The Puławians, or the Puławy faction (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

: ''Puławianie'', ''frakcja puławska''), as they came to be informally dubbed, comprised one of two principal communist groupings in Stalinist Poland which – in the spring of 1956, following the death of

Bolesław Bierut Bolesław Bierut (; 18 April 1892 – 12 March 1956) was a Polish communist activist and politician, leader of History of Poland (1945–1989), communist-ruled Poland from 1947 until 1956. He was President of the State National Council from 1944 ...

– vied for power within the leadership of the

Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), 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 legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...

(the ''

PZPR The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), 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 legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...

''). The Puławians were known, during Poland's

destalinization De-Stalinization () comprised a series of political reforms in the Soviet Union after the death of long-time leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, and the thaw brought about by ascension of Nikita Khrushchev to power, and his 1956 secret speech "On t ...

process, as reformists. The other – a hardliner – grouping were dubbed the

Natolinians The Natolinians, or the Natolinian faction (Polish language, Polish: ''Natolińczycy'', ''frakcja natolińska''), were a grouping within the leadership of the communist Polish United Workers' Party (the ''PZPR''). Formed around 1956, shortly after ...

(''Natolińczycy''), or the Natolin faction. The Puławy faction included many communists of Jewish extraction Among the most prominent were Roman Zambrowski and

Leon Kasman Leon Kasman, pseudonyms "Adam," "Bolek," "Janowski," "Zygmunt" (born 28 October 1905 in Łódź; died 12 July 1984 in Warsaw) was a Polish communist journalist and politician of Jewish descent. Head of the propaganda and agitation department of th ...

. Others included

Stefan Staszewski Stefan Staszewski, born Gustaw Szusterman also known as Gustaw Szuster (13 November 1906 – 2 November 1989), was a Polish communist politician of Jewish origin who was born and died in Warsaw. An activist in the communist movement from the age ...

and

Adam Schaff Adam Schaff (10 March 1913 – 12 November 2006) was a Polish Marxist philosopher. Life Of Jewish origin, Schaff was born in Lemberg (Lwow, Lviv) into a lawyer's family. Schaff studied economics at the ''Ecole des Sciences Politiques et Eco ...

. However, the Puławians also included prominent party and state functionaries of Polish ethnicity such as

Edward Gierek Edward Gierek (; 6 January 1913 – 29 July 2001) was a Polish communist politician who served as the '' de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic between 1970 and 1980. Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as the First Secretary of the ...

, Piotr Jaroszewicz,

Henryk Jabłoński Henryk Jan Jabłoński (; 27 December 1909 – 27 January 2003) was a Polish historian and politician. After 1948, he became a politician of the ruling Polish United Workers' Party, as well as a historian and professor at Warsaw University. He s ...

Mieczysław Rakowski Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski ( Polish: ; 1 December 1926 – 8 November 2008) was a Polish communist politician, historian and journalist who was Prime Minister of Poland from 1988 to 1989. He served as the seventh and final First Secretary o ...

, Andrzej Werblan, Janusz Zarzycki, Władysław Matwin,

Adam Rapacki Adam Rapacki (24 December 1909 – 10 October 1970) was a leading Polish Communist politician and diplomat from 1947 to 1968. He started in the socialist movement but in 1948 joined the Central Committee of the new Polish United Workers' Party ...

and

Oskar Lange Oskar Ryszard Lange (; 27 July 1904 – 2 October 1965) was a Polish economics, economist and diplomat. He is best known for advocating the use of market (economics), market pricing tools in socialism, socialist systems and providing a model of m ...

. The name "Puławy faction" came from the addresses of the

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

apartment buildings at Puławska Street 24 and 26, which had survived the Germans'

planned destruction of Warsaw The destruction of Warsaw was Nazi Germany's razing of the city in late 1944, after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising of the Polish resistance. The uprising infuriated German leaders, who decided to destroy the city in retaliation. The razing of the ci ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The apartments were occupied mainly by high communist party officials, including supporters of the Puławy Street faction. The Natolin Palace faction called them, by an uncomplimentary version of the word, “the Jews.” Witold Jedlicki describes the struggle between the Natolinians and Puławians in his ''Simpletons and Yids''. (''Chamy i Żydy'') Some children of Puławians would later be involved in Poland's March 1968 political crisis.

References

1950s in Poland 1960s in Poland Polish United Workers' Party 20th-century Polish Jews Communism in Poland Jewish socialists History of the Jews in the Polish People's Republic {{Poland-hist-stub

See also

References