Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Read: People's Republic of Poland (PRL) - Queue committees, peweks, queues. Let's not talk about what is happening in the country. Popular newspapers.

In the times of the Polish People's Republic, it was not as easy as it is today. The reality was completely different, especially when it comes to shopping. The shelves were literally missing everything, and there were huge queues behind the selected products. How was shopping in the People's Republic of Poland? Learn the most important facts about shopping in the People's Republic of Poland. The People's Republic of Poland was a period of ubiquitous censorship in Poland. Poles did not find out about the actual situation in the country, because most of the information was secret. The reality was hidden and replaced with fiction - that is, what Poles would like to see, listen and read. Much, or even most, things were not said. How did censorship work before 1989? We will try to clarify this topic. Currently, newspapers and magazines are disappearing as their role is increasingly taken over by the Internet. However, in the times of the Polish People's Republic, they were the only source of information, announcements, and news. The press was censored and was the mouthpiece of party propaganda, but it also provided people with entertainment. In widely read newspapers and magazines, the articles were short, written with humor, and in a very good style. Their literary and linguistic level was far above the current media. Find out what was read in the Polish People's Republic and which titles were the most popular.

During the Polish People's Republic, people fought for almost every kind of goods. Cards issued for sugar, flour, meat, and butter were everyday activities. When martial law was introduced, rationing on most goods became mandatory. You couldn't get basic everyday items like toilet paper. Today, all you have to do is go to the store, choose your favorite paper and pay for it. In the last decade of the Polish People's Republic, most basic articles were rationed. It often turned out that the goods delivered were not enough for everyone - such as bread, which was always lacking in Polish homes. The rationing of goods consisted in issuing cards, thanks to which it was possible to buy only a certain number of products designated on them - mainly food products. It is worth knowing that in Poland the card system operated in three periods:

1946-1949
1951-1953
1976-1989

The third period of the card system was the longest and covered different goods with each successive year. Cards were issued, among others for sugar, meat, flour, groats, or rice. Of course, they were extended with other products - such as washing powder, chocolate, and even alcohol. In the worst period, every purchase for the child had to be stamped in the child's health book - as proof that the purchase of, for example, powdered milk or diapers was right. Issuing food cards were not very smooth. Very often people stood in seemingly endless lines - even though they did not always manage to buy anything in the end. It turned out that the goods were exhausted at some point. Even the compulsory registration of cards turned out to be completely ineffective. The only solution that made life easier was the possibility of replacing, for example, cigarette cards with sweets - but not the other way around. Instead of alcohol, you could choose coffee or chocolate. People coped as best they could. Many of them were illegally trading a scarce commodity. Selected products could also be bought in stores but at a price several times higher than the official prices. Not only goods were traded, but also the cards themselves (especially for alcohol and gasoline). Of course, the cards did not replace money - they only authorized the purchase of products specified on the cards. Rationing covered scarce goods, such as vegetables, coffee, tea, vinegar, salt, matches, spices, cereals, candies, and even women's stockings. The biggest queues date back to 1981 when the shops lacked everything. Without a special card, you did not have the right to even buy alcohol or cigarettes in a store - which is hard to imagine for especially young people living today. We have access to everything in the amount we want and whenever we want. In the times of the Polish People's Republic, people could only dream about it. Household appliances were also regulated. Therefore, if goods in the form of household appliances appeared in stores, queue committees were formed. According to the social list, these committees tried to organize the purchase of e.g. Frania's famous washing machine, juicer, or refrigerator. People often fought in queues, pushed, and sometimes broke windows. Scenes that may seem downright tragic took place in front of retail outlets. Rationing also applied to clothes, but also shoes, school supplies, or wedding rings. The allocation of cards depended mainly on where you lived, what work you did, and how old you were. Sometimes people even looked at… religious denomination. On this basis, issuing food stamps and other goods. In the 1980s, the use of railroad stackers became popular. Their task was to stand in line to buy goods in return for a specific salary. There was a shortage of products, so queuers were eagerly used to buying certain goods. With the transition of Poland to a free market economy, the "job" of the queue staker was forgotten. In the times of the Polish People's Republic, our country was not on the free market. The Polish currency, in turn, was not convertible. That is why there was no question of foreign trade. Poles had to buy what was currently in the country. Often they were of poor quality, but there was no other choice. The only exception was Pewex - a chain of stores, where you could find luxury products imported from abroad. In the famous Peweks, there were not only food products, but also toys, clothes, cosmetics as well as RTV and household appliances. You could also buy curtains, yarn, sports equipment, microcomputers, electric tools, building materials, and even cars - for which you normally had to wait for years to be allocated. Contrary to appearances, it was not expensive in Peweks. These were not goods subject to taxes or duties. That is why Poles could stock up on what they could not get, e.g. for cards. Pemex aroused great emotions when foreign luxury goods appeared there (like Coca-Cola in a glass bottle). The free market and the introduction of convertibility of zlotys led to the closure of Peweks in Poland in 2003. In 2013, however, Pewex was reborn as an online store, set up by Monster Media Group.

