Polish Socialist Party

Last updated

Polish Socialist Party
Polska Partia Socjalistyczna
AbbreviationPPS
President Wojciech Konieczny
Founded
  • 1892 (original form)
  • 1987 (current form)
Headquartersal. Niepodległości 161 lok. 2
Warsaw
Ideology Democratic socialism
Pro-Europeanism [1]
Political position Left-wing to far-left
National affiliation The Left
Colours  Red
Anthem The Standard of Revolt
Sejm
0 / 460
Senate
1 / 100
European Parliament
0 / 52
Regional assemblies
0 / 552
City Presidents
0 / 107
Website
ppspl.eu OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Timeline of Polish socialist/social democratic parties after 1986
•Polish Socialist Party (1987–)
•Polish Social Democratic Union (1990–1992)
•Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (1990–1999)
•Democratic-Social Movement (1991–1992)
•Labour Union (1992–)
•National Party of Retirees and Pensioners (1994–)
•Democratic Left Alliance (1999–2021)
•Reason Party (2002–2013)
•Social Democracy of Poland (2004–)
•Freedom and Equality (2005–)
•Polish Left (2008–)
•Left Together (2015–)
•Spring (2019–2021)
•New Left (2021–)

The Polish Socialist Party (Polish : Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland.

Contents

It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' Party to form the Polish United Workers' Party in 1948. Józef Piłsudski, founder of the Second Polish Republic, belonged to and later led the PPS in the early 20th century.

The party was re-established in 1987, near the end of the Polish People's Republic. However, it remained in the margins of Polish politics until 2019, when it was able to win a seat in the Senate of Poland.

History

The PPS was founded in Paris in 1892 (see the Great Emigration). In 1893 the party called Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, (SDKPiL), emerged from the PPS, with the PPS being more nationalist and oriented towards Polish independence, and the SDKPiL being more revolutionary and communist. In November 1892 the leading personalities of the PPS agreed on a political program. The program, largely progressive for the time of its creation, accented: independent Republic of Poland based on democratic principles, direct universal voting rights, equal rights for all nations living in Poland, equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race, nationality, religion and gender, freedom of press, speech, and assembly, progressive taxation, eight-hour workday, minimum wage, equal wages for men and women, ban on child labour (till age 14), free education, and social support in case of injury in the workplace. [2]

After the Revolution of 1905 in the Russian Empire, the party membership drastically increased from several hundred active members to a mass movement of about 60,000 members. [3] Another split in the party occurred in 1906, with the Revolutionary Faction following Józef Piłsudski, who supported the nationalist and independence ideals, and the Left faction which allied itself with the SDKPiL. However, the Revolutionary Faction became dominant and renamed itself back again to the PPS, while the Left was eclipsed, and in 1918 merged with SDKPiL forming the Communist Party of Poland. In 1917-18 the party participated in the Central Council of Ukraine and the Government of Ukraine.

During the Second Polish Republic the PPS at first supported Józef Piłsudski, including his May Coup, but later moved into the opposition to his authoritarian Sanacja regime by joining the democratic 'centrolew' (center-left) opposition movement. Many PPS leaders and members were put on trial by Piłsudski's regime and jailed in the infamous Bereza Kartuska prison.

The party was a member of the Labour and Socialist International between 1923 and 1940. [4]

The party supported the Polish resistance during World War II as the underground Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Wolność, Równość, Niepodległość). In 1948 it suffered a fatal split, as the Communists applied the salami tactics to dismember any opposition. One faction, which included Edward Osóbka-Morawski wanted to join forces with the Polish Peasant Party and form a united front against the Communists. Another faction, led by Józef Cyrankiewicz, argued that the Socialists should support the Communists in carrying through a socialist program while opposing the imposition of one-party rule. Pre-war political hostilities continued to influence events, and Stanisław Mikołajczyk, leader of the Peasant Party, would not agree to form a united front with the Socialists. The Communists played on these divisions by dismissing Osóbka-Morawski and making Cyrankiewicz the Prime Minister.

