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{{short description|none}}
'''History of censorship in Poland''' is a topic that spans the period of late 15th to late 20th centuries.
{{Censorship by country}}
'''Censorship in Poland''' was first recorded in the 15th century, and [[Censorship in Communist Poland|it was most notable during the Communist period]] in the 20th century.


== Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ==
== Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ==
The [[history of censorship]] in [[Poland]] dates to the late 15th or the first half of the 16th century. The first recorded incident of censorship in the [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Kingdom of Poland]] dates back to the late 15th century and relates to a complaint by Szwajpolt Fioł (a Franconian from Neustadt living in [[Kraków]]) against a Polish bishop who prohibited a printer from publishing liturgical books in [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] script. Fioł lost the case and was sentenced to prison, becoming the first known victim of censorship in Poland. In 1519, parts of the book [[Chronica Polonorum (1519)|''Chronica Polonorum'']] by [[Maciej Miechowita]], critical of the ruling [[Jagiellonian dynasty]], was cut, making it the first known Polish book to be subject to censorship. A 1523 decree of king [[Zygmunt I Stary]] has been described as the first law regarding censorship in Poland. Together with a series of further edicts by [[Sigismund II Augustus|Sigmismund August]], it prohibited the import and even reading of many books related to the [[Reformation]]. A 1579 edict of king [[Stephen Báthory|Stefan Batory]] introduced the idea of wartime censorship in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], prohibiting the distribution of information on military actions. In the 17th century, Poland saw the publication and adoption of the first Polish editions of the [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum]] (1601, 1603, 1617), which among others banned the books of [[Erasmus of Rotterdam]], [[Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski]], [[Copernicus]], [[Stanisław Sarnicki]], [[Jan Łaski]], as well as some other satires ([[Literatura sowizdrzalska|pl:Literatura sowizdrzalska]]). Extensive internal censorship was also used by the [[Catholic Church in Poland|Roman Catholic Church in Poland]], as well as by other denominations in Poland, including the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and the [[Orthodox]] Churches as well as by the [[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish Jews]]. Outside the religious sphere, several Royal decrees from the 17th century explicitly prohibited distribution of several texts, mainly those critical of the royalty. Occasional regulations in this matter were also issued by the local municipal governments.<ref name="Augustyniak2008">{{cite book|author=Urszula Augustyniak|title=Historia Polski, 1572-1795|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdEsAQAAIAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Wydawn. Naukowe PWN|isbn=978-83-01-15592-6|page=413}}</ref><ref name="Buchwald-Pelcowa1997">{{cite book|author=Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8AsAAAAMAAJ|title=Censorship in ancient Poland|publisher=Wydawn. SBP|year=1997|isbn=978-83-85778-80-6|page=20}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Głażewski|first=Jacek|date=2004|title=Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa: Cenzura w dawnej Polsce. Między prasą drukarską a stosem, Warszawa 1997|url=https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/show-content/publication/edition/56982?id=56982|journal=Napis|volume=|pages=|via=}}</ref>
The history of censorship in [[Poland]] dates to the late 15th<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017">{{cite book|author1=Jacek Sobczak|author2=Jedrzej Skrzypczak|author3=Ksenia Kakareko|title=Media Law in the time of liquid modernity: Hot Topics in the European and Polish Media Law|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWVNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|date=14 February 2017|publisher=Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH|isbn=978-3-8325-4428-7|pages=9–11}}</ref> or the first half of the 16th century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Przegląd prawa i administracji|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QExIAAAAMAAJ|year=2005|publisher=Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe|page=121|quote=Historia cenzury na ziemiach polskich sięga pierwszej połowy XVI w. }}</ref> The first recorded incident dates to the late 15th century in the [[Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)|Kingdom of Poland]] related to a complaint by Szwajpolt Fioł (a Franconian from Neustadt living in Krakow) against a Polish bishop who forbade a printer in Kraków from printing liturgical books in [[Cyrillic script]]; Fioł lost the case and was sentenced to prison, becoming the first known victim of censorship in Poland.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Nycz|first=Ryszard|date=2016|title=Polish Literature in the Shadow of Censorship. A Lecture|url=https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/83924/edition/64448|journal=Teksty Drugie|volume=2|pages=84–104}}</ref> In 1519 sections of the book ''[[Chronica Polonorum (1519)|Chronica Polonorum]]'' by [[Maciej Miechowita]], critical of the ruling [[Jagiellonian dynasty]], were censored, making it in turn the first known Polish work to be subject to cuts by censors.<ref name=":3" /> A decree of king [[Zygmunt I Stary]] of 1523 has been called the first law about censorship in Poland.<ref name="Augustyniak2008"/> Together with a series of further edicts by [[Sigismund II Augustus|Sigmismund August]] it prohibited the import and even reading of a number of books related to the [[Reformation]].<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/> An edict of [[Stephen Báthory|Stefan Batory]] of 1579 in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]] introduced the idea of wartime censorship, prohibiting distributing information on military actions.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/> In the 17th century Poland saw the publication and adoption of the first Polish editions of the [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum]] (1601, 1603, 1617), which among others banned the books of [[Erasmus of Rotterdam]], [[Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski]], [[Copernicus]], [[Stanisław Sarnicki]], [[Jan Łaski]], as well as some other satires ([[:pl:Literatura sowizdrzalska]]).<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/><ref name="Augustyniak2008"/> Extensive internal censorship was also used by the [[Catholic Church in Poland|Roman Catholic Church in Poland]], as well as by other denominations in Poland, including the [[Protestantism|Protestant]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] Churches as well as by the [[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish Jews]].<ref name="Augustyniak2008" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Głażewski|first=Jacek|date=2004|title=Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa: Cenzura w dawnej Polsce. Między prasą drukarską a stosem, Warszawa 1997|url=https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/show-content/publication/edition/56982?id=56982|journal=Napis}}</ref> Outside the religious sphere, several royal decrees from the 17th century explicitly prohibited distribution of several texts, mainly those critical of the royalty; occasional regulations in this matter were also issued by the local municipal governments.<ref name="Augustyniak2008">{{cite book|author=Urszula Augustyniak|title=Historia Polski, 1572–1795|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DdEsAQAAIAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Wydawn. Naukowe PWN|isbn=978-83-01-15592-6|page=413}}</ref><ref name="Buchwald-Pelcowa1997" /><ref name=":0" />


