Adam Szymon Pragier (12 December 1886 - 24 July 1976) was a Polish economist,

Doctor of Jurisprudence The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

professor at the Free Polish University, socialist activist, politician, member of the Polish Legions and writer. A minister of information and documentation in the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

in London, he upheld for the rest of his life its legal continuity in the struggle for the restoration of Poland as a

sovereign state A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...

Early life

Pragier was born into a well-to-do family of Jewish descent. His father, Stanisław, was a medical practitioner, and his mother, Józefa, was a member of the Szancer family. After home education in Warsaw, he was sent as a boarder to the prestigious

St Anne's Academy St Anne's Academy is an 11–16 mixed comprehensive academy in Middleton area of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. The school has specialist status in Teaching and Learning. The school has 800 studen ...

in Kraków, where Jozef Retinger would have been a younger contemporary and where he joined the left leaning youth organisation, "Promień". He graduated from high school in 1904 and went on to the

Jagiellonian University Medical College Jagiellonian University Medical College is the oldest medical school in Poland. The Jagiellonian University's Faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy are acclaimed as one of the largest medical academies in Poland. The school was established by King C ...

and joined the socialist "Spójna" group. He was allied to the Warsaw-based

Polish Socialist Party The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland. It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' P ...

. After a year, he transferred to the medical department of the

University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...

, where he was a member of the PPS abroad and soon became its leader. After the 1906 split in the party, he was active in the

Polish Socialist Party-Left Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

faction.

Prewar career

In 1907–1908, he was editor of the review, "Myśl Socjalistyczna" ("Socialist Thought"). Having obtained a basic medical degree to satisfy his parents, he switched to his abiding interest, political economy, and obtained his

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

at Zurich University in 1910, with a thesis in German, ''Die Produktivgenossenschaften der schweizerischen Arbeiter'' (Manufacturing Cooperatives run by Swiss Workers). In 1914, he gave the first critique in the

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In a ...

Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg (; ; pl, Róża Luksemburg or ; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary socialist, Marxist philosopher and anti-war activist. Successively, she was a member of the Proletariat party, ...

's ''

The Accumulation of Capital ''The Accumulation of Capital'' (full title: ''The Accumulation of Capital: A Contribution to an Economic Explanation of Imperialism'', ''Die Akkumulation des Kapitals: Ein Beitrag zur ökonomischen Erklärung des Imperialismus'') is the princip ...

'', published in the periodical ''Ekonomista''. When the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out, he volunteered for the Polish Legions but was discharged from service because of a heart complaint. After his convalescence, he was called up by the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...

to serve at a garrison in Ostrawa. In 1918, he became a member of the

Polish Military Organisation The Polish Military Organisation, PMO ( pl, Polska Organizacja Wojskowa, POW) was a secret military organization which formed during World War I (1914-1918). Józef Piłsudski founded the group in August 1914; it adopted the name ''POW'' in Novem ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. In April 1919, he rejoined the PPS and he became a professor at the Free Polish University. From 1922 to 1930, he was elected to the

Sejm The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...

during the first term (1922–1927), followed by re-election to the second term (1928–1930). From 1921 to 1937, he was a member of the Executive Council of the PPS. In 1930, he was arrested along with a dozen other socialist leaders and held at the

Brest Fortress Brest Fortress ( be, Брэсцкая крэпасць, '; pl, Twierdza brzeska, russian: Брестская крепость), formerly known as Brest-Litoŭsk Fortress, is a 19th-century fortress in Brest, Belarus. In 1965, the title "H ...

, as part of the

Sanation Sanation ( pl, Sanacja, ) was a Polish political movement that was created in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and came to power in the wake of that coup. In 1928 its political activists would go on ...

government's manoeuvre to clamp down on the opposition under accusations of an attempted coup. At the

Brest trials The Brest trials ( pl, Proces brzeski) were among the most famous trials conducted under the Second Polish Republic. Lasting from 26 October 1931 to 13 January 1932, they were held at the Warsaw Regional Court where leaders of the ''Centrolew'', a ...

, he was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. However, he was given the option of going into exile. From 1933 to 1935, he was exiled in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and later returned to Poland and gave himself up for incarceration, which was commuted to several months during 1935.

Invasion of Poland and exile

Following the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military operation by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west. Subse ...

in 1939, he was once again in France from where he escaped to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He participated in the formation on 30 September 1939 of the Second Wladyslaw Sikorski government to ensure the continuity of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

's authority after the internment in the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

of President

Ignacy Mościcki Ignacy Mościcki (; 1 December 18672 October 1946) was a Polish chemist and politician who was the country's president from 1926 to 1939. He was the longest serving president in Polish history. Mościcki was the President of Poland when Germany ...

and his government on 18 September 1939. From 3 November 1942 he was a member of the Polish Polish National Council, which acted in place of an elected parliament. From 1944 to 1949, he was Minister of Information in the administrations led by

Tomasz Arciszewski Tomasz Stefan Arciszewski (; 4 November 1877 – 20 November 1955) was a Polish socialist politician, a member of the Polish Socialist Party and the 31st Prime Minister of Poland, 3rd Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile in London fro ...

and by

Tadeusz Komorowski ''Tadeusz'' is a Polish first name, derived from Thaddaeus. Tadeusz may refer to: * Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski (1895–1966), Polish military leader * Tadeusz Borowski (1922–1951), Polish writer and The Holocaust survivor * Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński ...

. On the termination of President

August Zaleski August Zaleski (13 September 1883 – 7 April 1972) was a Polish economist, freemason, politician, and diplomat. Twice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, he served as President of Poland- in-exile. Life and career Aug ...

