1937 Peasant Strike In Poland
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1937 Peasant Strike in Poland, also known in some Polish sources as the Great Peasant Uprising () was a mass
strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...
and demonstration of peasants organized by the People's Party and aimed at the ruling ''
sanacja Sanation (, ) was a Polish political movement that emerged in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May Coup (Poland), May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and gained influence following the coup. In 1928, its political activists went on to fo ...
'' government. It was the largest political protest in the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
, taking place in 12 voivodeships of the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
. It is estimated that several million peasants took part in the demonstrations, and the strike was supported not only by Polish peasants, but also by the Ukrainian and Belarusian farmers, who made a majority in the eastern part of the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
.


Background

By mid-1930s, Poland, a country with a large agricultural sector, was significantly affected by the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
,
Janusz Gmitruk Janusz Gmitruk (born 17 February 1948 in Świniarów) is a Polish historian, museum curator, academic teacher, and Doctor of Humanities. He is a specialist in contemporary Polish history and the peasant movement, as well as the martyrology of P ...

Rok 1937
, ''Realia'', Kwiecień NR 2 (11) 2009
with peasants being one of the most affected groups. Polish peasantry, especially in overpopulated areas of
Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
, was desperately poor. Prices of food products fell down, which resulted in smaller profits for the peasants. In some provinces, the countryside went backwards to the 19th century, with imminent prospect of hunger. Unemployment among youth in villages was widespread, which frustrated and radicalized the impoverished people. Furthermore, the increasingly authoritarian ''
sanacja Sanation (, ) was a Polish political movement that emerged in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May Coup (Poland), May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and gained influence following the coup. In 1928, its political activists went on to fo ...
'' government was losing public support. Immediately after the May Coup, some leaders of peasant parties hoped that cooperation with the new government was possible. However, further events, such as the destruction of
Centrolew The (, 'Center-Left') was a coalition of several Polish political parties ( Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie", German Socialist Labour Party of Poland, Polish People's Party "Piast", National Workers' Party, Polish Socialist Party and Christ ...
, the arrest of
Wincenty Witos Wincenty Witos (; 21 or 22 January 1874 – 31 October 1945) was a Polish statesman, prominent member and leader of the Polish People's Party (PSL), who served three times as the Prime Minister of Poland in the 1920s. He was a member of the Pol ...
, and the ill-fated 1930 election deeply disappointed all of them. In response to the actions of the government, in 1931 a new political party of the peasants, the agrarian People's Party (''Stronnictwo Ludowe'', SL) was created out of three smaller parties. SL leaders, who by mid-1930s became more radical, emphasized the numbers and physical strength of the Polish peasantry. They claimed that peasants were real hosts of the country. In an attempt to wrest political power, the SL organized a series of large demonstrations and strikes, which were often met with government opposition. Over the years, violent incidents occurred leading to fatalities. Peasants' protests were frequent, and in all cases, they were brutally suppressed by the
sanacja Sanation (, ) was a Polish political movement that emerged in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May Coup (Poland), May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and gained influence following the coup. In 1928, its political activists went on to fo ...
regime. One of the most notable events of this kind was a large wave of strikes that took place in 1932-33 in southern Poland, in the area of Lapanow,
Lesko Lesko (or ''Lisko'' until 1926; ; , alias ''Olesco Lescovium''; ) is a town in south-eastern Poland with a population of 5,755 (02.06.2009). situated in the Bieszczady mountains. It is located in the heartland of the Doły (Pits), and its averag ...
, and
Ropczyce Ropczyce () is a town in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship in south-eastern Poland, situated in the valley of the Wielopolka River (a tributary of the Wisłoka River). The town has a population of 15,098 (). and is the seat of Ropczyce-Sędziszów ...
. Instead of negotiating, the government would send armed police or units of the
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
, which pacified villages and sometimes killed the demonstrators. It has been estimated that across the 1930s, around 100 peasants were killed by the security forces. The idea of the strike did not meet with unanimous approval. The marginal
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 ...
(''Komunistyczna Partia Polski'', KPP) threw its weight behind the strike, but the right-wing
National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...
(''Stronnictwo Narodowe'', SN) was opposed to it. Crucially,
Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party (, PPS) is a democratic socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most significant parties in Poland from its founding in 1892 until its forced merger with the communist Polish Workers' Party to form ...
(''Polska Partia Socjalistyczna'', PPS) declined to participate in it, so despite KPP support, the strike did not spread to the cities, as SL hoped. Nonetheless, some worker strikes did occur during that period. Even within SL, not all activists were convinced it was a good idea; it was supported by
Wincenty Witos Wincenty Witos (; 21 or 22 January 1874 – 31 October 1945) was a Polish statesman, prominent member and leader of the Polish People's Party (PSL), who served three times as the Prime Minister of Poland in the 1920s. He was a member of the Pol ...
and
Stanisław Mikołajczyk Stanisław Mikołajczyk (; 18 July 1901 – 13 December 1966) was a Polish politician. He was a prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile during World War II, and later Deputy Prime Minister in post-war Poland until 1947. Biography Bac ...
, but criticized by
Maciej Rataj Maciej Rataj (19 February 1884 – 21 June 1940) was a Polish politician, speaker of the Polish Parliament and deputy President of the Republic of Poland, and writer. Biography Born in the village of Lviv Raion, Chłopy, near Lwów (now Lviv, ...
. The decision to start the strike was the effect of new tactics, worked out during the Extraordinary Congress of the People's Party (SL), which took place on January 17, 1937, in Warsaw. On that day it was decided that if the government did not meet the demands of the SL, a general peasant strike would be called. Participants in the Congress signed an appeal that demanded democratization of the country, amnesty for politicians sentenced in the
Brest trials The Brest trials () were among the most famous trials conducted under the Second Polish Republic. Lasting from 26 October 1931 to 13 January 1932, they were held at the Warsaw Regional Court where leaders of the '' Centrolew'', a "Center-Left" ant ...
, and changes in the Constitution. The strike was organized by Stanisław Mikołajczyk, and by Wincenty Witos, who had been forced to leave Poland and lived in
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. Using his couriers, Witos sent advice and instructions. A prelude to the strike took place on April 18, 1937, when peasants organized a large demonstration in the fields of Racławice, the site of a 1792 battle in which Polish peasant soldiers played a decisive role. On that day, thousands of people gathered, unaware of the fact that Minister Felicjan Slawoj-Skladkowski had forbidden public demonstrations and meetings. The rally was attacked by the police, which killed three peasants.


