Information for Social Change (Mar 1996)
Alternatives in Poland: I The Clandestine Press in Poland/ II Krakow And Other Ecological Initiatives In Poland
Abstract
There were two periods of non-violent resistance in Poland: during the Nazi occupation of World War Two and during the period of Martial Law in the 1980s. There are many myths about World War Two, particularly when it comes to the question of non-violent civilian defence. Yet throughout Europe during the Nazi occupation some circa 9,000 clandestine newspapers were produced. The figures are both impressive and a testament to the efforts that ordinary people will make to resist evil. The statistics are truly amazing when you take into account the number of clandestine newspapers that were produced within individual countries during that period. In Belgium, Norway, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and all Nazi-occupied countries, the clandestine press flourished. Clandestine publishing was a widespread and successful resistance activity. In Warsaw 18 clandestine newspapers were established in 1939; by 1944 this number had risen to 166. Altogether some 1,400 clandestine titles were produced throughout Poland under the occupation. During the Warsaw Uprising, the clandestine press played an important role in spreading news and information to the population. At that time, there were approximately 130 clandestine daily newspapers with print-runs that varied between 1,000 and 28,000 copies. Within the Warsaw Ghetto alone there existed 46 different titles.
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