's term of office, he sided with him in opposition to the

Rada Trzech The Council of Three ( pl, Rada Trzech, ) was a collegial body created by the Polish Government in Exile in 1954 with prerogatives of the President of Poland. It consisted of three members of the government chosen by the Rada Jedności Narodowej ...

(Council of Three) and remained loyal to him to the end, in spite of their fundamental political differences. From 1941 to 1947, he was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the PPS. He was dismissed from the PPS in exile in 1946. From 1947 he was leader of the ''Union of Polish Socialists Abroad''. From 1949 to 1951, he was recalled to the Polish National Council. From 1954 to 1970, he was on the Council of the Government in exile, serving as its chairman between 1963 and 1968. He was a regular contributor to

Mieczysław Grydzewski Mieczysław Grydzewski (27 December 1894 in Warsaw – 9 January 1970 in London) was a Polish historian and journalist, founder and editor-in-chief of ''Wiadomości Literackie'' ('The Literary News') weekly. ''Wiadomości'' was continued as a majo ...

's London-based weekly, ''

Wiadomości ''Wiadomości'' (''News'', ) is the chief Polish news program produced by Telewizja Polska and broadcast on the first channel, TVP1. The main edition is transmitted daily at 7:30p.m. CET. It premiered on 18 November 1989 and succeeded the '' Dzien ...

'' (political and literary newspaper), where, together with his new life partner, art historian Stefania Zahorska, they edited the ''Puszka'' (''Pandora's Box'') section given over to commentary on world affairs. His published work was centred on international affairs, in particular east–west relations, and developments in Poland. He was a political sparring partner to

Juliusz Mieroszewski Juliusz Mieroszewski (; 2 February 1906 – 21 June 1976) was a Polish journalist, publicist and political commentator. He wrote under the pseudonyms "J. Calveley" and "Londyńczyk" (''Londoner''). He was born in Kraków. In interwar Poland he ...

, who was a columnist for the Paris-based ''

Kultura ''Kultura'' (, ''Culture'')—sometimes referred to as ''Kultura Paryska'' ("Paris-based Culture")—was a leading Polish-émigré literary-political magazine, published from 1947 to 2000 by ''Instytut Literacki'' (the Literary Institute), ini ...

''. Pragier was unwavering in his support of the legal continuity of the

, attributing to it an inalienable right for the continued struggle for the recovery of Poland's independence as a state. A 2019 Polish evaluation of his life dubbed him "the eternal dissident". He was a founding member of the

Polish Society of Arts and Sciences Abroad Polish Society of Arts and Sciences Abroad (PTNO, pl, Polskie Towarzystwo Naukowe na Obczyźnie) is a Polish learned society located in London in the Polish Social and Cultural Association building. It was established in 1948 and its aim is to rep ...

. He belonged to the Feemasons' Lodge ''Kopernik''. In his late eighties, Pragier retired to the Polish hospital in Penley, near

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, where he died in 1976. He was buried in

Hampstead Cemetery Hampstead Cemetery is a historic cemetery in West Hampstead, London, located at the upper extremity of the NW6 district. Despite the name, the cemetery is three-quarters of a mile from Hampstead Village, and bears a different postcode. It is j ...

, London.

Awards

* Wielką Wstęgą Orderu Odrodzenia Polski (1965)11 listopada 1965 „za wybitne zasługi położone dla Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej" * Medal Niepodległości

Personal life

In 1912 he married Eugenia Berke a PPS activist and after 1945 a member of the

PZPR The Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other lega ...

. After the outbreak of

WwII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the couple were in separation. They had no children.

Selected works

* ''Polish Peace Aims''. London: Max Love Publishing Co. Ltd. 1944. * ''Cele wojenne Polski'' olish peace aims pub. Nakład oddziału Kultury i Prasy. Biblioteka Orła Białego. Włochy. 1945. (in Polish) * ''La question polonaise. Interview accordée à M. Wincenty Maliniak, correspondant des journaux polonais aux États Unis''. he Polish question. An interview with Wincenty Maliniak, correspondent of the Polish press in the USA1946. (in French) * * ''Puszka Pandory'', (Pandora's Box) London 1969, pub. Polska Fundacja Kulturalna (in Polish) * ''Czas teraźniejszy'', (The Present) London 1975, pub. Polska Fundacja Kulturalna (in Polish) * ''Zarys skarbowości komunalnej''. 2 vols. n outline of communal finances original edition in 1924. Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Przemiany. 1990. (in Polish)

References

Bibliography

* ''Leksykon historii Polski'' z 1995 * Grzegorz Szturo, ''Kraj i emigracja w publicystyce Adama Pragiera: lata 1945–1956'' * ''Emigracja polska wobec problemów przebudowy i sowietyzacji kraju po drugiej wojnie światowej'': studia / pod redakcją Ryszarda Sudzińskiego. Toruń, 2007.
Profile on the Sejm Library site

External links

Adam Pragier, ''Rachuby na rewizjonizm''

Adam Pragier, ''Marks o Polsce''

Adam Pragier,'' Przewrót warszawski''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pragier, Adam 1886 births 1976 deaths University of Zurich alumni Polish socialists Polish Freemasons Writers from Warsaw People from Warsaw Governorate Government ministers of Poland Polish economists 20th-century Polish historians Polish male non-fiction writers Polish anti-communists Geopoliticians Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century Polish writers Polish columnists Polish essayists Male essayists Polish political writers Polish people of World War II Polish people of Jewish descent