Fear Management: Foreign Threats in the Post-War Polish Propaganda

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The so-called ‘people's power’ – the communists – tended to make Poles afraid. At first – afraid of the Anglo-Saxon imperialists, then of the German revisionists, Zionist 5th column and ‘Kuroń and Michnik walking on the CIA’s leash’. The creation of the atmosphere of fear featuring Germans and their alleged ‘return’ lasted until 1970. In his Fear Management Bruno Kamiński reaches to the origins of this story. Based on a huge selection of sources this analytical study exhibits how in the first 15 postwar years Poles were threatened with the Western world. In the beginning, the Germans were chosen to play the role of the main enemy, dethroned later by the Americans. At the same time, the author proves that fear next to nationalism and ethnic hostility developed into one of the pillars legitimizing the communist system. Marcin Zaremba, Polish Academy of Science, University of Warsaw Cover Copyright information Preface Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations Introduction Historical context 1 State of the art 1.1 Fear 1.2 Propaganda 1.3 Fear and propaganda 1.4 Establishing the communist power in Poland 2 The key problems addressed in the book Hypothesis 3 Methodology 3.1 Institutions producing propaganda and monitoring social moods 3.2 Propaganda agents 3.3 Key parts of the communist propaganda discourse analysed in the book 3.4 Sources 4 Structure of the book I ‘German hydra is coming back to life’67. Anti-German media discourse – the benchmark image of the foreign enemy in the communist propaganda (1944–1956) The press channel of postwar fear distribution 1 German threat in Polish tradition and culture 2 Various shades of fear of Germans 2.1 Physical German threat The endangered border with Germany Werwolf and other dangerous underground German troops Great Britain and the USA are raising the Nazi empire from the ashes 2.2 Language of fear: ‘Hangmen, murderers, bestial torturers’ Nazi crimes in propaganda literature Dreadful graphic images of Nazi crimes Greiser, Fisher, Höss – symbols of Nazi bestiality 2.3 The political, military and economic German threat Political threat Military dread Economic danger 2.4 German stigma on the political opponents of the regime The concept of ‘reaction’ The Nazi-like PSL The fascist blemish on the underground state PSL and NSZ – successors of German oppressors 2.5 The German threat after 1947 Disturbing sowing and lethal crops Official integration vs factual remilitarisation of Germany We will not allow the rebuilding of the Wehrmacht! Adenauer – a new leader of old enemies Conclusion II Greedy capitalists and aggressive neighbours. The local dimension of the German threat with the examples of Łódź and Szczecin (1945–1947) 1 Łódź and Szczecin – historical and sociological sketch 1.1 Postwar conditions of the cities 1.2 Local societies and their concerns Initial enthusiasm in postwar Łódź Settlers surrounded by ruins and rumours in Szczecin Local media in Szczecin 2 Anti-German atmosphere in the cities 2.1 The problem of Volksdeutsche in Łódź 2.2 Settlers on alien ground in Szczecin 2.3 De-Germanisation of the city 2.4 Out with the German enemies from Poland 2.5 Anti-German political slogans 2.6 German criminals and bandits in Nazi uniforms 3 The local specificity of a German 3.1 Nazi occupants and greedy German capitalists from Łódź Perpetuating the memory of the war terror Panorama of German greedy capitalist exploiters The positive memory of local Germans Why do you employ German conspirators? Polish collaborators of the German enemy 3.2 The city of strikes Current historical interpretations of strikes Successful translation of fear into anger The mistrust towards the anti-German propaganda in Łódź 3.3 The eternal German enemies in Szczecin The Piast ideology in practice 3.4 ‘The wild west’ Do not believe in rumours The guard on the Oder The anti-governmental attitude towards the referendum and elections Conclusion III The threat of spies, conspirators and internal enemies in the communist propaganda in Poland (1945–1953) 1 Spy-mania and the postwar reality in Poland 1.1 The panorama of local fear in Poland after 1947 1.2 The figures of spies and conspirators in the postwar propaganda discourse The time of foreign spies in postwar Poland False French diplomats The British and American intelligence infiltrating Poland 2 Titoism and its dreadful consequences 2.1 Propaganda image of Tito and Yugoslavia before 1948 2.2 Stalin-Tito split Exclusion from Cominform Popular reception of the Soviet critique of Yugoslavia 