LEFT-WING RADICAL AGITATION AND SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENT IN THE WOŁYŃ VOIVODESHIP OF POLAND IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 1920S

Nataliia Petrushko,

Ph.D. Student,

Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Lutsk, Ukraine

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2024.29.14

 

Abstract.

The paper studies left-radical agitation and subversive movement in the Wołyń Voivodeship of Poland in the first half of the 1920s. The Bolshevism government’s actions aimed to undermine the Polish authorities’ ascendancy in the Wołyń region and actively recruit the local population to participate in the revolutionary movement. The influence of the Bolshevik agitation on representatives of various social groups and their direct interaction is analyzed.

Various subversive groups operated in the Wołyń Voivodeship during this period and engaged in illegal and terrorist activities to destabilize the security situation within the region. It is worth noting that the Wołyń natural landscape created favourable conditions for the Bolsheviks to carry out partisan activities against the Polish authorities and made it difficult for its law enforcement agencies to work. The insufficient number of qualified personnel, weapons and vehicles also affected the efficiency of the Polish police.

In addition to actively implementing classic sabotage, information and psychological operations became a significant element of the subversive strategy. The dissemination of ideological literature, such as newspapers, brochures, leaflets, advertisements, etc., was the propaganda method that effectively impacted citizens’ outlooks and views. Furthermore, Bolshevik agitators also carried out systematic work on attracting the population to the communist movement.

The spread of the Bolshevik ideological campaign among military personnel was a particularly dangerous phenomenon. That posed a potential threat to the stability and security of the Polish state since, under the influence of communist ideas, representatives of the armed forces could become unwanted participants in revolutionary or protest actions.

For the Bolshevik government, the territory of the Volyn Voivodeship served as a tool for the dissemination of communist ideas. The subversive activities of the Bolsheviks contributed to the deterioration of the security situation not only in Volyn but also across Poland as a whole. This, in turn, led to an increase in internal political tensions, which had a negative impact on the overall stability of the state.

Key words: Wołyń, Poland, Bolsheviks, sabotage, agitation, security.

 

Submitted 20.07.2024

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