200 years (and counting)…

WBJ: It is important to understand that the existence and activity of Polonia and the attitude of other countries toward it are connected with the history of Poland.

Professor Joanna Wojdon: Yes, it is important to understand the beginning of Polonia and its history, as this allows us to better understand its current situation, ambitions and problems, now that Poland is a free and independent state and a member of the EU and NATO. I would like to speak especially about the history of Polonia in the United States, which counts now over 10 million members. It was created in the second half of the 19th century when Poles moved to the US to work there and send money home. Also, the political leaders who fought for Poland’s independence came to the US to collect money from immigrants and groups were being created which manifested a desire for an independent Poland and fought for preserving the Polish culture and set up Polish schools. The social life of Poles in large American cities as well as in villages is part of the collective memory and mythology of the American Polonia. And later this Polonia lobbied among important American politicians and strived to make Poles accede to important positions. For example, as members of the US Congress or mayors of cities. And during WWI, the Polish armed units were formed in the US and the famous Blue Army of General Józef Haller, made up of Polish volunteers from America, helped to create an independent Polish state.

What was the situation of Polonia in different countries after Poland regained independence in 1918?

The relations between an independent Poland and Poles living abroad proved more complicated than expected. This was due to several factors. Also, the assimilation into Polish society of Poles who returned to Poland was not easy and they felt different from the locals who treated them as Americans. Apart from these cultural matters, there were important economic factors because hyperinflation in Poland took from them the money which they expected to invest in Poland as their native country was poorer than America. Those in political power in Poland underestimated the devotions of the Haller soldiers, who became the object of political confrontation and after the introduction of American restrictions toward immigrants, they could not return to their families in the US This also cast a shadow on Poland’s relations with its diaspora. The pre-WWII Polish governments did not understand the political changes which affected immigrant Poles. They treated members of Polonia as Poles living abroad who only have obligations toward their native Polish country.

The Polish authorities’ idea of the integration of immigrants and strengthening Poland’s position was to set up a Union of Poles Abroad with an office in Warsaw. But at its inaugural meeting in 1927 the delegation from America refused to join this organization, arguing that members of the American Polonia could no longer be seen as native Poles but as Americans of Polish origin and that having American citizenship meant that they couldn’t allow any other country — including Poland — tell them what to do. And without American Poles joining this organization its position declined. But later, Polish authorities did manage to establish cooperation with some members of Polonia by granting economic concessions and Polish diplomatic and consular offices abroad cooperated with Polonia.

What actions did Polonia undertake during WWII when Poles fought as much as was possible with Hitler’s army occupying their country?

The fate of the Polish state, which lost its independence and was occupied by Nazi Germany, with Poles being treated not as humans and Polish Jews being murdered, was seen by Polonia as a tragedy and Poles living abroad appealed to countries in the West to go to war and fight against the Nazis. When Great Britain entered the war Polish soldiers who escaped to Britain joined the British army and Polish pilots formed a squadron that fought the Nazis alongside British pilots. A Polish government-in-exile was formed in London and Polonia in Britain and other countries helped Poles and supported the actions taken against the Nazis in Poland. The US entered the war only after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, so at the beginning of the war, the American Polonia organized and collected funds and helped Poles in their country. When the US declared war, Poles living there joined the American army. At the beginning of 1944, Polonia began to develop its political activity toward Poland, which after the Teheran Conference found itself in a difficult political situation. Newly arrived Poles in the US, war refugees, members of the cultural intelligentsia, all of them helped to organize the Polish American Congress, but its protests against the situation in Poland, including notes sent to various US state departments and White House, could not change Eastern Europe’s new position after WWII. Poland was alone and Polonia could not help her.

So how did contacts develop between Polonia and Poland, which after 1945 was controlled by the Soviet Union and was building a communist system?

At the time of the Polish People’s Republic, Polonia found itself in a situation that resembled that of the 19th century when Poland was partitioned by three foreign powers. Now once again Poland was controlled by a foreign power and the Polish American Congress and other Polonia organizations in various democratic countries engaged in political lobbying. They wanted Poland to participate in important international conferences but Poland was not invited to the conference in San Francisco, at which the United Nations Organisation was founded, because the Soviet Union did not recognize the Polish government in London, while the US and the UK did not approve the Moscow-dependent government in Poland.

In the following years, representatives of the Polish American Congress demanded the respect of human rights in Poland. Later, when the trade union Solidarity and the democratic opposition in Poland were formed, Polish expatriate organizations in the West helped them financially. Jan Nowak-Jeziorański and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Poles’ situation and their opposition toward the communist regime. When the Soviet Union changed its name to Russia and established its new position in countries in its western neighborhood, Polonia organizations in many countries provided help to Poles living in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. In 1978, the Coordination Council of Free World was established, mostly on the initiative of members of the Polish emigration and during Edward Gierek’s rule in Poland in the 1970s, they strongly supported the Polish democratic opposition and cooperated with Poles living in other countries.

Let’s move to the present-day Polonia. Now Poland is a free and democratic country, a member of the EU and is open to the whole world. And many Poles live permanently abroad: in the US they are over 10 million, in Germany 2 million, in France 1.5 million, in Ukraine 1.1 million, in Russia 400,000, in Lithuania 350,000 and so on. How would you describe their cooperation with Poland?

Polish foreign affairs ministry is responsible for cooperation with Polonia. The government accepted a program of such cooperation for the years 2015-2020, which foresees, among other things, the preservation and strengthening of Polish identity, helping Polonia to learn the Polish language and culture. Meetings are being organized with teachers of Polish schools abroad, as well as various conferences and support is given to initiatives aimed at protecting Polish heritage abroad, both in the West and in the East. Polish archivists are helping to protect Polish archive materials and conservators are renovating Polish monuments and historical sites. Those efforts are being financed by foreign as well as Polish sources and also by the Kosciuszko Foundation. So, the activity of Polonia is being supported, and “the activity undertaken by Polonia for Polonia” is continued. The ministry is tasked with representing and protecting Poles living abroad, who are treated as a national minority in the context of multilateral and bilateral agreements.

But Poles living abroad and those living in Poland are also very interested in developing mutual, warm and personal contacts. So, on May 2, on the initiative of the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce led by its Chairman Marek Traczyk, an online event took place, which consisted of the joint singing of the Polish national anthem, the “Mazurek Dąbrowskiego” by 300 hundred Poles from 30 countries, including in Canada, Italy, Ukraine and Scotland. But the Polish foreign ministry did not inform Poles living in Poland about this event even though it was organized on the official Day of the Polonia.

It was a pleasant ceremony but in terms of our contact with Polonia and the difficulties they are experiencing we are first of all concerned with the basic problems and the tragic situation of Poles living in Belarus, who are being arrested and prosecuted by the Lukashenko regime. Poland is doing everything it can to protect and help them in cooperation with EU member states, the US and other countries.

Poland’s historical experiences with Polonia in the US show the need to have a long-term approach to the expatriate community. All forms of activity related to helping it have to be linked with the policy of the native community. When American Polonia was sending financial help to the Solidarity trade union it was Polonia who was giving the money but it was the community in Poland that decided whom to give it to and for what kind of activity in a particular community.

The question which we are currently facing is what political decisions are possible and how to defend the rights and lives of opposition activists in Belarus. The answer does not lie in armed conflict but in exerting political and legal pressure on the Lukashenko regime. The activity of Polish people and institutions and politicians from all democratic countries can be very helpful for Belarusian society. With such help and under such pressure the Belarusian society will decide how to change the political situation in its country. And looking at Poland they can remember what the Solidarity union managed to do in the past in our country.