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Karol Michał Popiel (28 October 1887 – 6 June 1977) was a Polish
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
of the
christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...
tendency and
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
. During
World War II 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 ...
Popiel served as Minister of Justice from 1941 to 1942 and Minister for the reconstruction of public administration from 1943 to 1944 in
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 ...
. After the end of war, he was a leader of Labor Party from 1945 to 1946.


Biography

He was active in Temporary Commission of Confederated Independence Parties. During
World War I 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 ...
he fought in the Polish Legions. From 1918 to 1921 he worked in Ministers of Internal Affairs. In 1920 he was one of the founders of the
National Workers' Party The National Workers' Party ( pl, Narodowa Partia Robotnicza, NPR) was a political party in Poland. History The NPR was established in Warsaw on 23 May 1920 by a merger of the National Workers' Union and the National Party of Workers.Jerzy Jan L ...
, from 1929 to 1937 he was the president of this party. From 1922 to 1927 he was a member of 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 ...
. From 1930 he was a member of
Centrolew The ''Centrolew'' (, ''Center-Left'') was a coalition of several Polish political parties (Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie", German Socialist Labour Party of Poland, Polish People's Party "Piast", National Workers' Party, Polish Socialist Party ...
and
Front Morges The Front Morges was a political alliance of centrist political parties ( Polish Christian Democratic Party, National Workers' Party, Związek Hallerczyków) of interbellum Poland. It was founded in 1936 in the Swiss village of Morges by General ...
alliances. In the period from September to December 1930, he was imprisoned by the Sanation authorities in 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 ...
for political reasons. From 1937 to 1939 he was the vice president and in practice leader of the Labor Party. After German aggression against Poland, he went to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and later to
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 ...
, where he worked in the structures of 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 ...
. From autumn 1939 to November 1941, he was undersecretary of state in the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare. He was a supporter of the policy of general Władysław Sikorski. After the German invasion of the Soviet Union, a supporter of the normalization of Polish-
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
relations. From October 1941 to January 1942, he served as minister of justice. From January 1942 to July 1943, he served as
minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...
and from July 1943 to November 1944, he served as minister of reconstruction of public administration. In the summer of 1945 he returned to Poland. Until 1946, he was a leader of Labor Party. From December 1945 to March 1946, he was a member of the
State National Council Krajowa Rada Narodowa in Polish (translated as State National Council or Homeland National Council, abbreviated to KRN) was a parliament-like political body created during the later stages of World War II in German-occupied Warsaw, Poland. It was ...
. In November 1947 he went to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Later he stayed 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 ...
. From 1962 he lived in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
. In exile, he sought recognition by
Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...
an countries of the Poland-German border on the Oder and Lusatian Neisse. He devoted himself to writing books. Publications issued in exile in
Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
due to
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
were not published until the 1980s. He was buried at Powązki Cemetery in
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
.


Awards

* Commander's Cross with Star of the
Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...
(1946)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Popiel, Karol 1887 births 1977 deaths People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria National Workers' Union (Poland) politicians National Workers' Party politicians Labor Party (Stronnictwo Pracy) politicians Government ministers of Poland Members of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic (1922–1927) Members of the State National Council Polish legionnaires (World War I) Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta