Changes in the Agricultural Structure of Pomerania after 1945

Abstract

The westward shift of the Polish border in 1945 sparked a debate about the reconstruction of agriculture within the so-called Recovered Territories, according to the political and economic policy of post-war Poland. The government was particularly focused on rapidly populating the former German territories with Polish inhabitants and on starting agricultural production. In order to attract the highest possible number of settlers, the authorities planned to parcel out the large, former German estates among immigrants from the central and eastern regions of Poland. Additionally, the government sought to base the agricultural structure on medium-sized peasant farms, which were expected to bring good political and economic benefits. After the first successful years of agricultural reconstruction according to the aforementioned principles (1945-1949), the subsequent decades brought a reversal of the trend, which led to an increasing concentration of large, state-owned agricultural estates. The privatization that occurred after 1990 did not change the size structure of agricultural holdings.