Polish Journalism Pioneer at the Turn of 20th Century. Aleksander Świętochowski and His Relations with Press

From the age of 23 until his death at the age of 89, thus for more than half a century, Aleksander Świętochowski was associated with the Polish press. He was an author of texts, editor and publisher, owner of three magazines: „Prawda” („The Truth”), „Kultura Polska” („Polish Culture”), and „Humanista Polski” („The Polish Humanist”). Despite numerous additional activities in the public sphere - literary, social and educational, political - biographers unanimously believe that, above all, he was a journalist and in this role he had no equal. The aim of the article is to show life of „ The Apostle of Truth” through the prism of his relations with the press. The main theme has been set in the broader context of the political realities of the time. Due to the wide time span, the professional career dynamics of the protagonist and the evolution of his image were taken into account. Świętochowski’s approach to work, as well as his view on the surrounding reality, has been analyzed and an attempt has been made to assess the motives behind his decisions related to his profession.

Socio-Economic Concepts of Priest Antoni Szymański

Among the Catholic thinkers and social activists of the interwar period priest Antoni Szymański is for sure an exceptional figure. He can certainly be called the leader of the Catholic-social camp in the Second Polish Republic. This is justified not only given his rich literary work in this field, but also because of the numerous functions he performed at that time. He was at the head of the Social Council of the Primate of Poland, the Union of Polish Catholic Intelligentsia, and the Catholic University of Lublin. Over the years he was the chief-editor of „Prąd”, undoubtedly one of the most important Catholic periodicals of that period. In his socio-economic views, he consistently promoted the personalist position, opposing both capitalism based on individualism, and all sorts of collectivist conceptions.

Kazimierz Dagnan: Polish National Socialist

Kazimierz Dagnan (1891-1986) was an extraordinary, but practically forgotten today, figure. The activist of the independence conspiracy before the World War I, and the Piłsudski’s legionnaire had an almost archetypal biography for a generation of fighters for independence. In independent Poland, he found himself in the government administration, but he did not limit himself to an administrative career. He followed his own path, faithful to your ideals connecting the cause of Polish independence with the idea of the emancipation of the working class. He was active on the pro-Piłsudski wing of the National Workers’ Party (NWP), and after the coup d’etat in 1926 he became involved in the splinter pro-regime NWP-Leftgroup. He was an ideologist of the national workers’ movement, stubbornly trying to radicalize him. Making a synthesis of nationalism, democracy and reformist socialism, he created the original Polish national-socialist ideology. This ideology assumed the construction of a „People’s Poland of Labour” as a democratic state in which grassroots socialization of the means of production and exchange would gradually proceed. The priority for Dagnan still was the sovereignty of the Polish state and the primacy of the Polish (ethnic) nation in this state. The political expression of this ideology was the Party of National Socialists created in 1933, which, however, did not succeed and vegetated on the margins of political life. During World War II, Dagnan returned to his native Nowy Sącz. In People’s Poland, he began a second life there - as an artist and social activist valued in the local community.

“Republic of Managers” or “Primitive Taylorism”? Economic Concepts of Aleksander Bocheński in 1980s

An important element of Aleksander Bocheński’s political reflection was the analysis of economic phenomena. It was also always intertwined with the geopolitical reflection retained in the mainstream of political realism, which was the key to his concept. Bocheński affirmed the People’s Poland as a form of Polish statehood not only in the international but also in the economic aspect. He postwar than pre-war economic achievements, seeing the Second Republic primarily through the prism of the economic crisis and the weakness of industry. Over time, he became an honest supporter of the command and distribution system, raising the importance of labor discipline and high production rates. The emergence of Solidarity, martial law and the policy of Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski’s team considered not only in terms of the threat of Soviet intervention and internal destabilization, but also the economic crisis. He wanted a deep reform of the economic system, which nevertheless did not violate the general principle of economic control by the state. In place of the „dictatorship of bureaucrats,” he proposed the „dictatorship of managers”, combined with an appropriate system of incentive motivators. This led to his criticism of the idea of introducing competition mechanisms into the PRL economy. Treating the economic system as a great conglomerate, which every employee should feel obliged to work efficiently and reliably in the name of higher goals, he seemed to create a Polish variant of Taylorism. On the other hand, despite the large anachronism of his reflection, he appreciated the importance of computerization and economic relief for private entrepreneurs. In the turn of 1989, he referred with reserve to the actions of Deputy Prime Minister Balcerowicz, raising the social costs of shock therapy and its negative effects on Polish industry. At the end of his life, he was much better at assessing the economic policies of communists than the governments of the Third Polish Republic. He did not believe in the „invisible hand of the market”, but in the decisive role of adequately managed capital, that is, an efficient state apparatus. The pre-war and post-war advocate of etatism also remained faithful to the belief that the international position of the state determined to a decisive extent its economic potential.

