Liberum conspiro,
or the Polish Masonry between the dictatorship and
totalitarianism (1926-1989).
Tadeusz Cegielski
présentation par l'auteur de sa communication au colloque
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/elites-europecentrale/4Documents/Resumes/Cegielski_resum.htm
Freemasonry in the reborn Poland (1918-1938): a service to a cause of democracy
and social justice
In clandestine Polish lodges which were established in Russian Poland (s.c.
Polish Kingdom) about 1910 an intellectual lead was taken by Edward Józef
Abramowski (1868-1918), a philosopher, sociologist and freemason, the founder
of the idea of “the stateless socialism” and “the moral revolution”. A decade
later, in 1920 the Mother-Lodge "Kopernik" was established in Warsaw,
and few months later - the National Grand Lodge "Poles United” (afterwards
renamed National Grand Lodge of Poland) which existed from September 11th 1920
to October 26th 1938. Amongst the founders of this Masonic obedience were many
persons actively engaged in political work, members of the revolutionary Polish
Military Organisation (POW) and the Polish Socialistic Party (PPS). What wonder
that they insribed the principles of “freedom, equality, brotherhood” and “the
social justice” to the Constitution of the Grand Lodge. The role of this group
will rapidly increase after the coup d’état of May 1926 effected by Józef
Pilsudski (1867-1935), the first head of the Polish State and the hero of the
war against the Soviet Russia 1919-1921.
But after the conquest of a political power, Pilsudski and his partisans - a
group of former socialists - evolved to the right side of Polish political
scene. From revolutionary principles they saved an idea of “sanitation” of
political affairs in Poland, only. The “sanacja” regime of Pilsudski
strenghtend much more against the young Polish democracy than against its
corruption. The 2nd Polish Republic drifted, particularly after passing the new
Constitution of 1935, and after the death of marshal Pilsudski in the same year
towards the moderate dictatorship -– nevertheless the dictatorship. Finally,
the former founders of the National Grand Lodge had to play a role of
grave-diggers of Polish Masonry. In 1938 standing face to face with danger of
war epigonus of the “sanacja” regime compromised with its greatest political
enemy – nationalistic and Catholic Rights (National Democracy, Narodowa
Demokracja). The price of this “national agreement” was delegalisation of the
National Grand Lodge and other Masonic bodies in Poland by the decree of the
president of Republic dated November 22nd 1938 “On deactivation of Masonic
associations”. However, a “deactivation” did not mean jumping at freemasons
throats: with an exception of small incidents as domiciliary visit in Maria
Dabrowska’s i Stanislaw Stempowski’s home in Warsaw, nobody was oppressed or
prisoned.
In October of 1938, a month before the president’s decree, the National Grand
Lodge ordered to stop all Masonic activities; nothing strange when the Ministry
of the Interior and the State Police had the former freemasons as the heads:
generals Felicjan Slawoj-Skladkowski (1885-1962) and Kordian Zamorski
(1890-1983). In two decades between World Wars the Polish Masonry was not
numerous but very influential. Amongst 515 names of unquestioned Polish
freemasons (from the population round 800) sixteen were generals in the 2nd
Republic, and 33 prime ministers and secretaries of the State.
Members of 18 Polish regular Masonic lodges were such prominent persons as the
might-have-been successor of marshal Pilsudski, colonel Walery Slawek (1879-1939),
the marshal of Poland and commander-in-chief in 1939, Edward Smigly-Rydz
(1886-1941), “one-day-president” of the State in September of 1939, Boleslaw
Wieniawa-Dlugoszowski (1881-1942); the president of the Camp of the National
Unity movement (OZON, Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego), colonel Adam Koc
(1891-1969). In the first cabinet formed after the coup d’état of May 1926,
five secretaries of the State and the prime minister, professor Kazimierz
Bartel (1882-1941), an outstanding mathematician, were freemasons. However the
Bartel’s ministry was a swan song of a romance between “sanacja” regime and
Masonry. Most of Pilsudski’s partisans left lodges or were excluded from
Masonry during next two years. Leaders of he National Grand Lodge, as a popular
writer Andrzej Strug (1871-1937), remained at their democratic or even
socialistic principles, and began to critize the regime.
