Marian Spychalski
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Marian "Marek" Spychalski (, 6 December 1906 – 7 June 1980) was a Polish architect in pre-war Poland, and later, military commander and a communist politician. During
World War II 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 belonged to the Polish underground forces operating within Poland and was one of the leaders of the People's Guard, then People's Army. He held several key political posts during the PRL era, most notably; Chairman of the Council of State,
mayor of Warsaw The Mayor of Warsaw (officially in ) is the head of the executive of the capital of Poland elected directly during local elections for a term of five years. Overview The first city mayor of Warsaw was Jan Andrzej Menich (1695–1696). Th ...
and
Defence Minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
.


Biography


Early career

Born to a working-class family in
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, Spychalski graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the
Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology () is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors (including 145 titular professors). The student body ...
in 1931. That same year he joined the KPP,, translated by George Shriver and Stephen Shenfield. and kept his membership after the Nazi-Soviet invasion, when in 1942 KPP became 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 ...
, renamed in 1948 as 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 ...
. Before World War II, he practised architecture and won several national and international competitions and awards.


World War Two

He was in Warsaw during the German invasion and it was not until December 1939 that he fled to Lemberg where his wife and daughter were already waiting for him. However, the family only stayed briefly in Soviet-occupied Lviv and returned to Warsaw in January 1940. Until 1942 he officially held a position in the Warsaw city administration as an architect, but also worked illegally and took part in the activities of the Polish resistance. At first he was involved in publishing a bulletin for a group of communist intellectuals, and from 1941 he became a member of the organization Związek Walki Wyzwoleńczej (League of the Liberation Struggle). From 1942 he was temporarily chief of the general staff of the communist Armia Ludowa and from July 22, 1944 of the Polish People's Army. He had also been a member of the Polish Workers' Party since it was founded in 1942.


Polish People's Republic

After World War II, he held a number of offices in the government of Poland, one of his first being
mayor of Warsaw The Mayor of Warsaw (officially in ) is the head of the executive of the capital of Poland elected directly during local elections for a term of five years. Overview The first city mayor of Warsaw was Jan Andrzej Menich (1695–1696). Th ...
(18 September 1944 – March 1945), with the war still in progress. Among other posts, he was a long-time member of the
parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, a close friend of
Władysław Gomułka Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish Communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of Polish People's Republic, post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948, and again from 1956 to 1970. Born in 1905 in ...
, and from 1945 to 1948 was both Deputy Minister of Defense and a member of the
Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party The Politburo was the highest political organ of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, which existed from 1948 to 1990. The Politburo typically had between 9 and 15 members at any one time. Usually, several alternates (or c ...
. He was removed from his remaining political posts in 1949 and then in 1950 imprisoned as part of the Stalinist purges of social-democrats in 1949–1953, where he was accused of anti-Soviet tendencies akin to
Titoism Titoism is a Types of socialism, socialist political philosophy most closely associated with Josip Broz Tito and refers to the ideology and policies of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) during the Cold War. It is characterized by a br ...
and right-wing nationalism. During his interrogations, which were conducted under severe conditions, he confessed to charges such as cooperation with the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, 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 F ...
and the
Home Army The Home Army (, ; abbreviated AK) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) established in the ...
during the war. In 1951 he appeared in a
show trial A show trial is a public trial in which the guilt (law), guilt or innocence of the defendant has already been determined. The purpose of holding a show trial is to present both accusation and verdict to the public, serving as an example and a d ...
where he was instructed to deliver official (and false) testimony against Gomułka. He was only released in the mass release of political prisoners in April 1956, and subsequently reinstated in the Polish United Workers' Party. With Gomułka's rehabilitation and return to power in 1956, Spychalski became the Polish
Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
., translated by Shirley Benson. In 1959 he again became a member of the Politburo, and in 1963 he was promoted to
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
. In 1968 during the anti-Zionist purge of the army, at Gomułka's request he left 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 ...
and his job as Minister of Defense, to assume civilian posts as President of the Front of National Unity, and from 10 April 1968 to 23 December 1970 as Chairman of the
Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
– the ''de facto''
head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "
he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
of Poland – the Council being the ''
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...
'' executive authority in the People's Republic, although some considered the post to be mostly symbolic.