2.3 Disposable heroes. Show trials of the alleged spies and conspirators within the Socialist Bloc Hungarian Titoism. The trial of László Rajk The second phase of the plot. The trial of Traicho Kostov Zionist conspiracy. The trial of Rudolf Slánský 2.4 Popular reception of the anti-Titoist propaganda 3 Conspirators in the Polish Army, spies in the Catholic Church 3.1 The trial of the Generals 3.2 The trial of Bishop Kaczmarek 3.3 Trust vs. mistrust. Social approach towards both trials The critique of sources Perpetrator’s point of view Conclusion IV Dangerous capitalists. The fear of the American economic enemy (1945–1956) 1 From hope to threat. Propaganda vision of American economic policy 1.1 Gifts from ‘aunt UNRRA’ American help for Poland The neutral image of the UNRRA in the communist propaganda UNRRA and the promotion of the communist authorities The propaganda critique of American material support 1.2 Dollar ante portas. Propaganda’s negative image of the Marshall Plan Beware of the Marshall Plan Propaganda explanations of rejection from the ERP The Dollar invasion of France 1.3 And now we will starve. The social reception of the anti-ERP propaganda 1.4 American economic crisis strikes back Local experience of the Great Depression The British victim of the ERP ‘Ami go home’. The French resistance towards the economic crisis in communist propaganda The epidemic of poverty in Italy Own reflection in an old mirror Never ending economic crisis 1.5 In progress you should trust Socialist progress vs. capitalist regress Friend vs. enemy 1.6 ‘Why do you keep slandering the USA?’ Social reception of the ‘American economic threat’ in the communist media 1.7 Colorado Beetle invasion. The American threat to the Polish economy and its social reception The genesis of the invasion American origin of the pest The expansion of the beetle invasion I cannot stand such slander. Social reception of the propaganda news on the American origin of the pest 1.8 The fairytales designed to indoctrinate children Conclusion V ‘Nazi racism is raging in the state of Mississippi’. The threat of intolerance, aggression and hooliganism inspired by American culture (1945–1956) 1 Racism – the source of fear and violence 1.1 Anti-Semitism in Europe – local experience of racism Anti-Semitism in the interwar period Jews and anti-Semitism in Poland Polish rescuers of Jews, bystanders and perpetrators of anti-Semitic crimes during World War Two … those are Jews and we must beat them! Postwar anti-Semitic violence in Poland 1.2 ‘Racist savagery of the USA’ Nazi inspiration for American racism Racism – a common social standard supported by the American authorities American racism and elections in Poland 1.3 ‘Americans educate criminals’ 2 American movies and comic books – a dangerous criminal inspiration for local hooligans 2.1 Hooliganism in postwar Poland 2.2 The graphic instruction of violence The evolution of the propaganda explanation of hooliganism 2.3 The reception of the cultural thread in anti-American discourse Conclusion VI The interwar state of mind. The fear of a new global conflict and the nuclear threat in the communist propaganda (1945–1956) The fresh echoes of old fear 1 War was in the air 1.1 British war provokers in Greece 2 The Korean phantom of the Third World War 2.1 The Korean War as a source of threats Aggression – the modus operandi of American imperialists ‘McArthur’s slayers are worse than the Nazis’ – American threat to civilians 3 Between scepticism, fear, panic and hope. The social reactions to the Korean War 3.1 Nothing to be worry about 3.2 ‘I’m afraid it looks like the beginning of the third world war’ 3.3 The sweet taste of panic 3.4 War rumours – the fuel of panic 3.5 War as a source of hope 4 Neutralisation, mobilisation, indoctrination. The state management of emotions evoked by the Korean War In response to imperialism we increase the work dynamics 4.1 Communist peace defence movement The Stockholm Appeal The National Peace Plebiscite 5 Peace sells, but who is buying? Social reception of the propaganda of peace 5.1 ‘We are against the war, but we will not sign anything’ 5.2 In the name of peace we oblige to work harder 6 Mother, do you think they will drop the bomb? The threat of the atomic destruction 6.1 Dangerous imperialists and their nuclear bogeys 6.2 American atomic bluff 6.3 The mobilisation against the nuclear threat 6.4 Truman Truman drop the bomb 7 Soviet tanks heading for Warsaw. Propaganda reaction, social reception and further consequences of the prospect of war in October 1956 Conclusion General conclusions Afterword Abstract Abstrakt List of Figures Bibliography Indeks