Edward Licht (1912–1965) – A Sketch to the Portray of Pediatrician

The article is a biographical outline of Edward Licht - an outstanding pediatrician who created medicine in Szczecin from the very beginning after the Second World War. He was involved in the scientific and didactic work of the Medical Academy (later the Pomeranian Medical Academy, currently the Pomeranian Medical University). Among the many prominent figures of Polish post-war medicine there are many people who, despite their significant contribution to the development of this field of science, have remained forgotten by the history of medicine. Among them is Edward Licht, whose research focused on the issue of children’s rheumatic diseases and tuberculosis. An important background of this article are his Jewish origins, his special fate during the war and the fate of his family.

The author attempts to answer to question, to what extent eulogy written down by Livy and concerning title figure of Publius Licinius Crassus (consul in 205 B.C.), corresponded with the facts (Liv. XXX 1, 4-6). Article presented stages of political and military career of the above-mentioned member of nobilitas and his competences. This activity can be followed by analysis his activity during holding consecutive offices (pontifex maximus, censor, magister equitum, praetor peregrinus, consul, proconsul). Where therefore we should seek origins of so high assesment given him by Livy? Analysing his activity the course Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.) author arrived at the conclusion, that it were not relatively modest war deedes, particularly in comparison with Roman outstanding leaders in this range, which decided about standing of Crassus. In his career, he placed himself in the role of the client of powerful gens Cornelia. He gained support from Cornelii during elections for pontifex maximus. In return for patronage and help in promotion on consecutive magistracies, he reciprocated undobtedly using his extensive juridicial knowledge. As a pontifex maximus he was also important link in the system of political control over sphere of the religion. Thus, origins of prestige of Crassus we should perceive above all in his mastery of the law. He was known not only as a expert in pontifical law, but also in advising Roman people and senate. It is emphasized not only by Livy, but also by Cicero, whose testimony, although late, it seems valuable, because it revels to us good memory of Crassus, which was preserved in Roman tradition. By advising in lawsuits, he was able to build own clientele, anywaythe network of obligations. This activity was also probably origin of his substantial profits (hence cognomen Dives). Example of the Crassus shows to us, that in Republican Rome, even in tumultuous times, it was there possibility to gain high political standing beyond sphere stricte military.

Alfred Wielopolski was belonged to a close group of people involved in creation of the beginnings scientific and cultural life in Western Pomerania. In Szczecin, with which the final connected his life after World War II, he was known above all as a devoted lecturer, inquisitive archivist, selfless social worker and activist of most scientific societies and institutions. An interesting information is that, he performed a number of important state functions in during the interwar period – such as holding the deputy chief of Wieluń, managing the Civil Secretariat of the President of the Republic of Poland or acting as the director of the Senate Office. Because of his birth, he was belonged to the strict elite of the landed gentry. In addition to diaries, from this period of his activity remained family correspondence located in the team of the Myszkow ordination of the State Archives in Kielce. It is a very valuable and interesting addition to the above memories. Reading epistolary allows us to see, what worries accompanied the young aristocrat during his studies, studies, military service and work. The materials describe happy and sad moments, they do not hide youthful weaknesses to alcohol or tobacco. They also describe love, often complicated in these difficult Times. In most cases, young Alfred shared his insights with his father, asking him for tips and advice. Description of military service and work in the state administration apparatus allows the reader to see the image, that has gone forever. This article is an attempt to quote the main content of letters interested in this period.