The idea of [[freedom of speech]] was in general highly respected by the Polish elites and established in the [[Golden Freedoms]] of the [[Polish nobility]], and it was one of the key dimensions distinguishing the Commonwealth from he more restrictive [[absolute monarchies]], common in contemporary Europe. Only the banning of books that attacked the [[Catholic Church|Catholic faith]] was relatively uncontroversial and attempts to ban other types of works often lead to heated debates. In the last century or so of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the issue of censorship was therefore occasionally debated by Polish [[Sejm]] and regional [[Sejmik|sejmiks]], usually with regards to individual works or authors, whom some deputies either defended or criticized. There were several lawsuits about individual books, and some books were judged and sometimes ordered to be destroyed [[Book burning|by burning]]. Since there was no overall law regarding the censorship, there were often disputes about jurisdiction in this matter between the bishops, the state officials and the [[Jagiellonian University]].
The idea of [[freedom of speech]] was in general highly valued by the [[Polish nobility]],<ref name="Lukavski2013">{{cite book|author=Jerzy Tadeusz Lukavski|title=Libertys Folly:Polish Lithuan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_KzUJyR0BcC&pg=PA11|date=17 June 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-10364-3|page=11}}</ref><ref name="Pietrzyk-Reeves2020">{{cite book|author=Dorota Pietrzyk-Reeves|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-XzUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA47|title=Polish Republican Discourse in the Sixteenth Century|date=9 April 2020|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-108-49323-9|page=47}}</ref> and it was one of the key dimensions distinguishing the Commonwealth from the more restrictive [[absolute monarchies]], common in contemporary Europe.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/> Only the banning of books that attacked the [[Catholic Church|Catholic faith]] was relatively uncontroversial, and attempts to ban other types of works often led to heated debates.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/><ref name="Augustyniak2008"/><ref name="Buchwald-Pelcowa1997"/> In the last century or so of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the issue of censorship was therefore occasionally debated by Polish [[Sejm]] and regional [[sejmik]]s, usually with regards to individual works or authors, whom some deputies either defended or criticized. There were a number of lawsuits concerning individual books, and some titles were judged and sometimes doomed to be destroyed [[Book burning|by burning]].<ref name="Augustyniak2008"/><ref name="Buchwald-Pelcowa1997"/> Since there was no overall law about the censorship, there were often disputes about jurisdiction in this matter between the bishops, the state officials and the [[Jagiellonian University]].<ref name="Buchwald-Pelcowa1997">{{cite book|author=Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa|title=Censorship in ancient Poland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_8AsAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Wydawn. SBP|isbn=978-83-85778-80-6|page=20}}</ref> Some country-wide laws related to censorship would be eventually discussed and passed in the Sejm in the last years of the Commonwealth's existence.<ref name="Augustyniak2008"/> In particular, the [[Constitution of May 3]], 1791, while it did not address the topics of freedom of press or censorship directly, it guaranteed the freedom of speech in its Article 11 of the "Cardinal and Inviolate Rights".<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/><ref name=":3" />

In the last years of the Commonwealth's existence, some country-wide laws related to censorship would be eventually addressed and passed by Sejm. In particular, the 1791 [[Constitution of May 3|Constitution of May 3rd]], while did not address the topics of freedom of press or censorship directly, it guaranteed the freedom of speech in its Article 11 of the "Cardinal and Inviolate Rights".<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017">{{cite book|author1=Jacek Sobczak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NWVNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|title=Media Law in the time of liquid modernity: Hot Topics in the European and Polish Media Law|author2=Jedrzej Skrzypczak|author3=Ksenia Kakareko|date=14 February 2017|publisher=Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH|isbn=978-3-8325-4428-7|pages=9-11}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Nycz|first=Ryszard|date=2016|title=Polish Literature in the Shadow of Censorship. A Lecture|url=https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/83924/edition/64448|journal=Teksty Drugie|volume=2|pages=84-104|via=}}</ref>


== Partitions ==
== Partitions ==
Following the [[partitions of Poland]], which ended the existence of the independent Polish state in 1795, censorship was in force on the annexed Polish lands, as the codes of occupying states generally contained severe censorship laws.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Ohles |first=Frederik |year=2001 |title=Germany: The French Occupation (1806–14) and the German Confederation (1815–71) |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Derek |encyclopedia=Censorship: A World Encyclopedia |volume=2, E - K |location=London |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gDqsCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA920&lpg=PA920 920–922] |isbn=978-1-57958-135-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Stark |first=Gary D. |year=2001 |title=Germany: The German Empire, (1871–1916) |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Derek |encyclopedia=Censorship: A World Encyclopedia |volume=2, E - K |location=London |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gDqsCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA920&lpg=PA922 922–924] |isbn=978-1-57958-135-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Keyserlingk |first=Robert H. |year=1967 |title=Bismarck and the Press: The Example of the National Liberals |journal=Historical Papers Presented at the Annual Meeting, Canadian Historical Association |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=198–215, page 208 |doi=10.7202/030678ar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Przybyła|first=Zbigniew|date=1995|title=Cenzura w Przywiślańskim Kraju|trans-title=Censorship in the Vistula Land|url=https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/73387/edition/68025|journal=Teksty Drugie|language=pl|volume=6|pages=82-86|via=}}</ref> Out of the three regimes, the Russian censorship is considered to have been the most harsh.<ref name=":3" /> During some periods, the censorship was so invasive that even the usage of words Poland or Polish was not allowed.<ref name=":3" />
Following the [[partitions of Poland]], which ended the existence of the independent Polish state in 1795, censorship was in force on the annexed Polish lands, as the codes of occupying states generally contained severe censorship laws.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Ohles |first=Frederik |year=2001 |title=Germany: The French Occupation (1806–14) and the German Confederation (1815–71) |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Derek |encyclopedia=Censorship: A World Encyclopedia |volume=2, E – K |location=London |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gDqsCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA920 920–922] |isbn=978-1-57958-135-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Stark |first=Gary D. |year=2001 |title=Germany: The German Empire, (1871–1916) |editor-last=Jones |editor-first=Derek |encyclopedia=Censorship: A World Encyclopedia |volume=2, E - K |location=London |publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=gDqsCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA920 922–924] |isbn=978-1-57958-135-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Keyserlingk |first=Robert H. |year=1967 |title=Bismarck and the Press: The Example of the National Liberals |journal=Historical Papers Presented at the Annual Meeting, Canadian Historical Association |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=198–215, page 208 |doi=10.7202/030678ar|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Przybyła|first=Zbigniew|date=1995|title=Cenzura w Przywiślańskim Kraju|trans-title=Censorship in the Vistula Land|url=https://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/73387/edition/68025|journal=Teksty Drugie|language=pl|volume=6|pages=82–86}}</ref> Out of the three regimes, the Russian censorship was the harshest.<ref name=":3" /> During some periods, the censorship was so invasive that even the usage of words [[Poland]] or Polish was not allowed.<ref name=":3" />
{{main|Censorship in the Russian Empire|History of Austria|Censorship in Germany#German Empire (1871–1918)}}
{{main|Censorship in the Russian Empire|History of Austria|Censorship in Germany#German Empire (1871–1918)}}


