as

theft Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for som ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

, and murder. The KWC was headed by

Stefan Korboński Stefan Korboński (2 March 1901 in Praszka - 23 April 1989 in Washington, D.C., USA) was a Polish agrarian politician, lawyer, journalist, and a notable member of the wartime authorities of the Polish Secret State. Among others, he was the last ...

. In 1943 it was joined with

Directorate of Covert Resistance Directorate of Covert Resistance ( Polish ''Kierownictwo Walki Konspiracyjnej'', short KWK) was one of the departments of the Armia Krajowa Headquarters created in Poland in 1942 during World War II. Its main task was commanding the so-called ' ...

and formed the

Directorate of Underground Resistance Directorate of Underground Resistance (, ''KWP'') was an agency of the Polish Underground State created during World War II. History The Directorate of Underground Resistance was created in 1943 from the Directorate of Civil Resistance and the ...

References

Poland in World War II Polish Underground State {{WWII-stub

See also

References