Adel led to the fall of the Polish nobility. The workers arranged for a system of real socialism. We do not have the nobility, the working class is shrinking, fading, flows in historical oblivion. And this transformation desired by the ethos of the middle class somehow can not hatch. Even though we do not have passwords, in which we could unite. Because the hot water tap is no longer anyone poderwie into battle. Europeanness too bored, not to say – spsiała. What other “alliance of workers and peasants – the foundation of successful development of socialist Polish.” Or “Party of the nation, the nation with the party.” Yes, a little mock, laugh a little. But seriously speaking – I wonder what happened to the guiding force of the nation, proletarian, chłoporobotniczą. which, again, quite seriously, she was a few decades before the drive Polish society. If it’s gone, gone where? Which way twisted her children? Pokończyły colleges and they promoted? Potworzyły companies hired less resourceful from each other, passing on the enemy side of the capitalist exploiters? Or they floated toward the British Isles with a wave of accession emigration? All this is true, but not quite. Wandering, searching for answers, like – as a society – we are still looking his way. We already know that it is not socialism, but not the invisible hand of the market, which pushed us toward more intra-colony pawn of global competition, not an entity. Where did we come from? Where are we heading? And yet, whether in today’s era is a force that would be able to move jobs lump of the world? And where those proletarians are today, and maybe they do not exist?
Barbara remembers
Baśka grandfather was a coal miner. And the great communist activist. Silesia left in the 20th century in France, to the town of Belfort, a mecca for Polish working class of the time. Perhaps kumplował the stepfather of Edward Gierek, who later became Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. In any case, my grandfather had to go back to the Polish in 1934, when the strike solidarity with the Polish people made redundant from the mine Lefores whole team got wolf tickets and forced transportation to their homeland. Tata Baśka was maybe five years old when he came to Katowice. She did not recognize his grandfather, had died earlier, but well remembers the time when her father was doing on Kleofasie. For grub, or mine. Because this mine that passed from father to son, then to grandchildren and so on. Women who were born a few guys and all have given into the care of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners, they received state decorations and enjoyed respect. In any case, the father Baśka waved a shovel in the ground, often there crawled or hopped przykucu than walking, because that it was dupiata Robot in a ridiculous position for funny money, so that the honor of it was a feeling of security. Social anyway, because I do not actually. Barbara remembers from that time, the mother said goodbye to his father’s outgoing labor plotted sign of the cross on his forehead. Sam did not work because she had to look after the children and the home. And her husband, who – when he came home tired after the change – it was necessary to give to eat and pat on the head. – How dad already had eaten, he had to get some sleep. Even as he was the day. So, together with my brother we placed next to, under his arm, fell asleep together. Mother us then reached out quietly, awoke to life, but so as not to wake his worker – says Barbara. They went on tiptoe around this man who every month brought criminally bar with payment and taught at the table money. So it was in all the homes Giszowcu where they lived: tired, sweaty, but proud man gave the woman his belt and put geld, or money. Then together they planned: This fee is on clothing, is kids. Some had to go to the end cygarety and beer. – A small tip, so that the fater he did not feel worse among colleagues. Because there was a lot of money at home, one salary was not sufficient to transfer – says Barbara. So it was everywhere, in the neighboring houses: the men were doing, baby cared for the children, cleaned, cooked, ściubiły that was enough for bread and something to the bread. At home were more men in the neighbor of a second staircase, which had a husband Hajera, and yet grub did their three adult sons, they could afford more. But shortly they envied her, in any case, to Monday, when tąpnęło on mine. This morning lost all their men. Her husband and one son killed on the spot. A couple of weeks the two remaining sons went to the Fatherland, because their wives rebelled, they do not want to be young widows. From that moment the mother rebelled father of Barbara, to run away from the bottom. And in the end he succeeded, he began to teach in the school of mining profession, he also went to Germany-in for the job. – Do not pushed to compounds politics, he wanted to live normally – sighs daughter. Buried him on February 22, he was surprised that so many old friends, even of mine, came to the funeral. With kids, now adults, as you need. No one working on the grub. The old are pensioners, the younger pokształcili, work in offices, on the state. A couple of minor interest. Those who did not come, pomrzyli with age or left for “ERF”. There were also some years ago several suicides of those who have reduced after 89 years in arrears and who could not cope in the new era.