== Second Polish Republic ==
== Second Polish Republic ==
Following Poland regaining independence in 1918, the cabinet of [[Jędrzej Moraczewski]] who served as the first Prime Minister of the [[Second Polish Republic]] between November 1918 and January 1919 removed preventive censorship, abolishing a number of laws inherited from the partition period, and replacing them with ones more supportive of the freedom of the press. New [[press law]]s were issued in February 7, 1919, introducing press regulation system and giving the government control over printing houses.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /> In 1920 during the [[Polish–Soviet War|Polish-Soviet war]], information about the war was required government's approval. <ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Cenzura w Polsce Ludowej: propaganda, manipulacja, destrukcja|url=http://knm.uksw.edu.pl/cenzura-w-polsce-ludowej-propaganda-manipulacja-destrukcja/|last=Łęcicki|first=Grzegorz|last2=UKSW|first2=|date=2015|website=Kwartalnik Nauk o Mediach|language=pl-PL|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-05-30|last3=|last4=|last5=|first5=}}</ref> The March Constitution of 1921 confirmed the freedom of speech, and explicitly abolished any preventive censorship and concession system. <ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" />
Following Poland regaining independence in 1918, the cabinet of [[Jędrzej Moraczewski]] who served as the first Prime Minister of the [[Second Polish Republic]] between November 1918 and January 1919 removed preventive censorship, abolishing a number of laws inherited from the partition period, and replacing them with ones more supportive of the freedom of press. New [[press laws]] were issued on 7 February 1919, introducing press regulation system and giving the government control over printing houses.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /> In 1920 during the [[Polish–Soviet War|Polish-Soviet war]], information about the war was required government's approval.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Cenzura w Polsce Ludowej: propaganda, manipulacja, destrukcja|url=http://knm.uksw.edu.pl/cenzura-w-polsce-ludowej-propaganda-manipulacja-destrukcja/|last1=Łęcicki|first1=Grzegorz|last2=UKSW|date=2015|website=Kwartalnik Nauk o Mediach|language=pl-PL|access-date=2020-05-30|archive-date=2022-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202102020/http://knm.uksw.edu.pl/cenzura-w-polsce-ludowej-propaganda-manipulacja-destrukcja/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The March Constitution of 1921 confirmed the freedom of speech, and explicitly abolished any preventive censorship and concession system.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" />


Following the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup]] of 1926 censorship targeting opposition press and publications intensified.<ref name=":2" /> In practice, Second Polish Republic has been described as having "mild censorship". The censorship was carried by the Ministry of Interior. Printing presses had to provide an advance copy to the Ministry, which could order the publication to be stopped. The publishers were allowed to dispute the Ministry decision in the courts. Newspapers were allowed to indicate that they were subject to censorship by publishing blank spaces. It was common for publishers to skirt the law, for example by delaying the sending of the first copy of a book to the Ministry, which meant that many controversial books were sold in the bookstores before the Ministry censors made their decision.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Strządała|first=Gaweł|date=2012|title=Cenzura w Polskiej Rzeczpospolitej Ludowe|url=|journal=Ante Portas. Studia nad bezpieczeństwem|volume=1|pages=31-46|via=}}</ref> The [[April Constitution]] of 1935 did not discuss the freedom of press issue, which has been seen as a step backwards in the issues related to censorship, and a 1938 Press Law decree of 1938 introduced a provision which allowed Ministry of Internal Affairs to prevent the distribution of foreign titles.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /><ref name=":2" /> 1939 saw controversial arrest of a publisher and journalist [[Stanisław Mackiewicz]].<ref name=":2" />
Following the [[May Coup (Poland)|May Coup]] of 1926 censorship targeting opposition press and publications intensified.<ref name=":2" /> In practice, Second Polish Republic has been described as having "mild censorship". The censorship was carried by the Ministry of Interior. Printing presses had to provide an advance copy to the Ministry, which could order the publication to be stopped. The publishers were allowed to dispute the Ministry decision in the courts. Newspapers were allowed to indicate that they were subject to censorship by publishing blank spaces. It was common for publishers to skirt the law, for example by delaying the sending of the first copy of a book to the Ministry, which meant that many controversial books were sold in the bookstores before the Ministry censors made their decision.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Strządała|first=Gaweł|date=2012|title=Cenzura w Polskiej Rzeczpospolitej Ludowej|url=http://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media//files/Ante_Portas_Studia_nad_bezpieczenstwem/Ante_Portas_Studia_nad_bezpieczenstwem-r2012-t-n1/Ante_Portas_Studia_nad_bezpieczenstwem-r2012-t-n1-s31-46/Ante_Portas_Studia_nad_bezpieczenstwem-r2012-t-n1-s31-46.pdf|journal=Ante Portas. Studia nad bezpieczeństwem|volume=1|pages=31–46}}</ref> The [[April Constitution]] of 1935 did not discuss the freedom of press issue, which has been seen as a step backwards in the issues related to censorship, and a Press Law decree of 1938 introduced a provision which allowed Ministry of Internal Affairs to prevent the distribution of foreign titles.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /><ref name=":2" /> 1939 saw the controversial arrest of a publisher and journalist [[Stanisław Mackiewicz]].<ref name=":2" />


In the Second Polish Republic, censorship was often employed "in defense of decency" against writers whose works were considered "immoral" or "disturbing the social order.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Zakazane książki- cenzura w dwudziestoleciu międzywojennym (1918-1939) - Leksykon - Teatr NN|url=http://teatrnn.pl/leksykon/artykuly/zakazane-ksiazki-cenzura-w-dwudziestoleciu-miedzywojennym-1918-1939/|website=teatrnn.pl|language=pl|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref> Polish historian {{ill|Ryszard Nycz|pl|Ryszard Nycz}} described the censorship of that time as "focused primarily on anarchists, leftists, and Communist sympathizers among the avant-garde writers".<ref name=":3" /> Polish writers whose works were censored included [[Antoni Słonimski]], [[Julian Tuwim]], [[Józef Łobodowski]], [[Bruno Jasieński]], [[Anatol Stern]], [[Aleksander Wat]], [[Tadeusz Peiper]] and {{ill|Marian Czuchnowski|pl|Marian Czuchnowski}}.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> [[Film censorship]] (focused on ensuring decency) has been described as extensive, as the law prohibited not only pornographic films but also films showing content that "generally violates codes of morality and law", a formulation that has been used to justify a number controversial decisions, and according to its critics, made the film censors equal in power to the film directors. The director of the Central Film Bureau within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, colonel {{ill|Leon Łuskino|pl|Leon Łuskino}}, has been described as the "terror of the film-makers".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zakazane pocałunki|url=https://www.newsweek.pl/wiedza/historia/cenzura-w-drugiej-rzeczypospolitej/6xrfplf|website=Newsweek.pl|language=pl|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Zakazane pocałunki. Cenzura filmów w przedwojennej Polsce|url=https://ciekawostkihistoryczne.pl/2015/04/19/zakazane-pocalunki-cenzura-filmow-w-przedwojennej-polsce/|website=CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl|language=pl-PL|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref>
In the Second Polish Republic, censorship was often employed "in defense of decency" against writers whose works were considered "immoral" or "disturbing the social order.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Zakazane książki- cenzura w dwudziestoleciu międzywojennym (1918–1939) – Leksykon – Teatr NN|url=http://teatrnn.pl/leksykon/artykuly/zakazane-ksiazki-cenzura-w-dwudziestoleciu-miedzywojennym-1918-1939/|website=teatrnn.pl|language=pl|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref> Polish historian {{ill|Ryszard Nycz|pl|Ryszard Nycz}} described the censorship of that time as "focused primarily on anarchists, leftists, and Communist sympathizers among the avant-garde writers".<ref name=":3" /> Polish writers whose works were censored included [[Antoni Słonimski]], [[Julian Tuwim]], [[Józef Łobodowski]], [[Bruno Jasieński]], [[Anatol Stern]], [[Aleksander Wat]], [[Tadeusz Peiper]] and {{ill|Marian Czuchnowski|pl|Marian Czuchnowski}}.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> [[Film censorship]] (focused on ensuring decency) has been described as extensive, as the law prohibited not only pornographic films but also films showing content that "generally violates codes of morality and law", a formulation that has been used to justify a number of controversial decisions, and according to its critics, made the film censors equal in power to the film directors. The director of the Central Film Bureau within the [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Poland)|Ministry of Internal Affairs]], colonel {{ill|Leon Łuskino|pl|Leon Łuskino}}, has been described as the "terror of the film-makers".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Zakazane pocałunki|url=https://www.newsweek.pl/wiedza/historia/cenzura-w-drugiej-rzeczypospolitej/6xrfplf|website=Newsweek.pl|language=pl|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Zakazane pocałunki. Cenzura filmów w przedwojennej Polsce|url=https://ciekawostkihistoryczne.pl/2015/04/19/zakazane-pocalunki-cenzura-filmow-w-przedwojennej-polsce/|website=CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl|language=pl-PL|access-date=2020-05-30}}</ref>

== World War II ==
Following the [[Germany]] and [[Soviet occupation]] of Poland in 1939, the occupying powers once again introduced significant levels of censorship to Polish territories. The Germans prohibited publication of any regular Polish-language book, literary study or scholarly paper.<ref name="KnuthEnglish2003">{{cite book|author1=Rebecca Knuth|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d1deR-jiYJgC&pg=PA86|title=Libricide: The Regime-sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century|author2=John English|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2003|isbn=978-0-275-98088-7|pages=86–89}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=POLISH MINISTRY OF INFORMATION|date=1945|title=THE GERMAN KULTUR IN POLAND|url=http://halat.pl/the_German_Kultur_in_Poland.html|access-date=2020-06-02|publisher=HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE LONDON}}</ref>

Censorship at first targeted books that were considered to be "serious", including scientific and educational texts and texts that were thought to promote Polish patriotism; only fiction that was free of anti-German overtones was permitted. Banned literature included maps, atlases and [[English language|English]]- and [[French language|French-language]] publications, including dictionaries. Several non-public indexes of prohibited books were created, and over 1,500&nbsp;Polish writers were declared "dangerous to the German state and culture". The index of [[List of authors banned during the Third Reich|banned authors]] included such Polish authors as [[Adam Mickiewicz]], [[Juliusz Słowacki]], [[Stanisław Wyspiański]], [[Bolesław Prus]], [[Stefan Żeromski]], [[Józef Ignacy Kraszewski]], [[Władysław Reymont]], [[Stanisław Wyspiański]], [[Julian Tuwim]], [[Kornel Makuszyński]], [[Leopold Staff]], [[Eliza Orzeszkowa]] and [[Maria Konopnicka]]. Mere possession of such books was illegal and punishable by imprisonment. Door-to-door sale of books was banned, and bookstores—which required a license to operate—were either emptied out or closed. The press was reduced from over 2,000&nbsp;publications to a few dozen, all censored by the Germans.<ref name="Czocher">{{cite journal|last=Czocher|first=Anna|year=2005|title=Jawne polskie życie kulturalne w okupowanym Krakowie 1939–1945 w świetle wspomnień ["Open Polish Cultural Life in Occupied Kraków, 1939–1945, in the Light of Memoirs"]|journal=Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość [Remembrance and Justice]|language=pl|volume=7|issue=1|pages=227–252}}</ref><ref name="Madajdczyk">{{citation|last=Madajczyk|first=Czesław|title=Polityka III Rzeszy w okupowanej Polsce, Tom II (Politics of the Third Reich in Occupied Poland, Part Two)|pages=124–126|year=1970|publisher=Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe|language=pl|author-link=Czesław Madajczyk}}</ref><ref name="Salm">{{citation|last=Salmonowicz|first=Stanisław|title=Polskie Państwo Podziemne (Polish Underground State)|pages=179, 204, 269–273|year=1994|location=Warszawa|publisher=Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne|language=pl|isbn=83-02-05500-X|author-link=Stanisław Salmonowicz}}</ref>


== People's Republic of Poland ==
== People's Republic of Poland ==
{{main|Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland}}
{{main|Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland}}
Following the [[History of Poland (1945–1989)|communist takeover of Poland]], the ''{{ill|Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Shows|pl|Główny Urząd Kontroli Prasy, Publikacji i Widowisk}}'' (''Główny Urząd Kontroli Prasy, Publikacji i Widowisk'', GUKPiW) was established in the [[Polish People's Republic|People's Republic of Poland]] on July 5, 1946. All publications and spectacles had to receive prior approval and the censors had the power to cancel any media publishing or broadcasting licenses. The press laws were subject to major revisions in 1984 and 1989.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/> Communist era censorship targeted topics associated with Soviet repression against Polish citizens, works critical of communism or labeled as subversive, and much of the contemporary émigré literature.<ref name=":3" />
Following the [[History of Poland (1945–1989)|communist takeover of Poland]], the ''{{ill|Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Performances|pl|Główny Urząd Kontroli Prasy, Publikacji i Widowisk}}'' (''Główny Urząd Kontroli Prasy, Publikacji i Widowisk'', GUKPiW) was established in the [[Polish People's Republic|People's Republic of Poland]] on 5 July 1946<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" /> although it traced its origins to the organs established by [[Polish Committee of National Liberation|the provisional Polish communist authorities]] in 1944.<ref name="Cook2001" /> Censorship affected all forms of media: print, television, radio and all kinds of performances.<ref name="Cook2001" /> All publications and spectacles had to receive prior approval from GUKPiW, and it also had the right to annul any media publishing or broadcasting licenses. The press laws were subject to major revisions in 1984 and 1989.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/> Communist era censorship targeted topics associated  with Soviet repression against Polish citizens, works critical of communism or labeled as subversive, and much of the contemporary émigré literature.<ref name=":3" /> As elsewhere in the Soviet Bloc, the censorship was seen as enforcing the party line of the communist party.<ref name="Müller2004">{{cite book|last=Bates|first=John M.|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eW0Zrxp07HAC&pg=PA141|title=Censorship & Cultural Regulation in the Modern Age|publisher=Rodopi|year=2004|isbn=90-420-0988-8|editor=Beate Müller|page=141|chapter=From State Monopoly to a Free Market of Ideas? Censorship in Poland, 1976-1989}}</ref><ref name="Cook2001">{{cite book|author=Bernard A. Cook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hafLHZgZtt4C&pg=PA991|title=Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8153-4058-4|pages=991–992}}</ref>


The controls were particularly severe during the early years of the communist period ("the Stalin era").<ref name=":3" /> During that time, censorship meant not only policing content, as even refusal to print government-endorsed texts could have severe consequences, as evidenced by an incident in 1953 when the weekly ''[[Tygodnik Powszechny]]'' was temporarily closed and lost its printing house after it refused to print the obituary of [[Joseph Stalin]].<ref name="Frieberg">{{cite thesis|last=Frieberg|first=Annika|date=May 2008|title=The Project of Reconciliation: Journalists and religious activists in Polish -German relations, 1956–1972|type=Disertation|chapter=II|publisher=[[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]|page=54|url=https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/304536990.html?FMT=ABS|isbn=978-0-549-53566-9|doi=10.17615/9q1a-pd95|language=English|format=PDF|access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
The controls were particularly severe during the early years of the communist period (i.e., during the [[Stalinism in Poland|Stalinist era in Poland]]).<ref name=":3" /> During that time, censorship meant not only policing content, as even refusal to print government-endorsed texts could have severe consequences, as evidenced by an incident in 1953 when the weekly ''[[Tygodnik Powszechny]]'' was temporarily closed and lost its printing house after it refused to print the obituary of [[Joseph Stalin]].<ref name="Frieberg">{{cite thesis|last=Frieberg|first=Annika|date=May 2008|title=The Project of Reconciliation: Journalists and religious activists in Polish -German relations, 1956–1972|type=Dissertation|chapter=II|publisher=[[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]|page=54|chapter-url=https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/304536990.html?FMT=ABS|isbn=978-0-549-53566-9|doi=10.17615/9q1a-pd95|language=en|chapter-format=PDF|access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=":3" />


The censorship law was eliminated after the fall of communism in Poland, by the Polish Sejm on 11 April 1990 and the GUKPiW was closed two months later.<ref name="Dudek2020">{{cite book|author=Antoni Dudek|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O23IDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT337|title=Od Mazowieckiego do Suchockiej|date=7 January 2020|publisher=Otwarte|isbn=978-83-240-5659-0|page=337}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Cenzura|url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/cenzura|website=dzieje.pl|language=pl|access-date=2020-05-28}}</ref>
The censorship law was eliminated after the fall of communism in Poland, by the Polish Sejm on 11 April 1990 and the GUKPiW was closed two months later.<ref name="Dudek2020">{{cite book|author=Antoni Dudek|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O23IDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT337|title=Od Mazowieckiego do Suchockiej|date=7 January 2020|publisher=Otwarte|isbn=978-83-240-5659-0|page=337}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Cenzura|url=https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/cenzura|website=dzieje.pl|language=pl|access-date=2020-05-28}}</ref> The closing of the GUKPiW has been described as "the formal and legal fact of lifting censorship [in Poland]"<ref name="Cornis-PopeNeubauer2007">{{cite book|last=Bolecki|first=Włodzimierz|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=taw6AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA135|title=History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries. Volume III: The making and remaking of literary institutions|date=18 July 2007|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company|isbn=978-90-272-9235-3|editor1=Marcel Cornis-Pope|page=135|chapter=Getting around Polish censorship: 1968-98|editor2=John Neubauer}}</ref> and the year 1990 has been said to have seen the "definite elimination" of censorship in Poland.<ref name="Cook2001" />


== Third Polish Republic ==
== Third Polish Republic ==
The freedom of the press is guaranteed in both the modern [[Constitution of Poland]] (1997) and in the revised press law. Another article of the Constitution explicitly prevents preventive censorship, although it does not prohibit post-publishing repressive censorship which in theory might be not incompatible with the modern Polish law.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/>
The freedom of the press is guaranteed in both the modern [[Constitution of Poland]] (1997) and in the revised press law. Another article of the Constitution explicitly prevents preventive censorship, although it does not prohibit post-publishing repressive censorship which in theory might be not incompatible with the modern Polish law.<ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017"/>

