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== Partitions ==
== Partitions ==
Following the [[partitions of Poland]], 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>
Following the [[partitions of Poland]], censorship was in force on the annexed Polish lands, as the codes of occupying states generally contained severe censorship laws. <ref name="SobczakSkrzypczak2017" />
{{main|Censorship in the Russian Empire|History of Austria|}}
{{main|Censorship in the Russian Empire|History of Austria|Censorship in Germany#German Empire (1871–1918)}}


== Second Polish Republic ==
== Second Polish Republic ==

Revision as of 04:06, 2 June 2020

'History of censorship in Polandis a topic that spans the period of late 15th to late 20th centuries.

Kingdom of Poland and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

The history of censorship in Poland dates to the late 15th[1] or the first half of the 16h centiry.[2] The first recorded incident dates to the late 15th century in the Kingdom of Poland related to a complaint by against a Polish bishop who forbade a printer in Kraków from printing liturgical books in Cyrillic.[1] A decree of Zygmunt I Stary of 1523 has been called the first law about censorship in Poland.[3] 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, probibiting 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][3] Extensive internal censorship was also by the Roman Catholic Church in Poland, as well as by other denominations in Poland, including the Protestants and the Orthodox Churches as well as by the Polish Jews.[3][4] 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.[3][5][4]

The idea of freedom of speech was in general highly respected and established in the Golden Freedoms of the nobility, and it was one of the key dimensions distinguishing the Commonwealth from he 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 lead to heated debates.[1][3][5] 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 about individual books, and a number of books were judged and sometimes sentenced to be destroyed by burning.[3][5] 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[5] Some country-wide laws related to censorship would be eventually discussed and passed in Sejm the last years of the Commonwealth's existence.[3] In particular, the Constitution of May 3, 1791, 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".[1]

Partitions

Following the partitions of Poland, censorship was in force on the annexed Polish lands, as the codes of occupying states generally contained severe censorship laws.[1][6][7][8]

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

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 and reissued freedom of press. New press laws were issued in February 7, 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. [9] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[1][9] 1939 saw controversial arrest of a publisher and journalist Stanisław Mackiewicz.[9]

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.[11] Polish writers whose works were censored included Józef Łobodowski.[11] 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 Leon Łuskino [pl], has been described as the "terror of the film-makers".[12][13]

People's Republic of Poland

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 Shows [pl] (Główny Urząd Kontroli Prasy, Publikacji i Widowisk, GUKPiW) was established in the People's Republic of Poland on July 5, 1946. All publications and spectacles had to receive prior approval from it, 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] 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.[14][15]

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.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 Urszula Augustyniak (2008). Historia Polski, 1572-1795. Wydawn. Naukowe PWN. p. 413. ISBN 978-83-01-15592-6.
  4. ^ a b Głażewski, Jacek (2004). "Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa: Cenzura w dawnej Polsce. Między prasą drukarską a stosem, Warszawa 1997". Napis.
  5. ^ a b c d Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa (1997). Censorship in ancient Poland. Wydawn. SBP. p. 20. ISBN 978-83-85778-80-6.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b c d Łęcicki, Grzegorz; UKSW (2015). "Cenzura w Polsce Ludowej: propaganda, manipulacja, destrukcja". Kwartalnik Nauk o Mediach (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Strządała, Gaweł (2012). "Cenzura w Polskiej Rzeczpospolitej Ludowe". Ante Portas. Studia nad bezpieczeństwem. 1: 31–46.
  11. ^ a b "Zakazane książki- cenzura w dwudziestoleciu międzywojennym (1918-1939) - Leksykon - Teatr NN". teatrnn.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  12. ^ "Zakazane pocałunki". Newsweek.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  13. ^ "Zakazane pocałunki. Cenzura filmów w przedwojennej Polsce". CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  14. ^ Antoni Dudek (7 January 2020). Od Mazowieckiego do Suchockiej. Otwarte. p. 337. ISBN 978-83-240-5659-0.
  15. ^ "Cenzura". dzieje.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-05-28.

Further reading

  • Michał Pietrzak (1963). Reglamentacja wolności prasy w Polsce, 1918-1939. Książka i Wiedza.
  • 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
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