Descent from power

As head of state, Spychalski was nearly assassinated at Karachi airport in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
on 1 November 1970 during the welcoming ceremonies.
The Gettysburg Times ''The Gettysburg Times'' is an American newspaper in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, owned by the Sample News Group. It is published daily, except for Sundays, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The ''Times'' was founded in 1902 as ''The Progress'', ...
informed that an anti-communist Islamic fundamentalist Feroze Abdullah drove a lorry at high speed into the Polish delegation, narrowly missing his intended target but killing the Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Zygfryd Wolniak (48) and three Pakistani representatives including the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Bureau, Chaudhri Mohammed Nazir, and two photographers. Spychalski lost his posts as close associate of Gomułka, when
Edward Gierek Edward Gierek (; 6 January 1913 – 29 July 2001) was a Polish communist politician who served as the '' de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic between 1970 and 1980. Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as the First Secretary of the ...
replaced Gomułka as First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party during the 1970 Polish protests throughout December. Spychalski retired and wrote a four volume memoir which is now in the archives of the
Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...
in California. He died on 7 June 1980, survived by his wife Barbara who also wrote about him.


Promotions

* Major (
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
) - 1943 * Podpułkownik ( Lieutenant colonel) - 1 January 1944 * Pułkownik (
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
) - 11 November 1944 * Generał brygady ( Brigadier general) - 6 February 1945 * Generał dywizji ( Major general) - 3 May 1945 * Generał broni (
Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
) - 22 July 1957 * Marszałek Polski (
Marshal of Poland Marshal of Poland () is the highest rank in the Polish Army. It has been granted to only six officers. At present, Marshal is equivalent to a field marshal or general of the army (OF-10) in other NATO armies. History Today there are no living ...
) - 7 October 1963


Honours and awards

* Order of the Builders of People's Poland * Order of the Banner of Labour, 1st Class * 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 ...
* Cross of Grunwald, 2nd Class * Commander's Cross 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 ...
* Knight's Cross of the
Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', ) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was established in 1792 by the last King of Poland Stanislaus II of Poland, ...
* Cross of Grunwald, 3rd Class * Partisan Cross (12 June 1946) * Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland * Medal for Oder, Neisse and Baltic * Medal for Warsaw 1939–1945 * Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 * Golden Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Homeland * Silver Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Homeland * Bronze Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Homeland * Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland * Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin * Golden Medal "For Merit in National Defense" * Silver Medal "For Merit in National Defense" * Bronze Medal "For Merit in National Defense" * Badge of the 1000th Anniversary of the Polish State * Badge "Meritorious activist ORMO" * Military Order of the White Lion, 1st Class (Czechoslovakia) * Military Order of the White Lion, 5th Class (Czechoslovakia) * Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) * Grand Cross of the
Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official Order (decoration), orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all ...
(Finland) * Order of the Partisan Star (Yugoslavia) * Medal for Bravery (Yugoslavia) * Order of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria) *
Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...
(USSR) * Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (USSR) * Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (USSR) * Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (USSR) * Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (USSR) * Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (USSR)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spychalski, Marian 1906 births 1980 deaths Architects from Łódź People from Piotrków Governorate Communist Party of Poland politicians Polish Workers' Party politicians Members of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party Heads of state of the Polish People's Republic Members of the State National Council Members of the Polish Sejm 1947–1952 Members of the Polish Sejm 1957–1961 Members of the Polish Sejm 1961–1965 Members of the Polish Sejm 1965–1969 Members of the Polish Sejm 1969–1972 Marshals of Poland Polish People's Army generals Armia Ludowa members People detained by the Polish Ministry of Public Security Recipients of the Virtuti Militari (1943–1989) Recipients of the Order of the Builders of People's Poland Knights of the Virtuti Militari Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Recipients of the Order of Lenin Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Mayors of Warsaw Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland