The difference between German and Polish far right anti-Semitism in the 20th century

[Domen]

These excerpts illustrate the difference between anti-Semitism of Polish far right organizations and parties and anti-Semitism of German far right organizations and parties in the 20th century, before and during WW2:

There are claims, that National Democracy party and its leader - Roman Dmowski - were utterly anti-Jewish.

Let's verify, if this true:

Wincenty Lutosławski - member of National Democracy - wrote in 1939:

"Germans, Tatars, Armenians, Gypsies and Jews can be members of the Polish nation, if only they live for a common idea of Poland. People of both black and yellow races can become true Poles, if only they accept the spiritual heritage of the Polish nation, which can be found in literature, art, politics, customs and if only they have an unbreakable will to contribute to the development of national existence of Poles."

Adam Doboszyński - member of National Democracy since 1934 - wrote in 1947:

"Poland had to wait 1000 years for the emergence of a slogan, that Polish state should be inhabited only by ethnic Poles. This slogan was invented and implemented recently by Soviet agents, we cannot find it in works of any Polish thinker."

As you can see, National Democracy was neither racist, nor anti-German, nor anti-Semitic (i.e. they did not hate Jews for being Jews).

It was, on the other hand, opposing anti-Polish national chauvinism of various minority ethnic groups of Polish citizens.

But still, National Democracy was actually much more anti-German than anti-Jewish.

However, National Democracy had nothing against ethnic Germans in Poland as such, as long as they were loyal citizens of Poland.

Another excerpt describing views of far right National Democracy party:

"(...) In the front row members of the Polish nation are people who want Poland to exist, who fought for Poland, who worked for Poland and who risked for Poland - regardless of their religion, ancestry or ethnicity. (...)"

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And here an official declaration / standpoint of National Democracy published in "Informator Narodowy" on 11.08.1942:

Declaration regarding the standpoint of National Democracy towards German genocidal policies against Jews in occupied Poland:

"We officially declare, that methods chosen by Germans against Jews, are not only alien to us, but also abominable. These methods do not consort with our definition of humanity, with our Catholic morality, with our national tradition. In any case we would not have been able to imitate Germans in their beastly methods, no matter against whom applied. We would also not apply such methods against Jews."

This shows, that even National Democracy was not happy about the Holocaust, contrary to what Michael claimed.

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Even National Radical Camp (ONR) party, published in "Załoga" on 12.05.1942 the following declaration:

"Every day hundreds of men, women and children are killed. Wilno, Lublin, Chełm, Mielec, Ryki, Kock and many other places have become witnesses of mass murders with use of pistols, rifles and gas... We are humans, we are not wild beasts. Our Polish spirits abhor such madness... None of us would ever dare to threaten Jewish lifes and will never do this."

So even ONR - an openly anti-Jewish, illegal political party in pre-war Poland - was disgusted and shocked by cruelty of the German Holocaust.

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More excerpts:

"Wielka Polska" ("Great Poland") nationalistic conspiracy newspaper, 27.09.1942:

"German methods of combat against Jews are so abominable, that there are no proper words in Polish language to stigmatise them. We do not bare responsibility for the massacre of Jewish population and we are not able to stop it."

Brochure published by National Armed Forces (NSZ) by the end of 1943:

"Jews have been in a horrible way exterminated by the Germans... Spirit of every Polish person has been opposing this appaling slaughter, which has been in a perfidious and pre-planned way carried out by Hitlerite perpetrators, supported by Ukrainians, Lithuanians and Latvians. But what could be done about that, did we have a chance to defend the Jews? Everyone who knows how great is the magnitude of German terror against Polish people is aware, that doing this was physically impossible. Number of Polish victims, these already murdered and these who can still be murdered in the future, is not much smaller than the number of exterminated Jews."

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All these nationalistic organizations (or their predecessors, as for example NSZ did not exist before the war) were anti-Jewish in their rhetoric before the war. During the war even these previously anti-Jewish organizations, felt compassion towards Jews murdered by Nazi Germany.

