Polish Secret State

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Polish Secret State (also known as Polish Underground State; Polish Polskie Państwo Podziemne) is a term coined by scholar Jan Karski in his book Story of a Secret State; it is used to refer to all underground resistance organizations in Poland during World War II, both military and civilian. The term is used in Polish historiography to denote both the armed struggle against the occupying powers and all the examples of underground political, social and educational activities during the occupation.

The military part, consisting mostly of various branches of the Home Army, was to prepare the Polish society for a future fight for the liberation of the country. Apart from armed resistance, sabotage, training and propaganda, the military arm of the Polish secret state was responsible for maintaining communications with the London-based government, as well as for protecting the civilian arm of the state. The main role of the latter was in maintaining the continuity of the Polish state as a whole, including its institutions such as the police, the courts or education. It was to prepare cadres and institutions for recovering power after the German defeat in World War II.

The rationale behind the creation of the secret civilian authorities stemmed from the fact that the German and Soviet occupation of Poland was illegal. Hence all the institutions created by the occupying powers were regarded as illegal and parallel Polish underground institutions were set up following Polish law.

References

• Jan Karski (2001). Story of a Secret State. Simon Publications. ISBN 1-931541-39-6.

See also

• History of Poland (1939-1945)
• Leśni
• Polish contribution to World War II
• World War II atrocities in Poland
• Trial of the Sixteen

External links

• The Polish government and the Polish Underground State
• Polish Secret State during WWII
• The Polish Underground State and the Home Army
• The Polish Underground State and Home Army
• Warsaw Uprising and The Polish Underground State
• Polish Underground State 1939-45

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Last updated on Thursday November 15, 2007 at 10:10:49 PST (GMT -0800)
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