Pacifists and Opponents of Military Service in Poland between 1918 and 1939

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show differing attitudes (radical and moderate) among Polish pacifists and individuals opposing military service. It devotes special attention to the role of Polish writers who were supporters and critics of pacifism. Within the chapters of the article, their thoughts are repeatedly called in mind as this issue represents a gap in Polish academic research. The paper also describes the difficult conditions in which Polish pacifism functioned after Poland regained its independence in November 1918. Polish pacifists were subject to various political and social criticism. Those who denied the sense of, and refused to perform, military service suffered even greater ostracism. In this study, the most important thesis is that the Polish pacifist movement, despite representing varied political views, was weak and unable to play a serious role in Poland. Another key thesis is that the Polish tradition of armed struggle for independence in 1914-21 caused any objection to military service in pre-war Poland to be met with disapproval. The article is based on a variety of books, among them memories, diaries and belles-lettres from various times and origin, and archival sources. Newspapers and journals are a very important source as well because they represent different political views; for example, the socialist: Głos Kobiet (Women’s Voice), Robotnik (Worker), the nationalist: Wielka Polska (Grand Poland), Szczerbiec, the pro-government: Polska Zbrojna (Polish Armed), Ostatnie Wiadomości Krakowskie (Recent Krakow News). Information from newspapers are complemented by archival documents. Most of them come from the Central Archives of Modern Records in Warsaw (Centralne Archiwum Akt Nowych w Warszawie, AAN). Polish pacifists in the period 1918-39 were unable to bring their activities to success. Too many of them were individualists. Worse yet, they never presented a unified ideological front. Pacifists from Catholic organisations were not able to find a compromise with the communists. The weakness of Polish pacifism in 1918-39 did not stem exclusively from the major differences in ideological and political standpoints among its representatives. Only a part of the Polish intelligentsia consisted of active propagators of pacifist ideas. Very rarely did pacifist ideas reach and capture the interest of the predominantly poorly educated masses of workers and peasants. Additionally, the Roman Catholic Church, which enjoyed enormous influence in the Polish countryside, turned out to be, for the most part, unfavourably disposed towards the propagators of pacifism.