Stosunki państwo-Kościół w PRL w latach 1957-1961. Ujęcie analityczne

Abstract

In 1956 Wladyslaw Gomulka, the leader of the communist party in Poland, appeared as a deliverer of the nation from Stalinism. Meanwhile, in the second half of 1957 his internal policy began more and more to resemble that which he fought against as a comrade “Wieslaw.” This is truly a historical paradox, in which a revolutionist while gaining political power gets similar to those whose values he previously opposed to. No one imagined that the Polish road to socialism would lead (even if partially, but still) through Stalin patterns. The period 1957-1961 was a very turbulent time in relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the People’s Republic of Poland. The article presents selected events from that period. In the second half of 1957 the conciliation policy of Gomulka’s government reached its end. The communist regime in Poland started to repress the Church for her alleged hidden fascism and open clericalism. The author casts light on such facts which deal with controversies about the presence of religion lessons in school, the millennium solemnity of Poland, ethical issues, social claims of workers, the presence of religious symbols in social life, and the autonomy of the Church. His analyses show that the “thaw” period of 1956 was replaced by the “cold” time of 1957-1961 and the restoration of the dogmatic Marxism by Gomulka’s government.