– Fortunately, my mother chased my brother and me to learn, she said, that only by working head, hands, we can do something in this life – says Basia. She studied Russian studies, but stopped: in Silesia as it went married, you sit there at home to watch the children. Brother finished Polibuda. Both somehow cope.
The miners, shipbuilders, chłoporobotnicy
Professor Henryk Domanski, a sociologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences, which for years has examined changes in the structure of Polish society , admits that among all the workers’ occupations before the time of the transformation of the two groups were greatest strength: it is the miners and shipyard workers. Well, you could have them add steelworkers. The most numerous, well organized, fine tuning by the authority have a sense of their value and strength. Professional ethos, pride, shared cultural codes. Besides lumping “working class” all those who lived off the labor of his own hands, is somewhat risky. Because by definition for this collection should be added to both the so-called. chłoporobotników, welders hull and garbage. People with high skills and low. Professor Domanski pulls data from his research: even in 1989, just after the turn, majority of Poles living from manual labor. 26 percent. they were skilled workers, 16-17 percent. unskilled and 23 percent. – Peasants. A huge army – 66 percent. all working Poles “towns and villages”. System transformation that took place in Poland, was just at their expense. Large-scale industry, so valued for PRL times, in a new situation began to hamper as unprofitable. It began with the closing of large factories: the knife went mines, steel mills and shipyards, until recently the pride of the nation. Shock, blood and tears. The scale of the project say the best dry numbers. Today we may 16 percent. skilled workers, up 13 percent. unskilled and at most 8 percent. farmers. Total: 37 percent. physical. With a large army of 450 thousand. miners were about 100 thousand. – Even though they have long weapons. Professor Julius Gardawski from SGH adds another number: the 100-strong army steelworkers were less than one-third.
Not only strength, but also the culture
” salt of the black earth “, the” pearl in the crown “,” the beads of one Rosary “. Finally: “Death as a Slice of Bread”. Anyone who wants to understand the phenomenon of “mining the working class” in Silesia, should first see outstanding films directed by Kazimierz Kutz. Better and more real, no one shot. While prof. Kazimiera chief in the book edited by his “forgotten places, forgotten people,” Publisher Silesia 2011, describes the changes that have occurred in this area, not only in the economic sense, but also culturally. A group of researchers investigated two different communities: Zagłębiowska from Bedzin and Mining oak wood, inhabiting a typical mining settlements (Xavier, Koszelew) and the Silesian from Ruda Slaska (Kaufhaus, Gopdula, New Bytom, Wirek lying near the mine room and the now-defunct Valentine Wawel) . In such places, people lived – as they say – like one big family. They worked together, had fun together, drank, played in the orchestra or in one football club. When they began to slow down (the first wave was launched in 1993), first they began to mow the visitors who came to dig coal from Kielce, Mazovia and Warmia village. Began to return to each other, those who did not have to return, as the homeless camped at railway stations. That was the first time in the province. Katowice recorded negative migration balance: minus 2,428 people.