 

[dutchfire]

The difference between German and Polish far right anti-Semitism in the 20th century

How successful they were?

 

[Domen]

Not only this. Another excerpt to show this:

"Walka" ("Combat") far right conspiracy newspaper, 28.07.1943:

"We fully condemn the bestiality of Hitlerite bandits, but we will not resign from economic and political fight against Jewishness, despite Crocodile tears of Jewish financiers and politicians, who are already preparing to impose their power. Because we consider Jews as a factor totally dispensable and highly damaging within the national organism, after the war we are going to remove them. We are going to remove them in a humane way, without ferocity and racial hatred... We do not intend to massively exterminate or starve the Jews - we will simply force them to leave our country, because they are an element which is hampering the development of our nation and state."

 

[Lord Baal]

Resources.

 

[Lone Wolf]

All of it (with the possible exception of the first example) is after the beginning of WWII, so it's not that fluffybunny. After the war began, it would make sense for the Polish ultranationalists to distance themselves from the Nazis, and antisemitism was a major Nazi trait. I would be interested in the worst things all these personalities said about Jews*, not the best ones. (And to be fair, I doubt that even the worst ones would be exterminationist final-solution style, though it needs to be stressed that the Nazi regime was "radicalised" by the war.

*Though the one in the previous Domen post, which I've just noticed, is actually quite bad, as well as slightly incoherent.

 

[Tahuti]

The difference between German and Polish far right anti-Semitism in the 20th century? That one was German and one Polish?

It's not much different from Pro-Nazi statements made by Ultra-Zionist leaders during WWII, in order to distance from the British and Jewish leaders who sided with the UK during WWII.

 

[Plotinus]

It can go the other way too. Oswald Mosley apparently started off quite sympathetic to the Jews, but he didn't stay that way.

 

[Tahuti]

True. Likewise, Mussolini and the Dutch National Socialist Movement were also distinctively not Anti-Semitic but moved to Anti-Semitism in order to associate themselves with Nazi Germany.

 

[Lord Baal]

It can go the other way too. Oswald Mosley apparently started off quite sympathetic to the Jews, but he didn't stay that way.

His bodyguard was a former Jewish boxer. I'm not sure how much of his anti-Semitism was legitimate, or how much he may have played it up, as Mussolini did.

 

[Mouthwash]

Wasn't anti-Semitism more widespread in Eastern Europe than Germany? I heard that somewhere, but it didn't really define "Eastern Europe."

 

[Tahuti]

Wasn't anti-Semitism more widespread in Eastern Europe than Germany? I heard that somewhere, but it didn't really define "Eastern Europe."

Depends on which era. From the 18th century to its destruction, Tsarist Russia was brutally anti-semitic. Interbellum Poland and Hungary adopted anti-semitic policies, and so did some of the Baltic countries. However, Poland and Russia were originally very tolerant toward Jews compared to England, the Holy Roman Empire and France, and this is the reason why many Jews lived there in the first place.

However, Poland was annexed by Russia, which had adopted some very harsh anti-semitic policies during the Catherine the Great era. On the other hand, the Netherlands had became a sanctuary for Jews and England became significantly more tolerant to Jews as well. Prussia emancipated the Jews in 1815, and when Germany was founded in 1871, Pro-Jewish policies became the norm in Germany until the Hitler-era.

 

[Lone Wolf]

However, Poland and Russia were originally very tolerant toward Jews compared to England, the Holy Roman Empire and France, and this is the reason why many Jews lived there in the first place.

Before the Partitions of Poland Russia didn't have any significant Jewish population.

 

[Flying Pig]

However, Poland was annexed by Russia, which had adopted some very harsh anti-semitic policies during the Catherine the Great era. On the other hand, the Netherlands had became a sanctuary for Jews and England became significantly more tolerant to Jews as well. Prussia emancipated the Jews in 1815, and when Germany was founded in 1871, Pro-Jewish policies became the norm in Germany until the Hitler-era.

