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Articles

Provincial Apparatchiks as Investment Supervisors: The Polish Economic Boom of the Early 1970s

 

Abstract

In Poland the early 1970s were characterised by a huge number of investments in industry, infrastructure and housing. An important role in the supervision of these projects was played by the leaders of provincial party committees. This study examines the documents of four provincial party committees in the years 1971–1974. The results show that apparatchiks’ strategies differed, depending on whether the provincial party leadership was strong or weak. The study suggests that the active party supervision resulted in extra costs for enterprises (such as producing reports for committees or organisation of special meetings with party supervisors), although the support of apparatchiks could help in raising funds.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 See for example, Fainsod (Citation1953, Citation1958), Berliner (Citation1958), Hough (Citation1969).

2 See, for example, Kuczyński (Citation1981).

3 ‘Poland Today: the State of the Republic’, Experience and the Future Discussion Group (Armonk, NY, M.E. Sharpe, 1981, p. 42).

4 See also Nuti (Citation1981, p. 118, ).

5 See also Nuti (Citation1981), Klein and Vonyó (Citation2019).

6 The industrial associations were organisations managing enterprises in particular branches of industry (for example, Cable Industry Association ELKAM/Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Kablowego ELKAM). Industrial associations were an intermediate level in economic administration between ministries and enterprises, similar to the Soviet glavki.

7 For Poland see Kaliński (Citation2003).

8 Archiwum Akt Nowych, Komitet Centralny PZPR, 237/XXXI-2, pp. 29–31.

9 See also Markevich and Zhuravskaya (Citation2011).

10 See for example, Dąbek (Citation2006).

11 State Archive in Katowice (hereafter APK), Provincial Committee PZPR in Katowice (hereafter KWK) 635, p. 4.

12 APK, KWK, 632, p. 3.

13 State Archive in Warsaw (hereafter APW), Warsaw Committee PZPR (hereafter KW), 290, pp. 94–8.

14 State Archive in Lublin (hereafter APL), Provincial Committee PZPR in Lublin (hereafter KWL), 326, pp. 300–2.

15 APL, KWL, 350, p. 29.

16 APL, KWL, 350, p. 11.

17 APW, Warsaw Provincial Committee (hereafter WKW), 258, p. 114.

18 See, for example, APW, KW, 285, pp. 131–33; APK, KWK, 587, p. 9; APL, KWL, 341, pp. 153–60; APW, WKW, 273, pp. 1–5.

19 APK, KWK, 663, p. 8.

20 APK, KWK, 667, p. 11.

21 APL, KWL, 331, p. 7.

22 APL, KWL, 357, pp. 9–12.

23 APW, WKW, 256, pp. 53–54.

24 APW, KW, 275, p. 69.

25 Within the PZPR apparatus, there were three types of committees at the level immediately below the provincial committees: county committees in the lower administrative units (provinces were divided into counties); city committees in the more important towns of the provinces; and district committees in the biggest cities (for example, in Warsaw, which was divided into seven districts).

26 APK, KWK, 587, p. 9.

27 APK, KWK, 676, p. 8

28 APL, KWL, 341, pp. 159–60.

29 APW, WKW, 273, p. 3.

30 APK, KWK, 676, p. 8.

31 APK, KWK, 667, p. 10.

32 APK, KWK, 602, pp. 8–9.

33 APW, KW, 284, p. 7.

34 APW, KW 281, p. 68.

35 APL, KWL, 363, p. 139.

36 APW, WKW, 278, p. 237.

37 APL, KWL, 331, p. 5.

38 APL, KWL, 342, p. 24.

39 APL, KWL, 361, p. 129.

40 APK, KWK, 669, p. 6.

41 APW, WKW, 261, p. 5.

42 APW, KW, 278, pp. 117–19; APW, KW, 289, pp. 77–80; APW, KW, 289, pp. 100–2.

43 APW, KW, 291, pp. 150–57; APW, KW, 290, pp. 1–9; APW, KW, 293, pp. 1–3.

44 APW, WKW, 266, pp. 158–59.

45 APL, KWL, 326, pp. 295–302.

46 APL, KWL, 363, pp. 125–133.

47 APK, KWK, 586, p. 7.

48 APK, KWK, 606, p. 9.

49 APW, KW, 290, pp. 171–72.

50 APL, KWL, 354, p. 139.

51 APW, WKW, 261, p. 6.

52 APW, WKW, 274, p. 140.

53 APL, KWL, 354, p. 139.

54 APW, WKW, 273, p. 6.

55 APK, KWK, 631, p. 4.

56 APK, KWK, 603, p. 5.

57 APW, KW, 278, p. 118.

58 APW, KW, 289, pp. 77–80.

59 APW, KW, 289, p. 102.

60 APL, KWL, 326, p. 301.

61 APL, KWL, 372, p. 11.

62 APL, KWL, 324, p. 61.

63 APW, WKW, p. 273.

64 APK, KWK, 669, p. 9.

65 APK, KWK, 681, p. 6–7.

66 APL. KWL, 331, pp. 89–90.

67 APW, KW, 302, p. 2.

68 APW, KW, 278, p. 218.

69 APL. KWL, 341, p. 160.

70 APL, KWL, 357, p. 10.

71 APW, KW, 286, p. 94.

72 APL, KWL, 363, p. 137.

73 APL, KWL, 363, p. 138.

74 APL, KWL, 372, p. 6.

75 APK, KWK, 663, p. 10.

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

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