Adam Doboszyński

Adam Doboszyński was a soldier of the Polish Army, writer, anti-Semitic right-wing politician, and a social activist. Born in 1904 in Kraków, he was murdered by the Communist secret services in 1949, in the notorious Mokotów Prison in Warsaw.

Adam Doboszyński
Adam Doboszynski
BornJanuary 11, 1904
Kraków
DiedMarch 1, 1951(1951-03-01) (aged 47)
Mokotów Prison
Allegiance Poland
Service/branch Polish Army
Years of service1920, 1939
Battles/warsPolish-Soviet War
World War II

Doboszyński was born in Kraków, on January 11, 1904, in a noble family. His father Adam was a lawyer and a member of the Austrian Imperial Council. During the Polish-Soviet War, sixteen-year old Doboszyński volunteered to the 6th Regiment of Heavy Artillery in Kraków, serving for four months. After graduation from high school, Doboszyński went to study law at the University of Warsaw. He did not stay there long, moving to Free City of Danzig, to study at the Technische Hochschule der Freien Stadt Danzig (currently: Gdańsk University of Technology). He was an active member of Polish national organizations in Danzig in the 1920s. Among others, he was chairman of the Association of Gdańsk Academics Vistula and co-founded of the Brotherly Help of the Association of Polish Students. Doboszyński also participated in three Congresses of the International Conference of Students.

In 1925 he graduated from the Technische Hochschule with the diploma of construction engineer. In 1925 - 1927, Doboszyński continued his education at the Sciences Po in Paris, but was forced to quit his studies early due to his family's financial difficulties. After the return to Poland, he completed a course at the Officer Cadet Sapper School in Dęblin, after which Doboszyński was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant in reserve. In the late 1920s, Doboszyński returned to his family real estate, located in the village of Chorowice near Kraków, where he wrote his first books. In 1928, he wrote a novel Słowo ciężarne (Pregnant Word). Also, he wrote Szlakiem Malthusa (Following Thomas Robert Malthus), and an unpublished drama Trans (Trance). Furthermore, Doboszyński was active in the local Polish landed gentry circles, holding the post of a secretary in Kraków Branch of the Association of Landowners (1929 - 1931).

In 1931, Doboszyński became a member of Camp of Great Poland and since then was associated with Polish right-wing, national movement. In 1933, during a trip to England, he met G. K. Chesterton, whose ideas greatly influenced the Polish activist. In 1934, he wrote a book Gospodarka narodowa (National Economy), which was enthusiastically welcomed by right-wing activists. The book was a great success, it was reprinted three times, fourth reprint was terminated by the outbreak of the war.

Doboszyński's view of Polish national economy was shaped by the works of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas. His critique of liberal capitalism and collectivism was based on the teachings of the Roman Catholic church. Doboszyński argued that both capitalism and communism, seemingly so different from each other, were based on anti-Christian, materialistic outlook. His views of national economy were shaped by the teachings of St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. He criticized liberal capitalism, regarding it as immoral. He expressed the opinion that both liberal capitalism and communism were joined by collectivism, and in his opinion, both doctrines had the same root, which was materialistic outlook. According to his philosophy, communist destroyed the human existence, exploiting an individual in the name of the creation of utopia. The process of mindless industrialization and centralization of economy was evil in his view, contributing to the moral decline of societies and exploitation of humans.

According to Doboszyński, the alternative to liberal capitalism in Poland was the creation of a national society, which was able to defend the nation from the concentration of industry. The society should be built like a human organism, in which an individual should not feel alienated, but be supported by the family and the homeland. The basis of a new economic regime was to be trade corporations of both employers and employees. Also, stratification of society was to remain untouched.

In 1934, Doboszyński joined Kraków Branch of the National Party (Poland), in which he was responsible for propaganda. He was regarded as a skillful administration, who built party structures in the region. He traveled across Poland, giving speeches to the workers of industrial centers of Bielsko-Biała, Łódź, Częstochowa or Borysław. Furthermore, he created mobile libraries, which toured the country, presenting national camp publications to the readers. Doboszyński co-created "Polish Labor" trade unions, which remained under control of the National Party. He published a number of press articles, remaining in close contact with other activists of the party. Due to his activities, he was frequently harassed by the police, and was close to imprisonment at the infamous Bereza Kartuska prison.