A plan for [[Internet censorship]] legislation that included the creation of a register of blocked web sites was abandoned by the Polish Government in early 2011, following protests and petitions opposing the proposal.<ref>[http://portal.bsa.org/cloudscorecard2012/assets/pdfs/country_reports/Country_Report_Poland.pdf "Security Question 2 in Country Report: Poland"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908010100/http://portal.bsa.org/cloudscorecard2012/assets/pdfs/country_reports/Country_Report_Poland.pdf|date=8 September 2012}}, ''BSA Global Cloud Computing Scorecard'', Business Software Alliance, 22 February 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/91997,Government-stopped-from-preparing-%E2%80%98illegal-antiinternet-piracy-legislation "Government stopped from preparing 'illegal' anti-internet piracy legislation"], Polskie Radio, 2 March 2012</ref><ref>[https://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2011/03/16/polish-government-feels-urge-to-regulate-internet/ "Polish Government Feels Urge to Regulate Internet"], Marcin Sobczyk, Wall Street Journal, 16 March 2011</ref>

The 2018 amendment to the [[Act on the Institute of National Remembrance]] has been described by some historians and activists as censorship because it criminalizes statements that allege Polish nation's [[responsibility for the Holocaust]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/Poland-Holocaust-Law-Full-Brief.pdf|title=Poland's "Holocaust Law" and the Complexity of Holocaust Revisionism in Europe|publisher=[[Human Rights First]]|access-date=2020-06-09|archive-date=2021-10-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009180607/https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/Poland-Holocaust-Law-Full-Brief.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Historians fear 'censorship' under Poland's Holocaust law |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/historians-fear-censorship-under-polands-holocaust-law |access-date=9 June 2020 |work=Times Higher Education (THE) |date=21 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

On 24 May 2019, [[Poland]] filed an action for annulment of the [[European Union|European Union's]] [[Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market]] with the [[Court of Justice of the European Union]]. [[Foreign minister|Deputy Foreign Minister]] of Poland [[Konrad Szymański]] said the directive "may result in adopting regulations that are analogous to preventive censorship, which is discouraged not only in the [[Constitution of Poland|Polish constitution]] but also in the EU treaties".<ref name=":19">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/25/18639963/poland-european-union-copyright-directive-filed-complaint-court-of-justice|title=Poland has filed a complaint against the European Union's copyright directive|last=Liptak|first=Andrew|date=2019-05-25|website=The Verge|access-date=2019-05-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-05-24|title=Poland files complaint with EU's top court over copyright rule change|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-copyright-poland-idUSKCN1SU0T9|access-date=2019-05-27}}</ref>

== Bypassing censorship ==
To avoid censorship, throughout the periods that censorship affected the Polish writers, some authors turned to [[self-censorship]], others attempted to cheat the system with metaphors and [[Aesopian language]], and yet others had their works published by the [[Polish underground press]].<ref name="Cook2001" /><ref name=":3" />


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Freedom of speech|Poland|Politics}}
*[[Aesopian language]]
*[[Copyright law in Poland]]
*[[Hate speech laws in Poland]]
*[[Hate speech laws in Poland]]
*[[Internet in Poland#Internet censorship and surveillance]]
*[[Media of Poland]]
*[[Media of Poland]]
*[[Polish underground press]]


==References==
==References==
Line 40: Line 55:


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{cite book|author=Michał Pietrzak|title=Reglamentacja wolności prasy w Polsce, 1918-1939|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8fM_AAAAIAAJ|year=1963|publisher=Książka i Wiedza}}
*{{cite book|author=Michał Pietrzak|title=Reglamentacja wolności prasy w Polsce, 1918–1939|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8fM_AAAAIAAJ|year=1963|publisher=Książka i Wiedza}}
*P. Buchwald-Pelcowa, Cenzura w dawnej Polsce. Między prasą drukowaną a stosem, Warszawa 1997
*P. Buchwald-Pelcowa, Cenzura w dawnej Polsce. Między prasą drukowaną a stosem, Warszawa 1997
*B. Szyndler, Dzieje cenzury w Polsce do 1918 roku, Kraków 1993
*Bartłomiej Szyndler, [https://books.google.com/books?id=158VAQAAIAAJ&q=Dzieje+cenzury+w+Polsce+do+1918+roku ''Dzieje cenzury w Polsce do 1918 roku''], Kraków 1993

{{Europe topic|Censorship in}}


[[Category:Censorship in Poland]]
[[Category:Censorship in Poland| ]]

Latest revision as of 17:20, 23 May 2024

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Censorship in Poland was first recorded in the 15th century, and it was most notable during the Communist period in the 20th century.

Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

[edit]

The history of censorship in Poland dates to the late 15th[1] or the first half of the 16th century.[2] The first recorded incident dates to the late 15th century in the Kingdom of Poland related to a complaint by Szwajpolt Fioł (a Franconian from Neustadt living in Krakow) against a Polish bishop who forbade a printer in Kraków from printing liturgical books in Cyrillic script; Fioł lost the case and was sentenced to prison, becoming the first known victim of censorship in Poland.[1][3] In 1519 sections of the book Chronica Polonorum by Maciej Miechowita, critical of the ruling Jagiellonian dynasty, were censored, making it in turn the first known Polish work to be subject to cuts by censors.[3] A decree of king Zygmunt I Stary of 1523 has been called the first law about censorship in Poland.[4] Together with a series of further edicts by Sigmismund August it prohibited the import and even reading of a number of books related to the Reformation.[1] An edict of Stefan Batory of 1579 in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth introduced the idea of wartime censorship, prohibiting distributing information on military actions.[1] In the 17th century Poland saw the publication and adoption of the first Polish editions of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (1601, 1603, 1617), which among others banned the books of Erasmus of Rotterdam, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski, Copernicus, Stanisław Sarnicki, Jan Łaski, as well as some other satires (pl:Literatura sowizdrzalska).[1][4] Extensive internal censorship was also used by the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, as well as by other denominations in Poland, including the Protestant and the Orthodox Churches as well as by the Polish Jews.[4][5] Outside the religious sphere, several royal decrees from the 17th century explicitly prohibited distribution of several texts, mainly those critical of the royalty; occasional regulations in this matter were also issued by the local municipal governments.[4][6][5]

