Transition of Polish countryside in the years 1918–1989

In the pre-war period problems of the Polish countryside were fragmentation and overpopulation. In spite of the land reform, the farms were mainly smaller than 5 hectares and the peasants practiced the extensive farming. Only some bigger farms, mainly in Western and Middle Poland, were modern. The Great Depression led to agricultural goods prices drop by 66%, which lasted until 1945. The Polish countryside during World War II suffered enormous material and demographic losses. After the end of the war the radical land reform was introduced, which deepened agricultural fragmentation. Some part of the land remained in the government’s possession and was transformed into State Agricultural Farm (Pl. Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, PGR) The area taken up by those farms was extended systematically, particularly in the western and northern parts of Poland. In 1948 the government started to collectivize the countryside. Farmers were forced with restrain and repression to join the cooperative farms. After 1956 most cooperative farms fell apart and the policy became less strict, e.g. by reducing compulsory deliveries. The deepening depression of the 1970s led to the drop in prices and the collapse in the agricultural industry, which caused the breakdown of food supply. The bad condition of agriculture lasted until the last days of the People’s Republic of Poland.  The paper was originally published as Przemiany polskiej wsi w latach 1918–1989, “Klio” 2013, vol. 26 (3), pp. 55–80; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/KLIO.2013.033

Transition of Polish countryside in the years 1918–1989

In the pre-war period problems of the Polish countryside were fragmentation and overpopulation. In spite of the land reform, the farms were mainly smaller than 5 hectares and the peasants practiced the extensive farming. Only some bigger farms, mainly in Western and Middle Poland, were modern. The Great Depression led to agricultural goods prices drop by 66%, which lasted until 1945. The Polish countryside during World War II suffered enormous material and demographic losses. After the end of the war the radical land reform was introduced, which deepened agricultural fragmentation. Some part of the land remained in the government’s possession and was transformed into State Agricultural Farm (Pl. Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, PGR) The area taken up by those farms was extended systematically, particularly in the western and northern parts of Poland. In 1948 the government started to collectivize the countryside. Farmers were forced with restrain and repression to join the cooperative farms. After 1956 most cooperative farms fell apart and the policy became less strict, e.g. by reducing compulsory deliveries. The deepening depression of the 1970s led to the drop in prices and the collapse in the agricultural industry, which caused the breakdown of food supply. The bad condition of agriculture lasted until the last days of the People’s Republic of Poland.     The paper was originally published as Przemiany polskiej wsi w latach 1918–1989, “Klio” 2013, vol. 26 (3), pp. 55–80; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/KLIO.2013.033

Przemiany polskiej wsi w latach 1918–1989

W artykule przedstawiono zarys problematyki, która pomoże w projektowaniu wybranych lekcji historii zgodnie z modułową podstawą programową. Problemem polskiej wsi przed II wojną światową było przeludnienie i rozdrobnienie. Mimo przeprowadzonej reformy rolnej, na ziemiach polskich funkcjonowały głównie małe gospodarstwa o powierzchni poniżej 5 hektarów a rolnicy stosowali ekstensywne metody uprawy. Jedynie część większych gospodarstw, głównie z zachodniej i środkowej części Polski, została zmodernizowana. W wyniku Wielkiego Kryzysu znacznie spadła opłacalność produkcji rolnej i sytuacji ta utrzymała się aż do 1945 roku. W czasie II wojny światowej zanotowano znacznie straty wśród mieszkańców wsi, jak również znaczące straty materialne. Po zakończeniu wojny, przeprowadzono radykalną reformę rolną, która pogłębiła rozdrobnienie gospodarstw rolnych. Część ziemi stała się własnością państwową, którą przekształcono w Państwowe Gospodarstwa Rolne (PGR). Obszar zajmowany przez PGR systematycznie wzrastał, zwłaszcza w zachodniej i północnej części Polski. W 1948 roku rozpoczęła się kolektywizacji wsi, rolnicy byli zmuszani do łączenia gospodarstw pod groźbą represji. Po 1956 roku większość gospodarstw skolektywizowanych została rozwiązana, zrezygnowano również z części obowiązkowych dostaw. Pogłębiająca się depresja lat siedemdziesiątych XX wieku doprowadziła do spadku cen i upadku przemysłu rolnego, co spowodowało braki w dostawach żywności. Zły stan rolnictwa utrzymywał się aż do końca funkcjonowania Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej

National Agricultural Censuses in Poland from 1921–2010: Evolution, Thematic Scope and Relevance for the Study of Rural and Agricultural History