Parents Remek (born 73) came to Tychy in the 70s from Wroclaw, which is of the Recovered Territories, Silesia was working and perspective. My father waved a shovel to Ziemowit, Remek flew for the prom with the guys from the neighborhood. Hotelowiec – so called district where workers stood hotels. Today porobiono in their normal housing and posprzedawano, because there is no one to rent rooms. Those old, rooted miners, traditionally working-class families before the war, claws clung to his job. As Mirosław, year 64, which 34 years remade Halembie. At this mine coal ryll also his father and grandfather. Mirek was afraid and reduce and family – Zonk and two boys – will not have enough to eat. – All these programs retraining of miners, the check it was one big shit – he says firmly. It can not be the RYLA (miner Dołowy) do a florist, even as it sends four training. And the money that they gave for voluntary departure, it was empty audience laughter and shame. – The 30 thousand. zł will not build a new life – says. It is better to give nothing, would avoid the misery. And so it naprodukowano-month millionaires. He bought a guy five-Mercedes and a satellite dish, went with baba sea, drank with comrades and nothing was left to him. – This is only the divorces were other misfortunes – says Mirek. Luckily it was a little protective programs, the early retirement, leave mining. Old, who did not leave for the western border, somehow persevered to ZUS owski benefits. Worse had their children – had to change the style of living and thinking.
The phenomenon of the Polish working class
The idea that a revolution devours its own children. came already in the eighteenth century. Georges Danton, Jacobin, one of the leaders of the French revolution. Only where miners with Uncle whether the Gdansk shipyard workers have to know about it. Even if someone told them probably they would not believe. I would go further to act up with riot police-wcami – for a better life, a better tomorrow, as they thought. The memorable 21 demands of August 1980, only six have been political (free trade), the rest of the household. Professor Janusz Erenc from the University of Gdansk there is no doubt that any other social group, no class has been unable to bring about a change that system. – They brought to its end, not understanding, to which they aspire, so although become winners, they were not beneficiaries of the revolution – sighs prof. Erenc. His academic champion, the late Professor. Marek Latoszek, did a similar study on the Coast as a professor. Chief Silesia. I powychodziły him similar things: the slaughter of big industry, and hence, industrial working class, completely changed people’s lifestyles. Although still live on the old shipyard neighborhoods, solidarity, a sense of community interests, cultural similarity become history. – They no longer identify as working class having common goals, committed to support each other – notes prof. Erenc. This is all the more poignant that touched shipyard being a kind of working-class aristocracy. Old – a strong and proud worker – replaced today worker privatized and individualized. Without class consciousness. Because the working class, though shrunk, still it exists. Only often he does not know itself what it is. – That worker, who works in smaller, private companies. Usually there are no trade unions – explains Erenc. Trade is not, because the owner does not fit their existence. But even his staff too much for them, do not miss. They now live for themselves, their families, do not have a sense of community. Still on the Gdansk Coast recollection of it it was in the form of myth, one archetype. Probably because people here were more deeply rooted than recovered Coast Szczecin. There’s a yard or nitrogen plants came to do, what we would say today, jars of Polish. Martin’s parents, 76 year, are the descendants of Poles after the war came from the borderlands, who settled in the Opole. – My father first worked in the Nitrogen Plant in Kedzierzyn, then took her mother, my sister and came to the Police, because here was an apartment in a block of concrete slabs and prospects – says Marcin. Well remember that when my dad was hiding in drawers under the securities solidarity leaflets, talked about the fight against communism, he and his buddies processed first lesson free-market capitalism. Workers selling water bottles, taps anyway. There is always something being built, peasants were thirsty, and there was no store or vending machines with Coke. And then count pennies, or enough to buy one of resoraków he had seen at an exhibition in peweksie. From the small dreamed to become a welder, he finished zawodówkę, appropriate courses, gained experience. The work has already started in the changed Poland, the first company in the country, one, two, then caught on a foreign trip – to Scandinavia. Now he is working for the Scots, who in their shipyards are building aircraft carriers for the British. – Trade unions, and for what? – He is genuinely surprised by the question. As he says, he activist associated not with the hero, but the “chujograjcą” sly, which only looks at how to set up. Solidarity class? Again, only łypie eye. He is in solidarity with his family. He must maintain it – his wife and daughter, Maja just goes to communion, the adoption will cost. So good that this contract fired. It is known, it would be better to be closer, but always in life, there is something for something that has already learned. – The unions would do better if they watched safety at work, instead of whining about privileges – he says. Marcin is a comparison: as he did in Poland, at times, that there was no glasses, helmets, ventilation, such as welding tanks. Belts when working at height? Forget about it. In the West this standard. – And for example, in Norway compounds controlled whether foreign workers have good living conditions and if the employer provides them with free internet access. To have regular contact with his family – he says.