The Strike

August 15 was the Holiday of Peasant Deed (''Święto Czynu Chłopskiego''), a holiday introduced to honor the participation of Polish peasants in the Polish-Soviet War. On that day, numerous rallies took place, during which a 10-day nationwide peasant strike was announced. These rallies were carefully organized, as they were supposed to show the power of the peasant movement. One of the biggest events of this kind took place on the market square in
Kolbuszowa Kolbuszowa () is a small town in south-eastern Poland, with 88911 inhabitants (02.06.2009). Situated in the Sandomierz Forest in the Subcarpathian Voivodship, it is the capital of Kolbuszowa County. Kolbuszowa belongs to historic Lesser Poland, ...
. Those present marched with the green flags of Polish peasants. During speeches, people were urged to start open struggle until full victory, in the spirit of 1920. Peasants were told that the Miracle at the Vistula was not a miracle, but a victory of peasant soldiers. Chants such as "Down with the ''sanacja'' government" were heard, as were calls for the release of political prisoners. Participants in the strike pledged not to send food to towns and cities, and to block the roads. Timing was crucial, as in mid-August, old food supplies in the cities had been exhausted, and deliveries of new goods were expected to cover shortages. SL activists, who created the ''Peasant Order Guard'' (''Chlopska Straz Porzadkowa'') watched the roads, urging peasants not to weasel out of the strike. The biggest August 15 rallies took place in Jarosław, Grebow,
Dębica Dębica (; ''Dembitz'') is a town in southeastern Poland with 44,692 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voiv ...
,
Przeworsk Przeworsk (; ; ) is a town in south-eastern Poland with 15,675 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Since 1999 it has been in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, and is the capital of Przeworsk County. The ancient Przeworsk culture was named after the town ...
,
Bochnia Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted ...
, and Ciezkowice. The strike began on August 16, 1937 and lasted (as planned) until August 25. SL leaders kept the date of the beginning of the strike as top secret. In his memoirs, an SL activist from
Bochnia Bochnia is a town on the river Raba in southern Poland, administrative seat of Bochnia County in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. The town lies approximately halfway between Tarnów (east) and the regional capital Kraków (west). Bochnia is most noted ...
wrote: "Everything was carefully prepared. Members of Kraków's district of the party came to our village, instructing us what to do and how to act in case of trouble. We were told to light bonfires on August 14, as a sign that a large meeting of peasants was approaching". Rallies were organized not only in villages and towns, but also in cities. In Kraków, on Sunday, August 15, thousands of peasants with banners and orchestras gathered in the Jablonowski Square. A peasant from Bienczyce, Jakub Pszczoła, gave a speech, in which he announced that the strike would begin on the next day. After his speech, leaflets were spread among those gathered, and peasants began singing their informal anthem "Gdy naród do boju" ("When The Nation Fights"). The leaflets informed about demands of the strikers, such as dissolution of the Parliament, the release of political prisoners, change of the Constitution, and just distribution of social goods. Although SL leadership hoped that the action would cover the whole country except for border and ethnically mixed areas, in reality, it was successful only in the southern part of the
Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...
(Małopolska) region, with major events taking place in eastern counties of the Kraków Voivodeship, and western counties of the
Lwów Voivodeship Lwów Voivodeship () was an administrative unit of interwar Poland (1918–1939). Because of the Nazi invasion of Poland in accordance with the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, it became occupied by both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army in Septem ...
, particularly in the
Jarosław County __NOTOC__ Jarosław County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland, on the border with Ukraine. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loc ...
, where the SL structures were the strongest. Peasant demonstrators blockaded roads and stopped food deliveries to the cities, and at first, the government tolerated the action, regarding it as legal, and convinced that the SL would not be able to expand the protest. Also, as Felicjan Slawoj-Skladkowski stated later, SL leadership had assured that the strike would be of peaceful character. Therefore, Skladkowski had left for a two-week vacation in France, leaving
Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski (30 December 1888, Kraków – 22 August 1974, Kraków) was a Polish politician and economist, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, government minister and manager of the Second Polish Republic. Biography He studied at the pr ...
in charge. This indicated that the government, even though aware of the strike, did not plan to use force. One of the peasant activists from the area of
Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; , ) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (), situated on the Vistula River near its confluence with the San, in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy ...
wrote later: "In every village there was a strike committee, with deputies in case of arrests. There were self-reliance organizations, which collected food and money for those incarcerated. Also, families of arrested activists were offered help during the harvest time". After a few days, however, this stance was changed and terror was introduced. The change was also spurred by the actions of the peasants themselves, who had become more radical. SL activists created groups of 4 - 10 mostly young men, who were armed with sticks, and watched all roads. They did not hesitate to use force against the
strikebreaker A strikebreaker (sometimes pejoratively called a scab, blackleg, bootlicker, blackguard or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers may be current employees ( union members or not), or new hires to keep the orga ...
