The Society of Fighters for Freedom and Democracy ( pl, Związek Bojowników o Wolność i Demokrację, ZBoWiD) was an official

Polish 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 ...

state-controlled veterans association in the People's Republic of Poland. Initially headed by Franciszek Jóźwiak, it was formed on September 2, 1949 out of 11 pre-existing veterans associations. In its early period, and especially during the Stalinist years, the organization was formed mostly of former veterans of the Soviet-sponsored

Polish People's Army The Polish People's Army ( pl, Ludowe Wojsko Polskie , LWP) constituted the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East in 1943–1945, and in 1945–1989 the armed forces of the Polish communist state ( from 1952, the Polish Pe ...

, communist partisans and former

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

inmates. However, with the advent of a partial political thaw in the 1960s it also started accepting the veterans of other Polish formations that had fought in

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 opposing ...

. Directly subordinate to the party, the society held an important place within the Polish governmental structure: it was the only authority certifying veterans' and combatants' rights and privileges in Poland. In 1970 the ZBoWiD had roughly 330,000 members, in 1986 almost 800,000. Among its leaders were

Mieczysław Moczar Mieczysław Moczar (; birth name Mikołaj Diomko, pseudonym ''Mietek'', 23 December 1913 in – 1 November 1986) was a Polish communist politician who played a prominent role in the history of the Polish People's Republic. He is most known for hi ...

and

Włodzimierz Sokorski Włodzimierz Sokorski (2 July 1908, Oleksandrivsk – 2 May 1999, Warsaw) was a Polish communist official, writer, military journalist and a brigadier general in the People's Republic of Poland. He was the Minister of Culture and Art responsible ...

. In April 1990, ZBoWiD was reformed into the '' Związek Kombatantów RP i Byłych Więźniów Politycznych'' (''Society of Veterans of the Republic of Poland and Former Political Prisoners'') for members of all Polish military formations including partisan, self-defence units, and the Polish Underground State.

Bibliography

*''Nowa

Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN ''Internetowa encyklopedia PWN'' ( Polish for ''Internet PWN Encyclopedia'') is a free online Polish-language encyclopedia published by Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwow ...

'',

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i P ...

, Warszawa, 2004, * August Grabski, ''Żydowski ruch kombatancki w Polsce w latach 1944-1949'', Warszawa, 2002,

Bibliography

See also