Polska Partia Robotnicza w Krakowskiem w latach 1947-1948
Polish Workers' Party in the Cracow in the years 1947-1948

Summary/Abstract: After the parliamentary election in 1947 a considerable proportion of the residents of Cracow province tried to accommodate to the reality that was being imposed by the communists, but without supporting the new authorities. It was easy to believe that the regime organized by the PPR (the communist party) was not a temporary affair. Many were disarmed both ideologically and morally by the conviction that they could not wait until it had collapsed. A huge increase in the number of PPR members in the years 1947 and 1948 was the result of the communists’ ruthless pressure in factories, government agencies, and schools. Employees were threatened with dismissal or demotion. A considerable part of those new members persuaded themselves that they had made the right choice,gaining in this way some sense of mental well -being. In the province of Cracow communist influence varied in particular regions and social groups. Farmers and university graduates were underrepresented. At the end of September 1948, according to overstated data, there were 51 000 members. The PPR in Cracow had different internal problems. The moral level of some activists left much to be desired. So was the quality and activity of the members. Local organisations were mismanaged. Party meetings at different levels were held too rarely. Most party ranks were religious people. Some were involved in the construction of churches or even supported the anticommunist underground movement. Attempts to get rid of all the unwanted, above mentioned members of the Cracow PPR, although partially successful, did not lead to desired results.

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