, beating them, killing their horses, destroying produce, and overturning their wagons. In some cases, radical activists attacked houses of the strikebreakers. In the course of the time, the strike turned into an uprising, which was noticed by activists of the Polish Communist Party, who appeared in the area, with their propaganda (in their appeal to the nation, the communist stated "Let the cities and villages die! Long live the nationwide strike! They will not arrest millions"). First skirmishes took place in the area of Jarosław on August 17, where members of the ''Peasants' Order Guard'' fought the police. On the same day, in Grebow near
Tarnobrzeg Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland (historic Lesser Poland), on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (Polish: ''Województwo podkarpackie'') since ...
, first peasant was killed. In response, the peasants blocked the main road of southern Poland, route Kraków - Lwów (in the area of
Brzesko Brzesko (; , ''Brigel'') is a town in southern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It lies approximately west of Tarnów and east of the regional capital Kraków. Since Polish administrative reorganization (in 1999), Brzesko has been the admin ...
), where transport of all goods was halted. Local police commandant wrote in his report: "On the roads and in their vicinity there are gangs of peasants armed with knives, sticks, perhaps guns. We are defenseless against them. Today, they have formed a march of around 500, which started from Wielka Wies. On the way, more people joined them. Economy in our area has been completely paralyzed. We are requesting help and awaiting orders". General
Marian Kukiel Marian Włodzimierz Kukiel (pseudonyms: ''Marek Kąkol'', ''Stach Zawierucha''; 15 May 1885 - 15 August 1973) was a Polish major general, historian, social and political activist. One of the founders of Związek Walki Czynnej in 1908 and promi ...
wrote to Wladyslaw Sikorski: "The police are completely exhausted. There are losses. There are no police units in Kraków. If the communists were a significant force, they would be taking advantage of this situation". Actions of the police were described as cruel and barbarian. Officers beat peasants, their wives and children with batons, rallies were dispersed, and during revisions in houses, furniture and goods were destroyed. The police, of whom 108 were wounded, never tried to negotiate, instead, they used not only batons, but also guns, firing at the crowds without warning. Approximately 5,000 peasants were detained, 617 arrested, and in some cases, violence on both sides lead to fatalities (44 peasant demonstrators were killed during the strike, 15 of them coming from the village of Majdan Sieniawski, in
Przeworsk Przeworsk (; ; ) is a town in south-eastern Poland with 15,675 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. Since 1999 it has been in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, and is the capital of Przeworsk County. The ancient Przeworsk culture was named after the town ...
county). Among
counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
with most people arrested, there were: *
Jarosław County __NOTOC__ Jarosław County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland, on the border with Ukraine. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loc ...
- 61 arrested, *
Brzozów County __NOTOC__ Brzozów County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed ...
- 47 arrested, *
Rzeszów County __NOTOC__ Rzeszów County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish local government reforms passed ...
- 16 arrested, *
Przemyśl County __NOTOC__ Przemyśl County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland, on the border with Ukraine. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish lo ...
- 16 arrested. About 700 farms were pacified, as the police used the doctrine of
collective responsibility Collective responsibility or collective guilt is the responsibility of organizations, groups and societies. Collective responsibility in the form of collective punishment is often used as a disciplinary measure in closed institutions, e.g., b ...
. The number of wounded is difficult to estimate, as in many situations, the peasants did not go to hospitals, fearing arrest. Nevertheless, despite the repressions, the peasants showed their strength, determination and organizational abilities. SL leaders deliberately chose not to organize the strike in the border areas of the country -
Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
,
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
,
Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...
, and the areas of
Tarnopol Ternopil, known until 1944 mostly as Tarnopol, is a city in western Ukraine, located on the banks of the Seret (river), Seret River. Ternopil is one of the major cities of Western Ukraine and the historical regions of Galicia (Central Europe ...
and
Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
, as deterioration of social situation in those strategic and vulnerable provinces, inhabited by ethnic minorities, was unwanted by them. Also, since SL structures in
Mazovia Mazovia or Masovia ( ) is a historical region in mid-north-eastern Poland. It spans the North European Plain, roughly between Łódź and Białystok, with Warsaw being the largest city and Płock being the capital of the region . Throughout the ...
,
Podlasie Podlachia, also known by its Polish name Podlasie (; ; ), is a historical region in north-eastern Poland. Its largest city is Białystok, whereas the historical capital is Drohiczyn. Similarly to several other historical regions of Poland, e.g ...
,
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...
, and northern Lesser Poland (areas of
Kielce Kielce (; ) is a city in south-central Poland and the capital of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. In 2021, it had 192,468 inhabitants. The city is in the middle of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains (Holy Cross Mountains), on the banks of the Silnic ...
,
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
, and
Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...
) were not as strong as those in the south, the strike there was of a limited character and did not evolve into a mass protest.


