Auschwitz as a symbol of martyrdom of the Polish nation, 1947 and 2017

Abstract

ABSTRACT Two events that occurred in 1947 – ceremonies on the Auschwitz site on June 14, the day the first transport of Polish prisoners arrived in the camp in 1940, and the adoption of a law commemorating the ‘martyrdom of the Polish Nation and other Nations in Oświęcim’ on July 2 – defined Auschwitz in Poland as most of all a Polish national symbol, the symbol of martyrdom of the Polish nation. Upon recalling those events and outlining their significance, this paper aims to answer the question in what sense was Auschwitz a symbol of martyrdom of the Polish nation in Poland 70 years on, when the country was ruled by the right-wing populists with a strong nationalistic agenda, and in the earlier years. Two processes are analysed in this regard – the instituting of June 14 as a National Remembrance Day and commemorations on June 14. This paper shows that the National Remembrance Day, although intended to commemorate Poles only, was legislated as a day of remembrance for all victims of all Nazi camps. The paper also shows that the commemorations on June 14, which were initially low-key ceremonies mainly for former prisoners, became high-profile and political in 2017 as the government used them to pursue their nationalistic ‘historical policy,’ reiterating the martyrdom of the Poles during World War Two and highlighting their engagement in helping the Jews.