The main thesis of this article is that the concept of “bio/hagio/graphy” is the key to understanding the communication mechanisms of the narrative on historical figures regarded as national heroes and/or saints of the Catholic Church in the context of recent Polish history. The author of this text, perceiving biography as a set of narrative practices, notices that in “bio/hagio/graphy” these practices are subordinate to the hagiographic attitude towards the protagonist of the story adopted by the author of the work. This phenomenon is exemplified by the process of shaping bio/hagio/ graphic narrative about Stanisława Leszczyńska. Various stages of reconstructing the biography of the “midwife from Auschwitz” were distinguished, in which the biographical narrative evolved from autobiographical testimony through hagiographic practices of the religious community to the popular circulation of literature, not necessarily of confessional nature.

Żuławski – associations

In my short essay, I wanted to address the issues of Andrzej Żuławski’s „Shamanka”. Especially in the context of critical voices that consider this work to be iconoclastic. I was especially interested in the issue of transgression, understood as the ability to defend against the system. The essence of taboo collapse, also seen in other artist- -directors, exploits the potential of primordial violence, coming closer to relations that are not conditioned by economics or matter, but purely Nature’s laws, based on predators and victims, whose sources of behavior and characteristics pass. To the next stages of human evolution, only in fuzzy clarity. Because of new environment conditions, caused by culture, then civilization. Hence the great metaphorical values of the heroes of Żuławski’s production, and above all the character of „Italians”. The film’s content is her relationship with the anthropologist Michal, fascinated by archaic epochs, but with a completely different approach to them. Similar transgressive meaning, though on a different personal background, can be seen in Italian director Paolo Pasolini’s reminiscence, which may be recalled during the screening. Equally controversial was his last venture – Salo 120 days of Sodomy – a free adaptation of the novel of the Marquis de Sade. I set up both films to signal the polemic approach of both directors to postmodern societies.

Włodzimierz Kulczycki (1862–1936) – a representative of the scientific elite of the Academy of Veterinary Medicine in Lwow

Vladimir Kulchytsky (1852–1936) was one of the leading representatives of the scientific elite of the city of Lviv. He was a veterinarian, zoologist, an outstanding mammalian anatomist, professor, pro-rector and rector of the Academy of Veterinary Medicine in Lviv. He did his studies in natural sciences in Vienna, then in Lviv. He also received a diploma in veterinary medicine. From 1882 to 1934 he worked at the Lviv Academy of Veterinary Medicine, first as an assistant, then as a lecturer, and from 1906 as a professor, head of the Department (Department) of Descriptive Anatomy, Topography, Histology and Embryology (later, after changes, the Department of Comparative Anatomy). He also worked as a veterinarian at the Lviv Horse Tram Society, as a city veterinarian and as a veterinarian for the control of cattle and meat on the Lviv railroads. Prof. Kulchytsky’s scientific output includes about 60 publications (compact works, studies and scientific articles, discussions, reviews, etc.). The area of research and scientific interests of V. Kulchytsky was extremely wide and at the same time diverse. He became famous as an outstanding mammalian anatomist and zoologist, creator of anatomical preparations (continuing the work of Prof. Henryk Kadyi). He conducted research work on avian anatomy and physiology, the anatomy and etiology of cattle and horse diseases. He was also involved in parasitology, hippiatry, conducted interdisciplinary studies on the borderline between ethnography and ethnology, was interested in climatology and demography of the countries of the Orient and Central Asia, Indian studies and deep-sea fauna of the oceans. He skillfully combined his collecting passion for carpentry (1906–1936) with orientalist research, becoming an undisputed authority in this field, while amassing the largest collection of old oriental textiles on Polish soil. In 1934 he received an honorary doctorate from the Academy of Veterinary Medicine in Lviv for his outstanding achievements in the field of science and his attitude during the occupation of Lviv by Russia (1914–1915).