The idea of freedom of speech was in general highly valued by the Polish nobility,[7][8] and it was one of the key dimensions distinguishing the Commonwealth from the more restrictive absolute monarchies, common in contemporary Europe.[1] Only the banning of books that attacked the Catholic faith was relatively uncontroversial, and attempts to ban other types of works often led to heated debates.[1][4][6] In the last century or so of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the issue of censorship was therefore occasionally debated by Polish Sejm and regional sejmiks, usually with regards to individual works or authors, whom some deputies either defended or criticized. There were a number of lawsuits concerning individual books, and some titles were judged and sometimes doomed to be destroyed by burning.[4][6] Since there was no overall law about the censorship, there were often disputes about jurisdiction in this matter between the bishops, the state officials and the Jagiellonian University.[6] Some country-wide laws related to censorship would be eventually discussed and passed in the Sejm in the last years of the Commonwealth's existence.[4] In particular, the Constitution of May 3, 1791, while it did not address the topics of freedom of press or censorship directly, it guaranteed the freedom of speech in its Article 11 of the "Cardinal and Inviolate Rights".[1][3]

Partitions

[edit]

Following the partitions of Poland, which ended the existence of the independent Polish state in 1795, censorship was in force on the annexed Polish lands, as the codes of occupying states generally contained severe censorship laws.[1][9][10][11][12] Out of the three regimes, the Russian censorship was the harshest.[3] During some periods, the censorship was so invasive that even the usage of words Poland or Polish was not allowed.[3]

Main articles: Censorship in the Russian Empire, History of Austria, and Censorship in Germany § German Empire (1871–1918)

Second Polish Republic

[edit]

Following Poland regaining independence in 1918, the cabinet of Jędrzej Moraczewski who served as the first Prime Minister of the Second Polish Republic between November 1918 and January 1919 removed preventive censorship, abolishing a number of laws inherited from the partition period, and replacing them with ones more supportive of the freedom of press. New press laws were issued on 7 February 1919, introducing press regulation system and giving the government control over printing houses.[1] In 1920 during the Polish-Soviet war, information about the war was required government's approval.[13] The March Constitution of 1921 confirmed the freedom of speech, and explicitly abolished any preventive censorship and concession system.[1]

Following the May Coup of 1926 censorship targeting opposition press and publications intensified.[13] In practice, Second Polish Republic has been described as having "mild censorship". The censorship was carried by the Ministry of Interior. Printing presses had to provide an advance copy to the Ministry, which could order the publication to be stopped. The publishers were allowed to dispute the Ministry decision in the courts. Newspapers were allowed to indicate that they were subject to censorship by publishing blank spaces. It was common for publishers to skirt the law, for example by delaying the sending of the first copy of a book to the Ministry, which meant that many controversial books were sold in the bookstores before the Ministry censors made their decision.[14] The April Constitution of 1935 did not discuss the freedom of press issue, which has been seen as a step backwards in the issues related to censorship, and a Press Law decree of 1938 introduced a provision which allowed Ministry of Internal Affairs to prevent the distribution of foreign titles.[1][13] 1939 saw the controversial arrest of a publisher and journalist Stanisław Mackiewicz.[13]

In the Second Polish Republic, censorship was often employed "in defense of decency" against writers whose works were considered "immoral" or "disturbing the social order.[15] Polish historian Ryszard Nycz [pl] described the censorship of that time as "focused primarily on anarchists, leftists, and Communist sympathizers among the avant-garde writers".[3] Polish writers whose works were censored included Antoni Słonimski, Julian Tuwim, Józef Łobodowski, Bruno Jasieński, Anatol Stern, Aleksander Wat, Tadeusz Peiper and Marian Czuchnowski [pl].[15][3] Film censorship (focused on ensuring decency) has been described as extensive, as the law prohibited not only pornographic films but also films showing content that "generally violates codes of morality and law", a formulation that has been used to justify a number of controversial decisions, and according to its critics, made the film censors equal in power to the film directors. The director of the Central Film Bureau within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, colonel Leon Łuskino [pl], has been described as the "terror of the film-makers".[16][17]

World War II

[edit]

Following the Germany and Soviet occupation of Poland in 1939, the occupying powers once again introduced significant levels of censorship to Polish territories. The Germans prohibited publication of any regular Polish-language book, literary study or scholarly paper.[18][19]

Censorship at first targeted books that were considered to be "serious", including scientific and educational texts and texts that were thought to promote Polish patriotism; only fiction that was free of anti-German overtones was permitted. Banned literature included maps, atlases and English- and French-language publications, including dictionaries. Several non-public indexes of prohibited books were created, and over 1,500 Polish writers were declared "dangerous to the German state and culture". The index of banned authors included such Polish authors as Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki, Stanisław Wyspiański, Bolesław Prus, Stefan Żeromski, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Władysław Reymont, Stanisław Wyspiański, Julian Tuwim, Kornel Makuszyński, Leopold Staff, Eliza Orzeszkowa and Maria Konopnicka. Mere possession of such books was illegal and punishable by imprisonment. Door-to-door sale of books was banned, and bookstores—which required a license to operate—were either emptied out or closed. The press was reduced from over 2,000 publications to a few dozen, all censored by the Germans.[20][21][22]

People's Republic of Poland

[edit]
Main article: Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland

Following the communist takeover of Poland, the Main Office of Control of Press, Publications and Performances [pl] (Główny Urząd Kontroli Prasy, Publikacji i Widowisk, GUKPiW) was established in the People's Republic of Poland on 5 July 1946[1] although it traced its origins to the organs established by the provisional Polish communist authorities in 1944.[23] Censorship affected all forms of media: print, television, radio and all kinds of performances.[23] All publications and spectacles had to receive prior approval from GUKPiW, and it also had the right to annul any media publishing or broadcasting licenses. The press laws were subject to major revisions in 1984 and 1989.[1] Communist era censorship targeted topics associated  with Soviet repression against Polish citizens, works critical of communism or labeled as subversive, and much of the contemporary émigré literature.[3] As elsewhere in the Soviet Bloc, the censorship was seen as enforcing the party line of the communist party.[24][23]

The controls were particularly severe during the early years of the communist period (i.e., during the Stalinist era in Poland).[3] During that time, censorship meant not only policing content, as even refusal to print government-endorsed texts could have severe consequences, as evidenced by an incident in 1953 when the weekly Tygodnik Powszechny was temporarily closed and lost its printing house after it refused to print the obituary of Joseph Stalin.[25][3]