Outcome

Since the mutual violence of the peasants and the police, among whom there were units of freshly created riot police, was getting out of hand, on August 20 SL leadership decided to stop the strike. The police, which at first was shocked at the magnitude of the protest, took their revenge, pacifying villages and beating participants. This in return provoked hatred of the villagers. First processes of the arrested peasants began in December 1937 in the court in
Przemyśl Przemyśl () is a city in southeastern Poland with 56,466 inhabitants, as of December 2023. Data for territorial unit 1862000. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Subcarpathian Voivodeship. It was previously the capital of Prz ...
. Altogether, around 1000 people were sentenced to up to 5 years. Many of them stayed behind bars until September 1939, when prison guards left their posts behind, escaping the advancing German troops. The strike failed to shift the official balance of power, as ''sanacja'' remained in control. However, it strengthened the Polish peasant movement, and was seen by the peasant activist as a successful demonstration of force. SL activists wanted to organize another strike in 1938, but due to deteriorating international situation, and growing threat of
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
aggression, it was called off. During World War II, those who took part in the 1937 strike, organized Polish Peasants' Battalions, and after the war, they opposed introduction of the Communist system.


Notes


External links


POLAND: Embattled Farmers, Monday, September 6, 1937. Description of the strike, published in TIME magazine

A photo of peasants during the rally in Raclawice. April 18, 1937

Peasants of the village of Trzciana during the strike


Further reading

*Norman Davies, ''God's Playground, a History of Poland: 1795 to the present''

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