In the Polish People's Republic, censorship was dealt with by the central state censorship office, i.e. the Central Office for the Control of Press, Publications, and Performances. The headquarters of the office was at 5 Mysia Street in Warsaw. At the very beginning, this institution was subordinate to the Ministry of Security, but later the then Polish prime minister began to "tamper" with it. In fact, few Poles really knew what the state censorship office did. Therefore, the public was not aware that what they read in the press, for example, had been censored. Only people working in the media were aware of the censorship. Everything that was published during the Polish People's Republic censorship had to be censored. Otherwise, the publication had no right to exist. Every single thing that passed through the media was subject to censorship in Poland. Nevertheless, the readers of the press or viewers did not know about it - especially since at first there was no mention of censorship at all. When the state censorship office blocked, for example, a text in a newspaper for publication, the editors had to replace it with another - and these were also often rejected or censored to the maximum. So much so that no one later realized that he was reading the manipulated content. Especially since there were no stamps showing that the publication was censored. In the Polish People's Republic, censorship was dealt with by the central state censorship office, i.e. the Central Office for the Control of Press, Publications and Performances. The headquarters of the office was at 5 Mysia Street in Warsaw. At the very beginning, this institution was subordinate to the Ministry of Security, but later the then Polish prime minister began to "tamper" with it. In fact, few Poles really knew what the state censorship office did. Therefore, the public was not aware that what they read in the press, for example, had been censored. Only people working in the media were aware of the censorship. Everything that was published during the Polish People's Republic censorship had to be censored. Otherwise, the publication had no right to exist. Every single thing that passed through the media was subject to censorship in Poland. Nevertheless, the readers of the press or viewers did not know about it - especially since at first there was no mention of censorship at all. When the state censorship office blocked, for example, a text in a newspaper for publication, the editors had to replace it with another - and these were also often rejected or censored to the maximum. So much so that no one later realized that he was reading the manipulated content. Especially since there were no stamps showing that the publication was censored. The then authorities filled the central office of state censorship with trusted people who controlled all publications. They controlled not only the press but also every media institution and everything that came out from under its wings. Radio, television, film, and theater were also controlled in this way. The censor acted in four stages:

First, he pre-inspected the material.
Then he checked the complex text, song, or movie.
Later, he controlled the creature once more.
Finally, he analyzed the published material.

Very often, the censor not only rejected the materials but also ordered corrections to be made. In this way, the publications were changed so that they would be subordinated to the propaganda policy of Poland. Some of the corrections were absurd and completely changed the meaning of the message. However, no one could "jump over" the censorship. It was only after a long time that people began to realize that something was ... wrong. Censorship not only controlled the content itself for publication. With her actions she spread propaganda on the whole country, opposing "enemies" - especially the political system and the Church that were present at that time. Moreover, new journalists, most of whom were of working-class origin, were also trained. It was just such people that the rulers could manipulate and subject them to propaganda procedures. Believing that the working class cannot think for itself anyway. In addition to the press, which was censored all the time, there was also supervision over:

