Marxism and communism · Background: Poland — People | Cyber-Lenin

Marxism and communism Background: Poland Clear all

45 people

By birth A–Z List Cards

Feliks Yakovlevich Kon Феликс Яковлевич Кон From Warsaw boy patriot to Comintern old revolutionary: the Pole who returned in the sealed train Political and party leadership · Soviet Union 1864–1941
Julian Józefowicz Marchlewski Julian Marchlewski A Pole who passed through the German and Russian revolutions and tried to bring revolution home Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1866–1925
Leo Jogiches Leo Jogiches The revolution's underground organizer, always behind the scenes, until he had to lead Political and party leadership · Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) 1867–1919
Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg “Freedom is always the freedom of the one who thinks differently” Social movements and organizing · Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 1871–1919
Vatslav Vatslavovich Vorovsky Вацлав Вацлавович Воровский The first Soviet diplomat, a bridge between revolution, letters, and diplomacy, felled by a bullet in Lausanne Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union 1871–1923
Vyacheslav Rudolfovich Menzhinsky Вячеслав Рудольфович Менжинский Dzerzhinsky’s successor who ran OGPU from a sickbed Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1874–1934
Ivan Adolfovich Teodorovich Иван Адольфович Теодорович First Commissar for Food, purged for his NEP-era agrarian Marxism Agriculture and land policy · Soviet Union 1875–1937
Maxim Maksimovich Litvinov Максим Максимович Литвинов The diplomat of collective security, removed in 1939 Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union 1876–1951
Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky Feliks Dzierżyński “Iron Felix”: the ascetic who forged the revolution’s sword Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1877–1926
Yakov Stanislavovich Ganetsky Яков Станиславович Ганецкий The Polish revolutionary who ran Lenin's financial pipeline from Kraków to Stockholm Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union 1879–1937
Iosif Stanislavovich Unshlikht Иосиф Станиславович Уншлихт From Cheka deputy to civil aviation: the revolution's all-weather organizer Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1879–1938
Stanislav Stanislavovich Pestkovsky Станислав Станиславович Пестковский The Polish nobleman turned internationalist who became the first Soviet leader of Kazakhstan Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union 1882–1937
Sofia Sigizmundovna Dzerzhinskaya Софья Сигизмундовна Дзержинская Polish Social Democrat who forged an independent revolutionary path from the SDKPiL underground to the Comintern Social movements and organizing · Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL) 1882–1968
Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky Андрей Януарьевич Вышинский Stalin's Moscow-trial prosecutor who later carried hardline Soviet diplomacy to the UN Law and justice · Soviet Union 1883–1954
Stanislav Vikentyevich Kosior Станислав Викентьевич Косиор The Ukrainian party boss who denied the famine, felled by Stalin's bullet Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks 1889–1939
Artur Karlovich Stashevsky Артур Карлович Сташевский The Soviet trade representative who sent Republican Spain's gold to Moscow Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1890–1937
Stanislav Adamovich Messing Станислав Адамович Мессинг Dzerzhinsky's Polish comrade, a Cheka founding pillar who defied Yagoda's fabrications Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1890–1937
Stanislav Frantsevich Redens Станислав Францевич Реденс Stalin's brother-in-law who chaired the Moscow troika Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1892–1940
Bolesław Bierut Bolesław Bierut Stalin's most trusted East European proxy, architect of Poland's Stalinist system and guardian of the Oder–Neisse border Political and party leadership · Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) 1892–1956
Larisa Mikhailovna Reisner Лариса Михайловна Рейснер The revolution's Valkyrie. Poet, scout, and the first woman commissar of the Naval General Staff Literature and arts · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks 1895–1926
Konstantin Ksaveryevich (birth) / Konstantinovich (later) Rokossovsky Константин Константинович Рокоссовский Marshal of two nations, the USSR and Poland, who commanded the 1945 Victory Parade Military command · Soviet Union 1896–1968
