POLISH SYNDICALISTS TOWARDS THE SOVIET UNION AND COMMUNISM DURING WORLD WAR II (Polscy syndykalisci wobec Zwiazku Radzieckiego i komunizmu w latach II wojny swiatowej)

Syndicalists were one of the first circles brought to life by conspirational structures in occupied Poland. Apart from the established in October 1939 Polish Syndicalist Association, from 1940, there existed, a significantly smaller in number, Syndicalist Organisation 'Freedom'. In the first years of the War, PSA as well as SOF occupied a principally anti-Soviet and anticommunist position. Polish syndicalists perceived the USRR as an imperialist country pertaining to the worst tsarism traditions, also in relation to the solutions adopted in the country-s internal policy. Local communists were accused of being dependent on Moscow, and the communist ideology was perceived as containing numerous errors. On establishing military objectives for Poland, it was pointed that only the implementation of the federation idea could offer a chance of survival for the nations of East-Central Europe between Germany and Russia. Along with the changing situation on the fronts of WW II, but also in the context of transformations occurring within the syndicalist movement, the anti-Soviet and anticommunist attitude of the community weakened. By the end of the War, not only in SOF, but also in PSA, emerged, torpedoed by the activists who viewed themselves as inheritors of the tradition of Polish irredenta, clear tendencies to achieve compromise with political forces oriented on Moscow and grounded in PKWN Manifesto. However, the disputes in syndicalist circles of that time presented no practical significance. On the threshold of Polish People-s Republic, the community disintegrated and did not play any further political role.