Protegowani Jakuba Bermana jako przykład klientelizmu i nepotyzmu w elicie władzy PRL
People Protected by Jakub Berman as an Example of Clientelism and Nepotism in the Power Elite of the Polish People᾽s Republic

Summary/Abstract: The creation of clientelist networks and nepotism in the power elite of the Polish People’s Republic have not been subjects of separate studies. They are usually hard to spot in documentation. Examples of the functioning of clientelism and nepotism include the group of proteges of number 2 in the hierarchy of the authorities of the Stalinist era, Jakub Berman (his friends, relatives and those of kin). The preserved Polish and Soviet documents, as well as stories of the members of the communist elite, point to Berman’s main role in the staff policy of the Polish United Workers’ Party and to the functioning of a group of his friends and family members positioned in various structures of power in Poland. In the Soviet documents, Berman was accused of preferring “people of non-Polish nationality”, a euphemism for people of Jewish origin. Specific examples were provided of people from the central party apparatus (heads of departments of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the propaganda front (the Polish Radio and central press bodies). The example, presented in the article, of the network of personal connections created by Jakub Berman and his friends and relatives was certainly not an isolated case. This requires detailed studies, using stories and information dispersed throughout various sources.

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