Polish Secret State
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| Polish Statehood |
Polish Secret State
 History of Poland |
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| The authorities |
| Government |
| Administration |
| Parliament |
| Courts |
| Political organizations |
| 1PPS (socialists) |
| 2SL (agrarian party) |
| 3SN (right-wing party) |
| SP (Christian democrats) |
| 4PPR (communists) |
| 5Bund and Hatzoar (Jewish left) |
| 6Betar (Zionist) |
| 7Camp of National Unity (Sanacja) |
| ONR (right-wing) |
| Falanga (extreme right) |
| SD (centrist) |
| Military organizations |
| ZWZ |
| Armia Krajowa |
| Szare Szeregi |
| 1MR PPR-WRN and GL WRN |
| 2KB and BCh |
| 3NOW and NSZ |
| 4GL and AL |
| 5ŻOB |
| 6ŻZW |
| 7OPW |
| Others |
| Press and Media |
| Education |
| See also: |
| History of Poland (1939–1945) |
Polish Secret State (also known as Polish Underground State; Polish Polskie Państwo Podziemne) is a term coined by scholar Jan Karski in his book Story of a Secret State; it is used to refer to all underground resistance organizations in Poland during World War II, both military and civilian. The term is used in Polish historiography to denote both armed struggle against the occupying powers and all the examples of underground political, social and educational activities.
The military part, consisting mostly of various branches of the Home Army, was to prepare the Polish society for a future fight for the liberation of the country. Apart from armed resistance, sabotage, training and propaganda, the military arm of the Polish secret state was responsible for maintaining communications with the London-based government, as well as for protecting the civilian arm of the state. The main role of the latter was in maintaining the continuity of the Polish state as a whole, including its institutions such as the police, the courts or education. It was to prepare cadres and institutions for recovering power after the German defeat in World War II.
The rationale behind the creation of the secret civilian authorities stemmed from the fact that the German and Soviet occupation of Poland was illegal. Hence all the institutions created by the occupying powers were regarded as illegal and parallel Polish underground institutions, following Polish law, were set up.
[edit] Reference
- Jan Karski (2001). Story of a Secret State. Simon Publications, 391. ISBN 1-931541-39-6.
[edit] See also
- History of Poland (1939-1945)
- Leśni
- Polish contribution to World War II
- World War II atrocities in Poland
- Trial of the Sixteen
[edit] External links
- The Polish government and the Polish Underground State
- Polish Secret State during WWII
- The Polish Underground State and the Home Army
- The Polish Underground State and Home Army
- Warsaw Uprising and The Polish Underground State
- Polish Underground State 1939-45
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