Marcin Rutkiewicz z Gniezna – niepodległościowiec z partyjnym rozdziałem w biografii

Abstract

The paper presents a short biography of Marcin Rutkiewicz from Gniezno (1933–2016), a local politician and clerk, which in his youth and in the mature age fought against the communist regime in Poland. However, for several years between those two periods he was involved in the Polish communist party (PZPR), even as its offi cial ideological lecturer. The article fi rst focuses on Rutkiewicz’ clandestine activity in the Underground Scout Army at Gniezno when he was 18 years old, on the subsequent arrest, trial and repressions: a hard prison and then equal hard and exhausting military service. The second focus is Rutkiewicz’ braek up from the communist party in 1988, then involvement in the Citizen Committee (Komitet Obywatelski) „Solidarność” at Gniezno in 1989, and his late political and combatant activity in the free Poland. His interesting but not „linear” political life is a proper example of alternate fortunes of the generation grown under the Soviet regime in Poland after the World War II.