Not convinced about Germany being accommodating to Jews in general. See here - I certainly can't immediately think of any law - except possibly the Settlement Law of 1886 and the various other measures designed to spread ethnic Germans and protestant belief throughout Germany and German Poland - made against the Jews, but it was certainly not a pleasant place to be Jewish. By the late 1890s, major political parties - notably the Conservative Party - were including anti-Semitism in their official manifestos. Even the dominant SPD includes significant anti-Semitic elements, although as a whole it generally viewed anti-Semitism as a problem which arises under capitalism and officially did not single out Jews independently of their social class.

 

[Tahuti]

Before the Partitions of Poland Russia didn't have any significant Jewish population.

Yeah, my bad. Still, I'm pretty certain Czarist Russia was pretty Pro-Jewish for its time under Peter the Great.

Not convinced about Germany being accommodating to Jews in general. See here - I certainly can't immediately think of any law - except possibly the Settlement Law of 1886 and the various other measures designed to spread ethnic Germans and protestant belief throughout Germany and German Poland - made against the Jews, but it was certainly not a pleasant place to be Jewish. By the late 1890s, major political parties - notably the Conservative Party - were including anti-Semitism in their official manifestos. Even the dominant SPD includes significant anti-Semitic elements, although as a whole it generally viewed anti-Semitism as a problem which arises under capitalism and officially did not single out Jews independently of their social class.

While distrust towards Jews was quite common in Imperial Germany, Jews enjoyed legal equality with ethnic Germans and certainly outranked ethnic Poles in German society. Given the strong anti-semitic tendencies of the Third Reich and the Holy Roman Empire, one might say that Imperial Germany was one of the best times to live in Germany as a Jew, besides modern-day Germany.

 

[Flying Pig]

That I will give you, with the caveat that it was still hardly pleasant.

 

[Domen]

All of it (with the possible exception of the first example) is after the beginning of WWII, so it's not that fluffybunny. After the war began, it would make sense for the Polish ultranationalists to distance themselves from the Nazis, and antisemitism was a major Nazi trait. I would be interested in the worst things all these personalities said about Jews*, not the best ones. (And to be fair, I doubt that even the worst ones would be exterminationist final-solution style, though it needs to be stressed that the Nazi regime was "radicalised" by the war.

*Though the one in the previous Domen post, which I've just noticed, is actually quite bad, as well as slightly incoherent.

Probably the worst pre-war thing (early 1930s in this case) produced by Polish anti-Semites I've managed to find is the image posted below:

Inscription on this picture says: "Recipe for crisis. This export would surely strengthen our trade balance!"

So you were right that even the worst ones were not exterminationist final-solution style, but things concerning forced emigration of Jews could be found. This picture looks even more nasty from modern perspective, when we know that Jews were later "exported" in similar wagons to Nazi Germany's camps...

If I read it correctly, author of the picture was E. Haydak (?) - Edward Haydak maybe (?).

I have no idea, who this E. Haydak was. I googled for "Haydak" but it did not produce any related results.

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Example of a "lighter version" of anti-Jewish propaganda in pre-war Poland (from 1938 this time) is:

The picture shows king Casimir III the Great (reigned in years 1333 - 1370), headline says "Belated correction".

It refers to ratification of the Statute of Kalisz and other rights and privileges for Polish Jews from that period:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Kalisz

You can't see it, but below the picture there was also written what king Casimir says in year 1347:

"Did I write this ?! I can't believe it, there has to be some mistake here!"

And Lajkonik (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lajkonik) responds after 591 years (in year 1938):

"Don't worry, my King. I will take care of this correction con amore."

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Source for these pictures posted above is:

"Obcy i niemili" ("Aliens and unpleasant") exhibition in Żydowski Instytut Historyczny (Jewish Historical Institute) in Warsaw.

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BTW:

I am not quite sure, why some pictures which are by no means anti-Jewish / anti-Semitic were also exhibited as part of "Obcy i niemili".

For example, this joke - in what way is it anti-Semitic? Rather anti-Nazi:

Translation:

"Misunderstanding.

- Did you read it? Hitler wants the Saara Basin.
- What are you talking about? This anti-Semite is leching after a Jewish girl?"