Population censuses have been organised sporadically since antiquity, but in the 19th century they acquired a universal character. These censuses are a good source of information on the rural population, but it was not until the introduction of systematic national agricultural censuses that a broader picture of the countryside and agriculture was obtained. In the censuses conducted after 1918 in Poland, there was a fixed catalogue of questions on the characteristics of farms, but each time new questions were also introduced to reflect the specificity of agriculture in a given historical period. The censuses were conducted on a fairly regular basis and, therefore, they provide valuable information for comparative analyses. Due to their universality and thematic scope, they also collect data on demography and socio-professional and economic relations that are not available in other sources

Likwidacja państwowych gospodarstw rolnych i pierwszy etap przekształceń własnościowych państwowego sektora rolnego. Przyczynek do badań

The article presents the conditions and the course of liquidation of state-owned farms in 1991–1996 and the beginning of ownership transformation in the state-owned agricultural sector. It discusses selected economic and social consequences of this process and signals the main fields of controversy related to assessing the goals, strategies, and effects of the ownership transformation of state-owned farms. The text is an introduction to further research.Artykuł przedstawia uwarunkowania i przebieg likwidacji państwowych gospodarstw rolnych w latach 1991–1996 oraz początek przekształceń własnościowych w państwowym sektorze rolnym. Zostały omówione wybrane konsekwencje gospodarcze i społeczne tego procesu oraz zasygnalizowane główne pola kontrowersji związanych z oceną celów, strategii i skutków transformacji własnościowej państwowych gospodarstw rolnych. Tekst jest wprowadzeniem do dalszych badań

Jak pracować z uczniem zdolnym? Poradnik dla nauczycieli historii

Publikacja powstała w ramach projektu „Opracowanie i wdrożenie kompleksowego systemu pracyz uczniem zdolnym”.Publikacja współfinansowana przez Unię Europejską w ramach Europejskiego Funduszu Społeczneg

The Museum Vision of the Future of Western Pomerania, from ‘the Homeland of Many’ to the Dialogue Centre ‘Breakthrough’

Artykuł jest poświęcony koncepcjom wystaw podejmujących tematykę najnowszej historii Pomorza Zachodniego, prezentowanych w Muzeum Narodowym w Szczecinie, poczynając od 2002 roku do dzisiaj. Omówiono w nim cztery najważniejsze ekspozycje, na przykładzie których widać zmianę priorytetów i sposobów prezentowania historii regionu oraz wartości, wokół których tworzona była narracja poszczególnych wystaw. IchThe article presents the concepts of the exhibitions devoted to the contemporary history of Western Pomerania, which took place in the National Museum in Szczecin from 2002 till now. The four most important exhibitions have been analysed in a more detailed way; they exemplify the change in priorities and presentation methods of the history of the Region and the values around which the narrative of the exhibitions was created. The analysis indicates that there has been an evolution in the exhibition techniques and an increase of the role of museological education as a factor shaping the social memory of the past

No Chance of Success. State Agrarian Real Estate 1946–1949. A Contribution to the Research on the History of the State Agricultural Sector in Poland

The years of activity of the PNZ (Państwowe Nieruchomości Ziemskie – State Agrarian Real Estate) fell into the period of post-war agricultural reconstruction and management of Recovered Territories. Initially, their main task was to prepare for the parceling out of large landed estates, which was important for the settlement campaign. The target task was to run specialized farms that would supply the entire agriculture with seed and breeding material. After the escape of S. Mikołajczyk, the communists changed the priorities of PNZ activity, which from then on were to deal with large-scale production, and above all, manage about 1,200 hectares of agricultural land. The vast majority of the area used by PNZ was located in the western and northern regions of the country. The best conditions existed in those areas for establishing a state sector in agriculture. In spite of many achievements, PNZ was liquidated because the communists wanted to get rid of the prewar staff of specialists, mostly landowners, from the enterprise. This decision was political in nature. State farms were then created to replace PNZ

Professional Work of Women in State Agricultural Farms (1949–1989) — an Overview

Women employed in State Agricultural Farms (SAF) were blue- and white-collar workers, the former group being more numerous. However, the blue-collar workers mainly worked seasonally, during the period of intensive field work. When it comes to fulltime work, it was usually related to animal production. The demand for this type of work decreased with the progress of mechanization. Meanwhile, the demand for white-collar workers, especially those with agricultural education and experience, increased. Since the 1960s, the SAFs increasingly employed women qualified in agronomy, animal production, and veterinary medicine. However, they were not always accepted in positions traditionally considered “masculine”. For most women, work in SAFs was not attractive due to difficult working conditions and low prestige. If a woman decided to work there, it was usually for economic reasons. Most women did not take up professional activity and performed the traditional roles of wives and mothers