Ignaty Ignatyevich Sosnovsky Игнатий Игнатьевич Сосновский A Polish intelligence agent turned Cheka counter-intelligence officer Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1897–1937
Leon Yakovlevich Gaikis Леон Яковлевич Гайкис Second Soviet ambassador to Spain, recalled and shot barely three months after taking the post Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union 1898–1937
Ignace Stanislavovich Reiss Игнатий Станиславович Рейсс Soviet illegal who broke publicly with Stalin and was murdered by the NKVD Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1899–1937
Walter Germanovich Krivitsky Вальтер Германович Кривицкий The defector who first told the West how Stalin's secret service worked Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union 1899–1941
Aleksander Zawadzki Aleksander Zawadzki A communist leader who helped shape postwar Poland's state Political and party leadership · Poland 1899–1964
Jakub Berman Jakub Berman An architect of Stalinist power in Poland Political and party leadership · Polish Workers' Party (PPR) 1901–1984
Stanislav Gilyarovich Poplavsky Станислав Гилярович Поплавский A Polish-born Soviet general who commanded the suppression of the Poznań uprising Military command · Soviet Union 1902–1973
Władysław Gomułka Władysław Gomułka The national communist who returned in the Polish October of 1956 to test a 'Polish road to socialism' Political and party leadership · Poland 1905–1982
Edward Mieczysław Ochab Edward Mieczysław Ochab The transitional First Secretary of 1956 who turned Khrushchev's Secret Speech into a mass document and then yielded power to Gomułka Political and party leadership · Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) 1906–1989
Isaac Deutscher Isaac Deutscher Marxist historian of Trotsky's definitive biography, who coined the 'non-Jewish Jew' Scholarship and theory · Communist Party of Poland (KPP) 1907–1967
Konstantin Antonovich Petrzhak Константин Антонович Петржак Co-discoverer of spontaneous fission, a pillar of the Soviet atomic project Science and technology · Soviet Union 1907–1998
Zhozef Yakovlevich Kotin Жозеф Яковлевич Котин Chief designer of the KV and IS heavy tanks, builder of Tankograd Industry and production · Soviet Union 1908–1979
Adam Rapacki Adam Rapacki A diplomat who widened room for negotiation amid East-West tension Diplomacy and international organization · Poland 1909–1970
Piotr Jaroszewicz Piotr Jaroszewicz The premier of technocratic growth Government and administration · Poland 1909–1992
Józef Cyrankiewicz Józef Cyrankiewicz A resistance survivor who became a guardian of the system Government and administration · Poland 1911–1989
Roman Fidelski Roman Fidelski The minister whose broken promise sparked the Poznań Uprising Industry and production · Poland 1912–1988
Boris Yevseyevich Chertok Борис Евсеевич Черток Korolev's deputy who designed the brains of Sputnik and then wrote the history of the Soviet space program Science and technology · Soviet Union 1912–2011
Edward Gierek Edward Gierek First Secretary who led a decade of Western-credit modernisation: only for debt and Solidarity to bring the curtain down Political and party leadership · Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) 1913–2001
Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey Владимир Николаевич Челомей The missile designer who overtook Korolev under Khrushchev's patronage, then faded when his patron fell Science and technology · Soviet Union 1914–1984
Marian Rybicki Marian Rybicki A legal functionary who defined order against a workers’ revolt Law and justice · Poland 1915–1987
Józef Światło Józef Światło Deputy head of Poland’s security Department X whose 1953 defection and broadcasts exposed the ministry’s torture and purges Security, intelligence and policing · Poland 1915–1994
Eric Hobsbawm Eric Hobsbawm Historian of revolution’s social foundations and later memory Scholarship and theory · Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) 1917–2012
Mieczysław Zygmunt Jagielski Mieczysław Jagielski A party official who contained crisis through concessions Economy, finance and planning · Poland 1924–1997
Czesław Jan Kiszczak Czesław Jan Kiszczak Poland's interior minister who imposed martial law then co-chaired the Round Table Security, intelligence and policing · Poland 1925–2015