In the night of June 22/23 1936, Doboszyński carried out the so-called Raid of Myślenice. A group of national activists, commanded by him, seized control of the town of Myślenice, disarming a local police station and cutting telephone wires. Windows of several Jewish-owned businesses were broken, and goods from these stores were carried out to the main market square, where they were set on fire. The raid was a response to the killing of National Party politician Wawrzyniec Sielski, who had been shot by the police in February 1936. In the morning of June 23, Doboszyński's unit retreated from Myślenice. It was followed by the police forces, which twice clashed with the national activists, who were heading southwards, to the Czechoslovak border. Most activists were captured, two were killed in the clashes. Doboszyński himself decided to voluntarily surrender to the police, on June 30.

During the first interrogation, Doboszyński claimed that he was to be blamed for the raid. His trial began in Kraków, on June 14, 1937, as one of the most famous political trials of the Second Polish Republic. Doboszyński claimed in court that he carried out the raid in protest of police terror of the Sanacja regime. He was acquitted by the jury, but the decision was protested by the Appellate Tribunal. In February 1938 in Lwów, Doboszyński was found guilty of only one charge: seizing weapons from police post. He was sentenced for three and half years, but was released in February 1939 due to deteriorating health. Doboszyński remained actively involved in politics in the last months of the Second Polish Republic. During the April 1939 Congress of the National Party, he supported Zygmunt Berezowski.

In September 1939, Doboszyński joined Polish Army as a volunteer. Wounded near Lwów, he managed to escape from German captivity to Hungary and finally to France and Great Britain. For his military heroism, he was awarded the Cross of Valour (Poland) and the Croix de Guerre. In the early 1940s, while in Great Britain, Doboszyński remained in the service as a colonel. At the same time, he continued his political activity, publicly criticizing the National Party and its chairman Tadeusz Bielecki for its submission to the government in exile of General Władysław Sikorski. He actively worked on the creation of a wide national - Catholic bloc of several political movements. Doboszyński continued promoting Catholic-based ideas of a nation and social regime. In 1941 - 1941, together with Father Stanisław Bełch he published "I am a Pole" magazine, in which he criticized General Sikorski for his pro-Soviet stance. In his opinion, Sikorski was a weak man, whose career was based on his affiliations with French politicians.

In April 1941 Doboszyński was sent to a camp of Sikorski's opponents, located on the Isle of Bute in Scotland. He remained there until January 1942. After release, he continued his critique of Sikorski. In February 1943 he published an open letter, urging President Władysław Raczkiewicz and General Kazimierz Sosnkowski to overthrow Sikorski. The letter was supported by several Polish circles, but Doboszyński was arrested and then expelled from the army.

Following the war, Doboszyński remained in London. He lived in poverty, with occasional help provided by his friends from former Polish Armed Forces. Despite these problems, he continued writing. In 1945, he wrote in English "Economics of charity", and two years later completed the "Pocket Encyclopedia of Social Notions", and "Two Platforms of Nationalism". He also translated into Polish G.K. Chesterton's "A Short History of England" and Christopher Hollins' "Breakdown of Money". Furthermore, he remained politically active, as a member of a group called the "Generation of Independent Poland", in which he promoted the creation of a federation of Central European states, as a counterbalance against the expansion of Russia and Germany. Doboszyński also supported the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations.

Doboszyński strongly opposed all kinds of uprisings, regarding them as unnecessary and pernicious to the Polish nation. In November 1943 he published a text "The Economy of Blood", in which he argued that any uprising, breaking out in occupied Poland, would be as tragic as Polish 19-th century, failed insurrections. He also opposed the Third World War against the Soviet Union, arguing that it would not result in Poland's independence.

In December 1946 Doboszyński secretly returned to Poland. He wanted to personally become acquainted with political, economical and social situation of the country. Also, he wanted to meet with leaders of anticommunist guerilla movement, to tell them that they should not expect any support from the West. By early 1947, he was openly traveling across the country, meeting with national and Catholic activists. His plan was to created a strong national-Catholic organization, which would eventually created a stronger Poland. His activities were closely monitored by the Communist agents, as most of his partners were arrested.

In early summer 1947, Doboszyński completed his last work, "Half Way", which contained his opinion on the situation of Poland, prognosis for the future and advice for the national movement. On July 3, 1947, he was arrested in Poznań. His investigation was personally carried out by Józef Różański, who tortured Doboszyński. On June 18, 1949, Doboszyński's show trial began in the Regional Military Court in Warsaw. Doboszyński was accused of cooperation with intelligence services of both Nazi Germany and the United States. On July 11, 1949, Doboszyński was sentenced to death, with Bolesław Bierut refusing to pardon him. The sentence was carried out on August 29, 1949. Doboszyński was shot in the back of the head, at the infamous Mokotów Prison. His symbolic grave is located at the Powązki Cemetery.

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