Apparatchiks and Enterprises: The Case of the Warsaw Region in 1950–1970

Abstract

In the period 1950–1970, the Polish United Workers’ Party (PUWP) managed the economy and all enterprises. However, the party central authorities were unable to manage every single plant directly. One of the most important elements of the governing system was the local communist party apparatus, which supervised factories in the regions. This article examines the strategies of local apparatchiks in their relations with the factory managers. Using archival documents of PUWP from the Warsaw area, this article identifies the prevailing behaviours of party actors and changes in their strategies over time.

Notes

1 On the discussion of economic reforms see Osiatyński (1982, pp. 357–63), Brus and Łaski (1989), and Witczak-Haugstad (2008).

2 The existence of workers’ councils was approved by parliament in November 1956 (‘Ustawa z dnia 19 listopada o radach robotniczych’, Dziennik Ustaw, 1956, nr. 53, poz. 238).

3 Deklaracja ideowa PZPR. Statut PZPR (Warsaw, Książka i Wiedza, 1949); O statucie PZPR. Materiały dla kursów partyjnych (Warsaw, Książka i Wiedza, 1951, p. 69).

4 Gregory and Harrison (2005) used the term ‘nested dictatorship’ for these kinds of complex relations in the Soviet system.

5 Archiwum Akt Nowych (hereafter AAN), Komitet Centralny Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej (hereafter KC PZPR), 237/XXXI-2, Uchwała Sekretariatu KC PZPR w sprawie roli, zadań I uprawnień organizacji partyjnych w kierowaniu życiem gospodarczym, 1950.

6 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/XXXI-2, p. 29, Uchwała Sekretariatu KC PZPR w sprawie roli, zadań i uprawnień organizacji partyjnych w kierowaniu życiem gospodarczym, 1950.

7 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/XXXI-2, p. 30, Uchwała Sekretariatu KC PZPR w sprawie roli, zadań i uprawnień organizacji partyjnych w kierowaniu życiem gospodarczym, 1950.

8 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/XXXI-2, p. 31, Uchwała Sekretariatu KC PZPR w sprawie roli, zadań i uprawnień organizacji partyjnych w kierowaniu życiem gospodarczym, 1950.

9 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/XXXI-2, p. 30, Uchwała Sekretariatu KC PZPR w sprawie roli, zadań i uprawnień organizacji partyjnych w kierowaniu życiem gospodarczym, 1950.

10 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/XXXI-2, p. 29, Uchwała Sekretariatu KC PZPR w sprawie roli, zadań i uprawnień organizacji partyjnych w kierowaniu życiem gospodarczym, 1950.

11 Archiwum Państwowe w Warszawie (hereafter APW), Komitet Warszawski Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej (hereafter KW PZPR), 179, p. 164, ‘Some Issues of Party-political Work in Light of Comrade Bierut’s Paper’, 6 July 1951.

12 APW, KW PZPR, 179, p. 164, ‘Some Issues of Party-political Work in Light of Comrade Bierut’s Paper’, 6 July 1951.

13 APW, KW PZPR, 198, p. 123, Minutes of the WCE Session, 4 February 1957.

14 APW, Warszawski Komitet Wojewódzki Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej (hereafter WKW PZPR), 60/IV-56, p. 143, Minutes of the Warsaw Provincial Committee Executive Session, 29 May 1959.

15 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/IX-42, p. 175, ‘Note on the Control of the Implementation of the CC PUWP Resolution on Enhancing the Security of Special Enterprises in Warsaw’, 7 August 1953.

16 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/IX-15, pp. 25–6, ‘Note on Updating Standards and Wages in the Metal Industry’, 1 July 1953.

17 APW, KW PZPR, 175, p. 112, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 5 November 1952.

18 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/IX-13, p. 24, ‘Note of the Control of the Performance of the Resolution of the CC PUWP Secretariat “On Party Organisations Meetings in the Enterprises of Special Industry”’, 17 December 1955.

19 APW, KW PZPR, 186, p. 145, ‘Information about the Meetings of Districts’ Activists in Warsaw’, 2 March 1955.

20 APW, KW PZPR, 168, p. 177, ‘Evaluation of the Plan Implementation in Warsaw Industry for 1951’, 23 January 1952.

21 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/IX-10, p. 35, ‘A Note about the Situation in the Factory of High Voltage Equipment in Warsaw-Międzylesie’, 24 April 1954.

22 APW, KW PZPR, 192, pp. 143–44, ‘About the District Conferences’, 9 November 1955.

23 APW, WKW PZPR, 60/IV-47, p. 131, ‘About the Ties between the Regional Party Organisations and Basic Party Organisations and between Basic Party Organisations and Non-party Masses’, 27 June 1957.

24 APW, KW PZPR, 198, p. 213, ‘Meeting with the Secretaries of the Basic Party Organisations and the General Managers of the Main Enterprises in the District of Praga North’, 5–9 March 1957.

25 APW, KW PZPR, 255, p. 75, ‘Conclusions of the WCE in the Case of Development, Quality Correction and the Efficiency of Production at the Warsaw Steel Plant’, 3 June 1967.