Television - programs were decided by censorship, so television became the most important tool of communist propaganda.
Books - polemics were forbidden. The books had to comply with the tasks of the propaganda work. Verses and even entire chapters were regularly removed from the books. The freedom of printed speech slowly began to return to normal only in the mid-1970s.
Radio - only pre-recorded material was broadcast. Live radio broadcasts were broadcast only at the beginning of the '70s
Film - censorship may have accepted or rejected the film in its entirety. Directors often had to make corrections or cut out some scenes in the film. Of course, it was not possible to produce films that were inconsistent with the ideology of the time, i.e. based on facts.
Musical - Songs were also censored. If a text was found to be harmful to the authorities, it was ordered to change it. And if the performers distorted their songs while performing them, they were in big trouble later.

Censorship was undoubtedly the greatest power tool for the rulers in the People's Republic of Poland. Thanks to it, it was possible to manipulate society, maintaining a fictional reality and changing the meaning of every word, written or spoken. This is how, in the times of the People's Republic of Poland, people were deprived of their inner freedom and the sense of security related to it. This is how Poles were deprived of the right to express their own opinion, making them think in a completely different way than they would like. Censorship in the People's Republic of Poland had a negative impact on the views of many people, which, unfortunately, has a very negative overtone to this day.

In the times of the Polish People's Republic, just like now, it was necessary to inform the public about what was happening in Poland and in the world. All media, i.e. the press, radio, and TV, were harnessed to official socialist propaganda. Censorship was in place, and no information inconsistent with the official party line could appear in the mass media. In a time when the Internet and cell phones were absent, the press was basically the only source of ordinary, practical information. People searched for job advertisements in newspapers, looked for a fitter or a specialist, or checked the TV program. Buying the daily newspaper was a must. That is why the shortage of newspapers was so acute in the 1980s. It cannot be said that socialism was completely wrong. Illiteracy was eliminated, people were encouraged to read the press and books, of course on the party line. Average people knew what it was about, and therefore the party organ, the People's Tribune, was bought only by those who had to do it on a professional basis. The average eaters of bread engrossed in the tabloids of that time. It was not, however, the tabloid press like it is today. Gossip was avoided, and there was no mention of the private lives of celebrities or politicians. The daily press of that time contains a huge amount of interesting facts, written in the beautiful, literary Polish language, which the current press can only envy. Polish newspapers were not as thick as they are today and there were no articles for a page or two. They contained a few to a dozen pages, and the articles were short but concise and interesting to read. The then newspapers and magazines were published on ugly, cheap paper. However, apart from communist propaganda, their content stood at a very high literary level. Censorship of the press and media was established in the People's Republic of Poland as early as 1946 and lasted until 1990. It was preventive censorship that involved checking the content before it was published. For this purpose, the Main Office for the Control of Press, Publications and Performances was established, reporting directly to the Prime Minister. According to the law, censorship was aimed at preventing misleading the public, revealing state secrets, harming good manners, interests, and the system of the Polish State. In practice, censorship prohibited the publication of any content inconsistent with the party line, socialist system, and the leading role of the Soviet Union. Any criticism of the political system or the leading role of the party was impossible. All printed publications, radio and TV broadcasts, as well as theatrical performances and shows, were subject to censorship. Therefore, both newspapers and popular entertainment programs in the People's Republic of Poland were previously checked for compliance with the party line. In the Polish People's Republic, there was a list of forbidden books with about 5,000 items. These books were withdrawn from libraries. Censorship also prevented the screening of films that were called "Colonels" because they had fallen behind in the regiments. Censorship was heavily criticized by the Catholic Church in Poland. In the 1980s, the second circulation of publications was created, printed, and distributed illegally outside of censorship. In the Polish People's Republic, newspapers were bought at kiosks, which are now disappearing. They were called "Ruch" kiosks because the main publisher of the press was the state-owned publishing company RSW "Prasa-Książ-Ruch". Another place where you could buy newspapers was the popular "empik", that is, the International Book and Press Clubs, popularly known as clubs or empik clubs. Empik stores were established primarily in the largest cities and included a press lounge, a bookstore, and a café with a reading room, where you could read the press for free. Empiki was the only place where you could buy the foreign press, as long as you managed to get it. Obviously, foreign titles were very expensive and available in very small amounts. The clubs from the Polish People's Republic became the prototype of the "Empik" company. Diaries were published in the morning and afternoon, and the magazines were usually on Friday. The press was very cheap and widely available. Each title was available as a subscription, but hardly anyone took advantage of it because people could not afford to pay more at once. It wasn't until the 1980s that the press became as rationed as anything else. Getting a daily newspaper or magazine was almost a miracle. In the morning and after work, people lined up at the kiosks. There was not enough for everyone. The so-called "folders" were an unofficial way to obtain the daily press. Everyone knew those kiosk employees put the press away in folders, be it for friends or family. You can guess that they got something of it. The number of copies was so small that the average bread eater could not even ask for a briefcase. Now it may be surprising why then the press was fought as for the ham. But it must be remembered that at that time the press was the only source of information needed on a daily basis. The PZPR's press body was Trybuna Ludu, published in 1948–1990. It was the party's main propaganda tube. In the People's Tribune, national and international news appeared, obviously presented along the party line. On the coast, the Voice of the Coast was a similar party body, and in other regions the relevant local newspapers. For the workers, the Głos Pracy publishing house, the Youth Banner for the young, the People's Journal for the peasants, and the Soldier of Freedom for the military. In 1957, the PZPR started publishing a weekly newspaper Polityka. The weekly was supposed to be a propaganda mouthpiece of the Thaw times, but it was not very popular with readers.