What happened to our class
Professor Julius Gardawski agrees that today the concept of the working class It means something completely different than before, but while prof. Erenc uses the term “privatized”, he prefers to talk about the class of peripheral. However, in his opinion, the features identified with this group – both before the transformation and after it – so strong collectivism, solidarity, class etc. – are greatly exaggerated. Yes, our workers chose to outbursts, experienced periodic enhancement. So it was 56 years, 70, 81 … But assigning these characteristics, especially after 89 years, is a misunderstanding, the imposition of ideological clichés. Yes, what those of our proletarians, especially large-scale, internationally distinguished among brothers, a low level of anxiety. He investigated a sociologist prof. Jadwiga Koralewicz back to the time of real socialism: it came out that in contrast to the US society with us at the bottom, people are not afraid, but afraid were those who stood up. Probably because they had over them not only occupational heads, but political officers, all the first secretaries, who exerted a lot of pressure on them. In the US, in turn, it was an inverse relationship: the higher the position, the lower the level of anxiety. You can expect that if today is once again examined would appear that in this respect, liken to – as once was said – the rotten West.
Even more interesting is that – according to Prof.. Gardawskiego – our workers were too authoritarian socialism willing to act on its own. And very well prepared to enter into the new system. Force because in state institutions economics gigs. – I was doing fieldwork in the late 80s and 90s in several large factories, which allowed me a closer acquaintance with the workers. And then I asked to give me earned eg. A part of the old, mechanical sewing machine – says Professor – workers at work dragged me on the machine complex parts, and thus I could get to know the economics of gigs. It was a system of small gigs, “the bottle”, but also much more serious money. A leadership on this zezwalało, it was a commonly used form of a kind of subsidies to salaries of highly skilled workers. – Those people with one foot acted already in the system of private, so the transition quickly joined the market system – estimated Gardawski.
Evidence let it be even the fact that etosowa group of young trade union activists dreamed realized that during the process of privatization of 20 percent. shares sold bets that were placed freely into the hands of the crews, should give the employee organizations – that have an impact on the group management of privatized factory work became collective shareholder. This took place in Slovenia. But our people do not want to get preferred shares in your hand and quickly turned into real cash. Thus did not confirm the visions of proletarian collectivism of our working class.
The most important thing was the attitude of the workers, which we studied in the late 80s and early 90s majority of Polish workers were supporters of the market economy, and not socialist, although expected that the market will not lead to difficulties, can not cause unemployment. When in the early ’90s, unemployment has started to grow rapidly, the workers have not withdrawn their support for the market.
Of course, the transformation had its victims. Most victims were employees of state-owned farms, whose socialist farms wytresowały of helplessness that you passed in a sad decline in the next generation. Volumes have been written about it. While the rest doing well. Again a few numbers of studies prof. Gardawskiego. When, in 1999, and so a decade after the transition, looked at who are the owners of small and medium-sized businesses (not micro), employing 10 to 249 employees, found that 60 per cent. This is the world of the former socialist managers. Workers almost was not. When the study was repeated after twelve years, the picture was quite different. Already 30.2 percent. these entrepreneurs were the people whose fathers were workers. A 17 per cent. – Farmers. – 47.2 percent. It was the origin of the worker-peasant – emphasizes prof. Gardawski.
This was due certainly educational boom. Businessmen of peasant roots, whose fathers had primary education and basic themselves at 20 percent. pokończyli studies, of which 12 per cent. He obtained a diploma in engineering. And among these entrepreneurs coming from the working-class environment university degree earned 30 per cent., And almost half of that number are former engineers.