26 APW, WKW PZPR, 60/IV-53, pp. 126–27, ‘Information on the Progress and Implementation of the Resolutions of the First Conference of Workers Self-management in Warsaw Province Factories’, 1958.

27 APW, KW PZPR, 227, p. 48, ‘Report of the Commission Created to Check the Situation in the Warsaw Steel Plant’, January 1962.

28 APW, KW PZPR, 228, p. 3, and 233, p. 2, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 22 April 1962 and 4 May 1963.

29 APW, KW PZPR, 253, p. 70, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 18 March 1967.

30 APW, KW PZPR, 164, p. 339, ‘Analysis of the Activity of the Basic Party Organisation in Warsaw Clothing Plants No. 2’, 29 August 1951.

31 APW, KW PZPR, 235, p. 96, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 29 February 1964.

32 APW, KW PZPR, 266, pp. 13–20, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 14 November 1969.

33 APW, KW PZPR, 255, pp. 69–76, ‘Guidelines of the WCE on the Further Development, Improvement of Quality and Profitability of Production in the Warsaw Steel Plants’, 3 June 1967.

34 APW, KW PZPR, 258, p. 3, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 14 November 1967.

35 APW, KW PZPR, 177, p. 188, ‘Evaluation of the Districts’ Conferences in Warsaw’, 10 February 1953.

36 APW, KW PZPR, 382, p. 27, ‘The CC PUWP Secretariat’s Letter on the Failure of the National Economic Plan in 1952’, January 1953.

37 APW, KW PZPR, 178, pp. 99–100, ‘Information on the Implementation of the Production Plan by Warsaw Industry in the First Quarter of 1953’, 22 April 1953.

38 AAN, KC PZPR, 237/V-1a/8, p. 39, ‘Report on the Work of the Party Organisations in some Plants in Warsaw’, 30 July 1951.

39 APW, KW PZPR, 188, pp. 276–77, ‘Evaluation of the Work of the Basic Party Organisation in the Passenger Cars Factory’, July 1955.

40 APW, KW PZPR, 179, p. 28, ‘The WCE’s Conclusions on the Realisation of the Resolution of the Plant’s Protection by the Basic Party Organisation in the Tarchomin Pharmaceutical Plant Issued by the Political Bureau of CC PUWP’, 3 June 1953.

41 APW, KW PZPR, 216, pp. 59–60, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 16 December 1966.

42 APW, WKW PZPR, 60/IV-84, p. 284, ‘The Warsaw Provincial Committee Executive’s Conclusions on the Industrial Plants “1st May”’, 13 December 1963.

43 APW, Komitet Zakładowy PZPR przy Fabryce Kabli (hereafter KZ PZPR Kabel), 171/III-2, p. 136, ‘Minutes of the Factory Committee Session’, 27 March 1962.

44 APW, KZ PZPR Kabel, 171/I-1, p. 185, ‘Minutes of the Election Meeting of the Factory Committee in the Cable Plant in Ożarów Mazowiecki’, 21 January 1963.

45 APW, KW PZPR, 247, p. 7, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 4 June 1966.

46 APW, KW PZPR, 237, pp. 139, 254, 255, ‘Minutes of the WCE Sessions’, 24 October 1964 and 20 May 1967.

47 APW, KW PZPR, 266, pp. 13–20, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 10 May 1969.

48 APW, KW PZPR, 219, pp. 5, 235, 97, ‘Minutes of the WCE Sessions’, 11 May 1961 and 29 February 1964.

49 APW, KW PZPR, 241, p. 133, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 3 July 1965.

50 APW, KW PZPR, 175, p. 133, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 19 November 1952.

51 APW, Komitet Miasta i Powiatu Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej w Pruszkowie, 79/II-14, p. 197, ‘Report of the County Committee in Pruszków on the Cadre Situation from 1964–1968’.

52 APW, KW PZPR, 680, p. 65, ‘Report of the Cadre Department of the Warsaw Committee, 1949’.

53 APW, Komietet Powiatowy Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej w Mińsku Mazowieckim, 68/IV-47, p. 216, ‘Minutes of the County Committee Executive Session’, 4 June 1970.

54 APW, WKW PZPR, 60/XII-7, vol. 1, p. 79, ‘Note on the Situation in the Cadre’s Nomenklatura in the Warsaw Provincial Committee’, 12 December 1959.

55 APW, KW PZPR, 270, p. 92, ‘Minutes of the WCE Session’, 24 January 1970.

56 APW, KW PZPR, 227, p. 75, ‘Conclusions of the Warsaw Committee Council Established in the Case of Correcting the Work of Party Organisation in the Warsaw Steel Plant’, 15 January 1962.

57 APW, KW PZPR, 240, p. 20, ‘The Propositions of Changes and Complements in the Nomenklatura of Party Organisations’, 18 March 1965.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Narodowe Centrum Nauki under Grant number 2015/19/B/HS4/03233.

Notes on contributors

Maciej Tymiński

Maciej Tymiński, Economic History Chair, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, 44/50 St, Długa 00-241, Poland. Email: [email protected]