The most popular newspapers in the Polish People's Republic for children and adolescents:

Na Przełaj, a scouting magazine, in the years 1957 - 1992,
Świat Młodych, a magazine for scouts and school youth,
Young Technician,
Modeler,

Dookoła świat, a weekly magazine for young people about geography and interesting facts from the world, was published in the years 1954–1976, in the form of a colorful newspaper.

In addition to propaganda newspapers such as, for example, Sztandar Młodych, efforts were made to interest young people in technology, publishing such magazines as Modelarz or Młod Technik. Young people were told about the world by the weekly Dookoła świata or the Continents monthly. They were apolitical magazines about the beauty of nature, landscapes, monuments, and customs of various peoples. In the years 1958–1990, the Kraj Rad weekly magazine was also published, showing a positive image of the Soviet Union. For young people in the People's Republic of Poland, a particular problem was the lack of access to popular music and news, as well as posters and photos of the then singers. The first magazine to fill this gap was the weekly Razem, which appeared in 1976. The youngest was also not forgotten. Kindergarten children received a colorful magazine with pictures called Miś, the older ones - Płomyczek and Świerszczyk.

Today, the phrase "for adults" means something completely different, but in the times of the Polish People's Republic, the issue of sex was completely non-existent in the press. The only flavor was the black and white photos of ladies in bathing suits on the back pages of magazines. The most widely read newspaper for adults was the Evening Express after work. Everyone read it, and no one could imagine spending an evening without this newspaper. Like all newspapers, it is a party organ, but more adapted to the common man. This popular reader contained short information from the country and the world as well as accidents, events, curiosities, and on the last pages sport. The Kurier Polski competed with the Evening Express, in which competitions and social announcements were published. While Ekspres Wieczorny and Kurier Polski were more entertaining newspapers, Życie Warszawy, which appeared in the morning, had a more serious and informative character.

The most popular newspapers in the Polish People's Republic for adults:

Evening Express with the Saturday addition of Kulisa, issued in the years 1946 - 1999,
Polish Courier, issued in the years 1957–1999,
The life of Warsaw.

In the People's Republic of Poland, people read not only propaganda newspapers but also colorful magazines with interesting facts and guides. The Woman and Life were particularly popular, with jokes on the back page. A friend was a custom magazine describing various events in the lives of average people. The journal "Żyjmy Dłużej" was a huge success, a mine of guides on health and nutrition.

Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Read

Saturday, January 15, 2022

People's Republic of Poland (PRL) - Queue committees, peweks, queues. Let's not talk about what is happening in the country. Popular newspapers.

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