1937 peasant strike in Poland

By mid-1930s, Poland, a country with a large agricultural sector, was significantly affected by the Great Depression, with peasants being one of the most affected groups. Furthermore, the increasingly authoritarian sanacja government was losing public support. Instead of negotiating, the government would send armed police or units of the Polish Army, which pacified villages and sometimes killed the demonstrators. It has been estimated that across the 1930s, around 100 peasants were killed by the security forces. The idea of the strike did not meet with unanimous approval. The marginal Communist Party of Poland (Komunistyczna Partia Polski, KPP) threw its weight behind the strike, but the right-wing National Party (Stronnictwo Narodowe, SN) was opposed to it. Crucially, Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) declined to participate in it, so despite KPP support, the strike did not spread to the cities, as SL hoped. Nonetheless, some worker strikes did occur during that period. ==The Strike==

August 15 was the Holiday of Peasant Deed (Święto Czynu Chłopskiego), Rallies were organized not only in villages and towns, but also in cities. In Kraków, on Sunday, August 15, thousands of peasants with banners and orchestras gathered in the Jablonowski Square. A peasant from Bienczyce, Jakub Pszczoła, gave a speech, in which he announced that the strike would begin on the next day. After his speech, leaflets were spread among those gathered, and peasants began singing their informal anthem "Gdy naród do boju" ("When The Nation Fights"). Officers beat peasants, their wives and children with batons, rallies were dispersed, and during revisions in houses, furniture and goods were destroyed. The police, of whom 108 were wounded, never tried to negotiate, instead, they used not only batons, but also guns, firing at the crowds without warning. Approximately 5,000 peasants were detained, 617 arrested, and in some cases, violence on both sides lead to fatalities (44 peasant demonstrators were killed during the strike, 15 of them coming from the village of Majdan Sieniawski, in Przeworsk county). Among counties with most people arrested, there were: • Jarosław County - 61 arrested, • Brzozów County - 47 arrested, • Rzeszów County - 16 arrested, • Przemyśl County - 16 arrested. About 700 farms were pacified, as the police used the doctrine of collective responsibility. The number of wounded is difficult to estimate, as in many situations, the peasants did not go to hospitals, fearing arrest. Nevertheless, despite the repressions, the peasants showed their strength, determination and organizational abilities. SL leaders deliberately chose not to organize the strike in the border areas of the country - Pomerania, Upper Silesia, Volhynia, and the areas of Tarnopol and Wilno, as deterioration of social situation in those strategic and vulnerable provinces, inhabited by ethnic minorities, was unwanted by them. Also, since SL structures in Mazovia, Podlasie, Greater Poland, and northern Lesser Poland (areas of Kielce, Lublin, and Radom) were not as strong as those in the south, the strike there was of a limited character and did not evolve into a mass protest. ==Outcome==

Since the mutual violence of the peasants and the police, among whom there were units of freshly created riot police, was getting out of hand, on August 20 SL leadership decided to stop the strike. The police, which at first was shocked at the magnitude of the protest, took their revenge, pacifying villages and beating participants. This in return provoked hatred of the villagers. First processes of the arrested peasants began in December 1937 in the court in Przemyśl. Altogether, around 1000 people were sentenced to up to 5 years. Many of them stayed behind bars until September 1939, when prison guards left their posts behind, escaping the advancing German troops. The strike failed to shift the official balance of power, as sanacja remained in control. However, it strengthened the Polish peasant movement, and was seen by the peasant activist as a successful demonstration of force. SL activists wanted to organize another strike in 1938, but due to deteriorating international situation, and growing threat of German aggression, it was called off. During World War II, those who took part in the 1937 strike, organized Polish Peasants' Battalions, and after the war, they opposed introduction of the Communist system. ==Notes==