Children proletarians push forward, push to learn next generation. Barbara talks about his consolations: the oldest Bartek and Ola study. The boy computer science at the Technical University of Silesia, girl international relations at the Jagiellonian University. The youngest Karolcia year seemed to be a high school diploma, but it certainly will go to study further. Barbara does examination of conscience: his father and grandfather it was the working class, can not hide. She is already półinteligencja. She hopes that her three kids wychuchanych (music lessons, pianos, painting, swimming, any money went to it) it already will be middle class as it looks. For Baśka and her husband Andrew (private initiative, trade) the notion of the working class is associated mainly with ancient times and titles in the “Tribune Workers”. Or the museum. Because only there you can see what is still the rest of the Polish associated with Silesia. Today, walking through Katowice, more to meet przegiętych gays in full makeup than robociarzy of lines around the eyes painted charcoal.
Martin also is sure that his only child, although he finished zawodówkę and his wife did not do exams, promoted through science. Well it learns, is great with math, to all competitions in the school set. Therefore, investing in it on all sides. He was like a child, kicked just saw, little is imported classes, ballet, dance, music lessons. To live like people. She had everything she needed. Remek he finished in absentia studies, political science, works in advertising, his head. His elder son is on the right. Somehow I can handle in life.
Professor Henryk Domanski suggests that although lifestyle and consumer ambitions of the working class today are similar to those that characterize the middle class, it is not necessarily associated with such the thrust success as in her skip the next levels of social promotion at all costs. Just its representatives as comfortable life. And even if they want something more, it is harder for them, which is associated with a worse cultural background learned from home. In this respect, the family of Barbara and Martin are exceptional. – Do not it always promoted education is synonymous with career advancement – notes Domanski. Our intelligence has for years been a stable group, some 12-13 per cent. population. A small indeed – in the Nordic countries is more than twice as high – 30 percent. So little proletarians trained, but do not fall for top positions, if anything, lower supply and the average middle class. Transfer window allows for quick promotions quickly closed, even in the 90s In addition, the worse end of school than their peers from higher classes. After which it is difficult to really good job. Often, moreover, they confine themselves bachelor who is not a reason to decent earnings. But he also notes prof. Julius Gardawski, we are dependent market economy, where the number of jobs for highly educated people is not too great. We have assembly plants, the company focused on the production of large series of custom-made products to foreign know-how. The number of research centers, development centers is limited. Be content with Bachelor happens so often a sign of pragmatism: the creators are not needed. More ants. How many kids with diplomas sitting “on hand” in supermarkets? These employees of large retail chains is – according to prof. Gardawskiego – the modern workers. Except that they are no longer the leading force of the nation. They lost their meaning and power.
So who is? Recently, the fashion was the concept of precarity, which some believe was about to enter the place of the proletariat. But this is too simplistic. Me more convinced that what he says prof. Janusz Erenc: old ends, the new has not yet done. The middle class, which was to be the engine of the new order, has not yet developed. A process that is constantly ongoing. I do not know how long it will last. – Today more than theory classes of our society describes elite theory – notes Erenc. In the center of gravity it is based on the ruling and places making the most important decisions – political and economic. At the same time, it is worth noting, these elites are ideologically unified. The game is played just about share of power, its staffing, taking over the institutions, monopolizing reality. And it is not only the last diagnosis of “good change”, but what is happening in the country for two decades-plus. It’s around the elites – the political – people gather, treating reality as a field to victory. Compete, fight, conquer or die. Eliminate the opponent. But what is acceptable in times of revolution, destroys and corrupts democracy. Worse, the lack of strength today, that could to stamp his foot and change it. Well, unless the Poles, regardless of whether they have education, they perform work, wake up aware citizens. Strengthen the world of civil society organizations and trade unions. There will be, as in the 80s, the ethos of idealists. But this is wishful thinking, probably hardly anyone believes in it.
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