Poland was not a banana republic and relations between army, freemasonry and
politics were incidental but not structural. Most of the future colonels and
generals were not professional militaries; their first epaulette they got
during the World War I. They were doctors, lawyers, ingeneers, civil servants
or artists from profession, for instance graduates of the Academy of Fine Arts in
Kraków – as generals Smigly-Rydz and Zamorski - or academies of music – as
writer Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski (1885-1944). The war and the future political
fight for the independancy of Poland separated this people from their
professions and civil activities.
Political conspiracy and revolutionary activities are the crucial facts of
pre-war Masonic biographies. Principles of so called Liberum conspiro formed in
the period of national uprisings of the 19th century remained the principles of
the peace time. The future leaders of the “sanacja” regime believed that only
underground movement for freedom, tolerance and social justice could be
effective in the society dominated by the Roman Catholic Church and
nationalists. The establishing the sovereign Masonic obedience seemed to be
logical result of the romantic political culture. Paradoxically, this naive
believ in power of secret society and conspirational competence were to be put
to the test in the nearest future. Next fifty years after the delegalisation Masonic
lodges in Poland the “royal art” had to exist in full secrecy.
“Beyond the grave” life of Polish Freemasonry
in the period 1939-1989
Neiher the Nazi occupation of the country nor the period of the communist
totalitarian regime in Poland did not distroyed the Polish branch of Masonry.
It survived in exil thanks a lodge founded in Paris during the World War II.
The Mother-Lodge "Copernic" was established 7th April 1940 as a Lodge
No 679 under the jurisdiction of the Grande Loge de France. The Lodge stopped
its activities under the German occupation of France; was reestablished in the
year 1960 under the same jurisdiction.
Contrary to the Czechoslovakia and Hungary, where Masonic Obediences were
re-established in 1945, in Poland weakened and delegalized in late thirties,
and next decimated during the World War II Freemasonry did not resolved to
enliven its workshops. Symptomatic that in 1945 (or a year later), Boleslaw
Bierut, the head of the state of those days, or somebody from his environment
proposed to reawake the Grand Lodge – just as it was happening in other
countries of the region. Both leaders of pre-war Polish Masonry: Stanislaw
Stempowski and Marian Ponikiewski (1876-1954) refused; they correct estimated
the political situation as not favourable for Masonic activities, and the
friendly attitude of the comunist government as due to the existing state of
affairs. Indeed, the ground for this attitude was Bierut’s hope to get support
from the side of democratic circles the freemasons were connected with. They
answered that the Polish Obedience was not “prohibited by the fascist
government” – as it was suggested from the Bierut’s side – but it was dissolved
of its own free will, and there was no ground for a re-awaking of the Grand
Lodge.
Late in the year 1947 foul winds blowed from the Central Committee of the
Polish Worker Party (PPR); Jakub Berman, the person of weight was opposed to
collaboration with Polish Masonry. The incident described above was perhaps the
last act of Masonic life in Poland – up to the 1961. Significant fact: any
ancient lodge member was oppressed during next years – also because of the lack
of Masonic archives. Most of it were destroyed by brethren in the years
1938-39; some of particulary importance were hidden; they burned in the Warsaw
Uprising of 1944. If any lodge materials fall into Nazi’s hands, they were not
found by Polish or Soviet secret police.
However, in February the 12th 1961 the Mother Lodge "Kopernik" was
re-established in Warsaw on the basis of the authorisation given by the last
Grand Master. All the masons which names are to be find in the Apendix 1, were
initiated into the masonry in the years 1916-1938. Although the totalitarian
system did not create the appropriate conditions for the rebuilding of the Order,
during the thirty years of its activity in the full secrecy the Mother Lodge
"Kopernik" initiated more than thirty Brethren. Among new members of
this lodge were social workers, and contemporary or future leaders of the
democratic resistance to the regime, mostly the KOR (Komitet Obrony Robotników,
Committee for the Defance of Workers): Jan Kielanowski (1910-1989, professor of
biology), Jan Józef Lipski (1926-1991, historian of literature), Janusz
Maciejewski (1930, professor of literature, Polish Academy of Science, social
worker), Aleksander Malachowski (1925-2004, journalist, politician, future
M.P., senior-speaker of the Seym), Jan Olszewski (1930, lawyer, politician,
M.P., prime minister), Klemes Szaniawski (1925-1990, professor of philosophy,
later rector of the Warsaw University), As far as we know the Lodge was the
only one in the whole Middle and East European area. The regular masonic works
were held, although for conspiracy reasons the Bible had a pocket-book size and
the Square and the Compasses were made from papier to eat it (!) in the moment
of danger. Indeed, there were such critical moments when this preventive
measures were necessary.
In 1963 the "Kopernik" Lodge brought into contact with the sister
Lodge "Copernic" in Paris. In 1989 the Paris Lodge was asked to
represent the Polish Freemasonry. A group of 15-17 Polish Brethren who were
initiated in the exile "Copernic" took part in the work of rebuilding
the Polish Obedience in the years 1990-1991. They affiliated to the Mother-Lodge
"Kopernik", on the other hand together with Tadeusz Gliwic and Jerzy
Jasinski they started the formalities of the regularisation the Lodge
"Copernic" under the jurisdiction of the Grande Loge Nationale
Française; they succedeed in 1992.
December 2, 1991 two another lodges were re-awekened: "Walerian
Lukasinski" in the Orient of Warsaw and "Przesad Zwyciezony"
(Superstition Overcome) in the Orient of Cracow. December 7, 1991 the three
Polish Lodges decided to re-awake the National Grand Lodges of Poland in December
27, 1991.
In the 27th December 1991 in the Palais Dluzewo near Warsaw, during the meeting
of the above mentioned three Lodges the National Grand Lodge of Poland was
re-established and its dignitaries were elected: the Grand Master Tadeusz
Gliwic (the eldest Polish freemason, initiated 1934 in "Kopernik"),
the Grand Deputies Jean W. Sicinski (born 1938, civil engineer), Jerzy Jasinski
(1930-1998, professor of law, Polish Academy of Science), the Grand Wardens
Janusz Maciejewski, Bronislaw Wildstein (1952, writer, journalist, social
worker), The Grand Officers were: Aleksander Malachowski, Tadeusz Cegielski
(1948, historian, professor of the Warsaw University), Stanislaw Wydzga (1926,
professor of natural philosophy, Institut of Physics), Jan Winczakiewicz (1921,
writer, journalist, civil servant), Przemyslaw Górecki (1921-1997, doctor,
social worker), Jan Olszewski, Jan Karczewski (1939, architect, entrepreneur),
Marek Zlotek-Zlotkiewicz (1957, architect, entrepreneur).
The principle of Liberum conspiro achieved triumphs once again, but the future
history of the National Grand Lodge belonged to more modern idea.
Tadeusz Cegielski
Tadeusz Cegielski est
professeur à l'Université de Varsovie. Titulaire d'une chaire d'histoire
moderne (XVIIe-XIXe siècle), il s'intéresse à l'histoire culturelle et à
l'histoire des idées. Il est rédacteur en chef de la revue d'histoire Ars
Regia
Grand maître de la Grande Loge nationale
polonaise, Tadeusz Cegielski s'est intéressé aux développements de la
franc-maçonnerie en Pologne depuis le XVIIIe siècle.
Tadeusz Cegielski
Tadeusz Cegielski is a professor at the University of
Warsaw. Holder of a modern pulpit of history (XVIIe-XVIIe-XIXe century), it is
interested in the cultural history and the history of the ideas. He is a writer
as a head of the review of history Ars Regia
Large Master of the
Large Polish national Cabin , Tadeusz Cegielski was interested in the
developments of freemasonry in Poland since the XVIIIe century.