In 1948, Cyrankiewicz's faction of Socialists merged with the Communist Polish Workers' Party (PPR) to form the Polish United Workers' Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; PZPR), the ruling party in the People's Republic of Poland; remnants of the other faction survived on emigration in the Polish government-in-exile and because of that Polish Socialist Party was still active on emigration. Cyrankiewicz's faction isn't really treated as proper PPS.

Refoundation and present

A new party with the same name, which seeks to carry on the tradition of the original PPS, was established by left-wing opposition figures such as Jan Józef Lipski in 1987. However, the new PPS remains a marginal group within the political landscape of the Third Republic, having representation in the Sejm only between 1993 and 2001. However, in the 2019 Polish parliamentary election the PPS saw its leader Wojciech Konieczny elected to the Senate of Poland under the banner of The Left. [5] Other members of the Sejm and the Senate later joined the PPS, which currently has two deputies and two senators.

Its main propaganda outlet was the Robotnik ('The Worker') newspaper. The current party published the Nowy Robotnik ("The New Worker"), a continuation of the original publication, from 2003 to 2006.

On 16 November 2020, the party founded its first foreign branch in the United Kingdom, in the city of Coventry, [6] home to a British Polish population founded by Polish Army Exiles. [7]

On the 25 June 2022, factions of the party formed an alliance with Social Democracy of Poland, Freedom and Equality, Labour Union and Polish Left to compete in the next Polish parliamentary election. The alliance also included the Feminist Initiative, the Democratic Left Association (SLD), and the Working People's Movement. [8] In February 2023, after an internal conflict, [9] PPS, together with the Labour Union, re-joined The Left. [10]


Ideology

It historically advocated for a mix of socialism and nationalism, [11] [12] and was considered to be on the left-wing on the political spectrum. [13] [14] They opposed Bolshevism, and more favored Mensheviks. [15] Recently the party has self-declared itself as a democratic socialist force, and was described as a leftist party with a strong emphasis on democracy by their parliamentary leader Wojciech Konieczny. [16]

Election results

Sejm

YearPopular vote% of voteSeats+/–Government
1919 515,0629.2 (#4)
35 / 394
NewCoalition (1919)
Opposition (1919-1920)
Coalition (1920-1921)
Opposition (1921-1922)
1922 906,53710.3 (#5)
41 / 444
Increase2.svg 6Opposition (1922-1925)
Coalition (1925-1926)
Opposition (1926)
Coalition (1926-1928)
1928 1,482,09713.0 (#2)
64 / 444
Increase2.svg 23Opposition
1930 1,965,86417.3 (#2)
23 / 444
Decrease2.svg 41Opposition
As part of the Centrolew coalition, which won 79 seats in total.
1935 Boycotted
0 / 206
Decrease2.svg 23Extra-parliamentary
1938 Boycotted
0 / 208
Steady2.svg 0Extra-parliamentary
1947 9,003,68226.13 (#1)
116 / 444
Increase2.svg 116Coalition
As part of the Democratic Bloc coalition, which won 394 seats in total. [note 1]
1991 230,9752.1 (#13)
0 / 460
Decrease2.svg 116Extra-parliamentary
As part of the Labour Solidarity coalition, which won 4 seats in total.
1993 2,815,16920.4 (#1)
4 / 460
Increase2.svg 4Coalition
As part of the Democratic Left Alliance coalition, which won 171 seats in total.
1997 3,551,22427.1 (#2)
3 / 460
Decrease2.svg 1Opposition
As part of the Democratic Left Alliance coalition, which won 164 seats in total.
2001 13,4590.1 (#11)
0 / 460
Decrease2.svg 3Extra-parliamentary
2005 91,2660.8 (#11)
0 / 460
Steady2.svg 0Extra-parliamentary
As part of the Polish Labour Party committee, which won no seats.
2007 160,4761.0 (#7)
0 / 460
Steady2.svg 0Extra-parliamentary
As part of the Polish Labour Party committee, which won no seats.
2015 1,147,1027.6 (#5)
0 / 460
Steady2.svg 0Extra-parliamentary
As part of the United Left coalition, which won no seats.
2019 2,319,94612.6 (#3)
0 / 460
Steady2.svg 0Extra-parliamentary
As part of The Left coalition, which won 49 seats in total.
2023 1,859,0188.6 (#4)
0 / 460
Steady2.svg 0Extra-parliamentary
As part of The Left coalition, which won 26 seats in total.