The censorship law was eliminated after the fall of communism in Poland, by the Polish Sejm on 11 April 1990 and the GUKPiW was closed two months later.[26][27] The closing of the GUKPiW has been described as "the formal and legal fact of lifting censorship [in Poland]"[28] and the year 1990 has been said to have seen the "definite elimination" of censorship in Poland.[23]

Third Polish Republic

[edit]

The freedom of the press is guaranteed in both the modern Constitution of Poland (1997) and in the revised press law. Another article of the Constitution explicitly prevents preventive censorship, although it does not prohibit post-publishing repressive censorship which in theory might be not incompatible with the modern Polish law.[1]

A plan for Internet censorship legislation that included the creation of a register of blocked web sites was abandoned by the Polish Government in early 2011, following protests and petitions opposing the proposal.[29][30][31]

The 2018 amendment to the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance has been described by some historians and activists as censorship because it criminalizes statements that allege Polish nation's responsibility for the Holocaust.[32][33]

On 24 May 2019, Poland filed an action for annulment of the European Union's Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market with the Court of Justice of the European Union. Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Konrad Szymański said the directive "may result in adopting regulations that are analogous to preventive censorship, which is discouraged not only in the Polish constitution but also in the EU treaties".[34][35]

Bypassing censorship

[edit]

To avoid censorship, throughout the periods that censorship affected the Polish writers, some authors turned to self-censorship, others attempted to cheat the system with metaphors and Aesopian language, and yet others had their works published by the Polish underground press.[23][3]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Jacek Sobczak; Jedrzej Skrzypczak; Ksenia Kakareko (14 February 2017). Media Law in the time of liquid modernity: Hot Topics in the European and Polish Media Law. Logos Verlag Berlin GmbH. pp. 9–11. ISBN 978-3-8325-4428-7.
  2. ^ Przegląd prawa i administracji. Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. 2005. p. 121. Historia cenzury na ziemiach polskich sięga pierwszej połowy XVI w.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nycz, Ryszard (2016). "Polish Literature in the Shadow of Censorship. A Lecture". Teksty Drugie. 2: 84–104.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Urszula Augustyniak (2008). Historia Polski, 1572–1795. Wydawn. Naukowe PWN. p. 413. ISBN 978-83-01-15592-6.
  5. ^ a b Głażewski, Jacek (2004). "Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa: Cenzura w dawnej Polsce. Między prasą drukarską a stosem, Warszawa 1997". Napis.
  6. ^ a b c d Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa (1997). Censorship in ancient Poland. Wydawn. SBP. p. 20. ISBN 978-83-85778-80-6.
  7. ^ Jerzy Tadeusz Lukavski (17 June 2013). Libertys Folly:Polish Lithuan. Routledge. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-136-10364-3.
  8. ^ Dorota Pietrzyk-Reeves (9 April 2020). Polish Republican Discourse in the Sixteenth Century. Cambridge University Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-108-49323-9.
  9. ^ Ohles, Frederik (2001). "Germany: The French Occupation (1806–14) and the German Confederation (1815–71)". In Jones, Derek (ed.). Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Vol. 2, E–K. London: Fitzroy Dearborn. pp. 920–922. ISBN 978-1-57958-135-0.
  10. ^ Stark, Gary D. (2001). "Germany: The German Empire, (1871–1916)". In Jones, Derek (ed.). Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Vol. 2, E–K. London: Fitzroy Dearborn. pp. 922–924. ISBN 978-1-57958-135-0.
  11. ^ Keyserlingk, Robert H. (1967). "Bismarck and the Press: The Example of the National Liberals". Historical Papers Presented at the Annual Meeting, Canadian Historical Association. 2 (1): 198–215, page 208. doi:10.7202/030678ar.
  12. ^ Przybyła, Zbigniew (1995). "Cenzura w Przywiślańskim Kraju" [Censorship in the Vistula Land]. Teksty Drugie (in Polish). 6: 82–86.
  13. ^ a b c d Łęcicki, Grzegorz; UKSW (2015). "Cenzura w Polsce Ludowej: propaganda, manipulacja, destrukcja". Kwartalnik Nauk o Mediach (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  14. ^ Strządała, Gaweł (2012). "Cenzura w Polskiej Rzeczpospolitej Ludowej" (PDF). Ante Portas. Studia nad bezpieczeństwem. 1: 31–46.
  15. ^ a b "Zakazane książki- cenzura w dwudziestoleciu międzywojennym (1918–1939) – Leksykon – Teatr NN". teatrnn.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  16. ^ "Zakazane pocałunki". Newsweek.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  17. ^ "Zakazane pocałunki. Cenzura filmów w przedwojennej Polsce". CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  18. ^ Rebecca Knuth; John English (2003). Libricide: The Regime-sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 86–89. ISBN 978-0-275-98088-7.
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  20. ^ Czocher, Anna (2005). "Jawne polskie życie kulturalne w okupowanym Krakowie 1939–1945 w świetle wspomnień ["Open Polish Cultural Life in Occupied Kraków, 1939–1945, in the Light of Memoirs"]". Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość [Remembrance and Justice] (in Polish). 7 (1): 227–252.
  21. ^ Madajczyk, Czesław (1970), Polityka III Rzeszy w okupowanej Polsce, Tom II (Politics of the Third Reich in Occupied Poland, Part Two) (in Polish), Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, pp. 124–126
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  24. ^ Bates, John M. (2004). "From State Monopoly to a Free Market of Ideas? Censorship in Poland, 1976-1989". In Beate Müller (ed.). Censorship & Cultural Regulation in the Modern Age. Rodopi. p. 141. ISBN 90-420-0988-8.
  25. ^ Frieberg, Annika (May 2008). "II" (PDF). The Project of Reconciliation: Journalists and religious activists in Polish -German relations, 1956–1972 (Dissertation). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. p. 54. doi:10.17615/9q1a-pd95. ISBN 978-0-549-53566-9. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  26. ^ Antoni Dudek (7 January 2020). Od Mazowieckiego do Suchockiej. Otwarte. p. 337. ISBN 978-83-240-5659-0.
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  28. ^ Bolecki, Włodzimierz (18 July 2007). "Getting around Polish censorship: 1968-98". In Marcel Cornis-Pope; John Neubauer (eds.). History of the Literary Cultures of East-Central Europe: Junctures and disjunctures in the 19th and 20th centuries. Volume III: The making and remaking of literary institutions. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 135. ISBN 978-90-272-9235-3.
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Further reading

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