Senate

YearPopular vote% of voteSeatsSeat change
1922 468,1478.4 (#5)
7 / 111
n/a
1928 715,55611.2 (#3)
10 / 111
Increase2.svg 3
1930 As part of Centrolew coalition, which won 13 seats in total.
1935 Boycotted
1938 Boycotted
1993 4,993,06135.7 (#1)
1 / 100
Increase2.svg 1
As part of the Democratic Left Alliance coalition, which won 37 seats in total.
1997 6,091,72145.7 (#2)
3 / 100
Increase2.svg 2
As part of the Democratic Left Alliance coalition, which won 28 seats in total.
2001 131,9870.5 (#11)
0 / 100
Decrease2.svg 3
2019 415,7452.3 (#4)
1 / 100
Increase2.svg 1
As part of The Left coalition, which won 2 seats in total.

Presidential

Second Polish Republic
Election yearCandidate1st round2nd round
votes %votes %
1922 Ignacy Daszyński 499.1 (#5)10.2 (#5)
1926 Supported Józef Piłsudski [note 2] 29260.2 (#1)
1926 Zygmunt Marek 5611.6 (#3)10.2 (#3)
Third Polish Republic
Election yearCandidate1st round2nd round
# of overall votes % of overall vote# of overall votes % of overall vote
1995 Supported Tadeusz Zieliński631,4323.5 (#6)
2000 Piotr Ikonowicz 38,6720.2 (#10)
2005 Supported Daniel Podrzycki [note 3]
2020 Supported Robert Biedroń 432,1292.2 (#6)

European Parliament

YearPopular vote% of voteSeats
2004 48,6670.80
0 / 54
As part of KPEiR-PLD coalition, which won no seats.
2009 1,3310.02
0 / 50

Notable people who were members or were associated with PPS

Presidents and heads of state

Prime Ministers

Other figures

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Only communist faction.
  2. ↑ Declined to take the office.
  3. ↑ Podrzycki died a day prior the election in a car accident.

Related Research Articles

The interwar Communist Party of Poland was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) and the Polish Socialist Party – Left into the Communist Workers' Party of Poland. The communists were a small force in Polish politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Workers' Party</span> 1942–1948 political party in Poland

The Polish Workers' Party was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) and merged with the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) in 1948 to form the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). From the end of World War II the PPR led Poland, with the Soviet Union exercising moderate influence. During the PPR years, the centers of opposition activity were largely diminished, and a socialist system was established in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Józef Cyrankiewicz</span> Polish politician (1911–1989)

Józef Adam Zygmunt Cyrankiewicz was a Polish Socialist (PPS) and after 1948 Communist politician. He served as premier of the Polish People's Republic between 1947 and 1952, and again for 16 years between 1954 and 1970. He also served as Chairman of the Polish Council of State from 1970 to 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Osóbka-Morawski</span> Polish activist and politician (1909–1997)

Edward Bolesław Osóbka-Morawski was a Polish activist and politician in the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) before World War II, and after the Soviet takeover of Poland, Chairman of the Communist-dominated interim government, the Polish Committee of National Liberation formed in Lublin with Stalin's approval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provisional Government of National Unity</span> Government of Poland from 1945 to 1947

The Provisional Government of National Unity was a puppet government formed by the decree of the State National Council on 28 June 1945 as a result of reshuffling the Soviet-backed Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland established by the Polish Workers' Party through inclusion of politicians from the close political sphere of Stanisław Mikołajczyk, the former prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile based in London. Inclusion of the latter group provided an excuse for the Western allies to approve tacitly the fait accompli of Poland becoming part of the Soviet sphere of influence, and to legitimise the Warsaw government while withdrawing their recognition of the Polish government-in-exile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania</span> Political party

The Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, originally the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland (SDKP), was a Marxist political party founded in 1893 and later served as an autonomous section of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. It later merged into the Communist Workers Party of Poland. Its most famous member was Rosa Luxemburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party</span> Polish guerrilla organization

The Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party was an illegal Polish guerrilla organization founded in 1904 by Józef Piłsudski.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular National Union</span> Political party in Poland

Związek Ludowo-Narodowy was a Polish political party aligned with the National Democracy political movement during the Second Polish Republic, gathering together right-wing politicians with conservative and nationalist opinions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Łódź insurrection</span> 1905 uprising in Russian Poland

The Łódź insurrection, also known as the June Days, was an uprising by Polish workers in Łódź against the Russian Empire between 21 and 25 June 1905. This event was one of the largest disturbances in the Russian-controlled Congress Poland during the Russian Revolution of 1905. Poland was a major center of revolutionary fighting in the Russian Empire in 1905–1907, and the Łódź insurrection was a key incident in those events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction</span> Political party in Poland

The Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction also known as the Old Faction was one of two factions into which the Polish Socialist Party split in 1906. The Revolutionary Faction's primary goal was to restore an independent Poland, which was envisioned as a representative democracy. It saw itself as a spiritual successor to the Red Faction of the 1863 January Uprising, which had the goal of creating an independent Polish-Lithuanian-Ruthenian Commonwealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Socialist Party – Left</span> Political party in Poland

Polish Socialist Party – Left, also known as the Young Faction, was one of two factions into which Polish Socialist Party divided itself in 1906 at its ninth congress. Its primary goal was transform Poland into a socialist country, established through proletarian revolution, and likely a member of some international communist country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazimierz Pużak</span>

Kazimierz Pużak (1883–1950) was a Polish socialist politician of the interwar period. Active in the Polish Socialist Party, he was one of the leaders of the Polish Secret State and Polish resistance, sentenced by the Soviets in the infamous Trial of the Sixteen in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–1907)</span> 20th-century insurrection in Poland

A major part of the Russian Revolution of 1905 took place in the Russian Partition of Poland and lasted until 1907. It was the largest wave of strikes and widest emancipatory movement that Poland had ever seen until the 1970s and the 1980s. One of the major events of that period was the insurrection in Łódź in June 1905. Throughout that period, many smaller demonstrations and armed struggles between the peasants and workers on one side and the government on the other took place. The demands of the demonstrators included the improvement of the workers' living conditions, as well as political freedoms, particularly related to increased autonomy for Poland. Particularly in 1905, Poland was at the verge of a new uprising, revolution or civil war. Some Polish historians even consider the events of that period a fourth Polish uprising against the Russian Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tytus Filipowicz</span>

Tytus Filipowicz (1873–1953) was a Polish politician and diplomat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence</span>

The Movement of the Urban and Rural Working Masses – Freedom, Equality, Independence, commonly known as Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence and abbreviated as PPS-WRN or just WRN, was an underground organisation in occupied Poland during World War II set up by the activists of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) and continuing its traditions. The party leadership used the name Central Leadership of the Movement. Within the Political Consultative Committee, the organization used the code name "Koło".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workers' Militia of the Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence</span>

Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence often referred to simply as Militia PPS-WRN, was a Polish underground paramilitary formation of the Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence active during the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II between 1939 and 1945. The total number of clandestine members of MR PPS-WRN reached 30,000 at the time of the Soviet counter-offensive of 1944. They participated in both Operation Tempest against the Nazis and in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. MR PPS-WRN was created in November 1939 amongst the prewar labour circles in Warsaw, Radom, Kraków, in Upper Silesia (Śląsk) and in the Dąbrowa Basin (Zagłębie) mainly for self-protection. It was supposed to help recreate the Polish prewar police and counter—intelligence services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrzej Strug</span> Polish socialist and activist (1871–1937)

Andrzej Strug, real name TadeuszGałecki was a Polish socialist politician, publicist and activist for Poland's independence. He was also a freemason and declined the offer to join the prestigious Polish Academy of Literature, upset by official criticism of the movement.

The Polish Communist Party, or the Communist Party of Poland, is an anti-revisionist Marxist–Leninist communist party in Poland founded in 2002 claiming to be the historical and ideological heir of the Communist Party of Poland, Polish Workers' Party and the Polish United Workers' Party.

References

  1. ↑ "Deklaracja ideowa Polskiej Partii Socjalistycznej" [Ideological declaration of the Polish Socialist Party]. Polska Partia Socjalistyczna. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019.
  2. ↑ Friszke, Andrzej (1989). O kształt niepodległej. Warszawa: Biblioteka "Więzi". p. 22. ISBN   83-7006-014-5.
  3. ↑ Friszke, Andrzej (1989). O kształt niepodległej. Warszawa: Biblioteka "Więzi". p. 45. ISBN   83-7006-014-5.
  4. ↑ Kowalski, Werner (1985). Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19 [History of the Socialist Workers' International: 1923 - 19th Century]. Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften. p. 316.
  5. ↑ "Wojciech Konieczny". wnp.pl. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Polska Partia Socjalistyczna". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "BBC - Coventry and Warwickshire Features - History of Poles in Coventry". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  8. ↑ "Cztery partie lewicowe podpisały porozumie. Chcą iść razem do wyborów". 25 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Konflikt w PPS. Zakaz używania nazwy przez parlamentarzystów". www.rmf24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  10. ↑ Lewicy, Rzecznik Nowej (27 February 2023). "Lewica łączy siły na wybory. Porozumienie Nowej Lewicy, partii Razem, Polskiej Partii Socjalistycznej i Unii Pracy podpisane!". Nowa Lewica (in Polish). Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  11. ↑ Luxemburg, Rosa (2019). The complete works of Rosa Luxemburg. Peter Hudis, Paul Le Blanc, David Fernbach, Joseph G. Fracchia, George Shriver, Nicholas Gray. London. ISBN   978-1-84467-974-4. OCLC   857863128.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. ↑ Marzec, Wiktor; Turunen, Risto (1 June 2018). "Socialisms in the Tsarist Borderlands". Contributions to the History of Concepts. 13 (1): 22–50. doi:10.3167/choc.2018.130103. ISSN   1807-9326. S2CID   149702151.
  13. ↑ Suławka, Adam Radosław (31 December 2015). "Prasa Komitetu Centralnego Komunistycznej Partii Zachodniej Białorusi (KC KPZB) wydawana w języku Rosyjskim". Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej. 50 (2): 55. doi: 10.12775/SDR.2015.2.03 . ISSN   2353-6403. S2CID   131755073.
  14. ↑ Kowalski, Stanisław (2018). Dzieje Kępna : od początku istnienia do 2015 r. Kępno. Urząd Miasta i Gminy (Wydanie pierwsze ed.). Kępno: Gmina Kępno. ISBN   978-83-66149-00-7. OCLC   1088955807.
  15. ↑ Dubnow, Simon (1916). History of the Jews in Russia and Poland, from the Earliest Times Until the Present Day, Vol. 3. Forgotten Books. ISBN   9781440042393.
  16. ↑ ""Chcemy być demokratyczni". Konieczny o kulisach powstania koła parlamentarnego PPS". Polskie Radio (in Polish). Retrieved 9 February 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.