Robotnicy żydowscy w ruchu robotniczym Białegostoku w latach 1918-1931

Abstract

Białystok was one of the few centers in Poland with the industrial Jewish proletariat (7,3% of Jewish workers in industry comp. ared to 3,5% average in the whole country). The majority of Jewish workers were employed in small factories and workshops characterized by poor working conditions, lower wages and seasonal omployment. In November 1918, in Białystok occupied by Germans revolutionary soldiers from the garrison created Soldiers' Council (Soldatenrat): At the same time proletarian parties created Workers' Council. The influence of the Councils in Białystok spread in the region. When Polish arrny entered the town, the Councils were suppressed, the activists represed, the Jewish quarters pacified. A new wave of repressions occured when the Red Army was forced to retreat and the Temporary Revolutionary Committee of Poland (TKRP) was evacuated. The years 1921 to 1924 were a period of strikes and activity of workers' parties. A coincidence of economic and political factors caused intensity and persistance of incidents. Strikes usually ended successfully. The driving force of the fight was the Communist Workers' Party of Poland (KPRP) which brought together Jewish, Polish and Belorussian workers. Communists influenced class labour unions which by the end of 1921 contained about 4 000 workers. By the end of 1923 the membership of the party amounted to 670 activists. Since then it took the name of the Communist Party of Western Belorussia (KPZB). Its leader at that time was Salomon Miller. In 1 925 police repressioris weakened labour unions and the party, but failed to destroy them. The action against the workers' movement was directed at Jewish working class (most of the 16 suppressed unions were active in the Jewish community; the law of uneployment benefits was directed primarily against Jewish workers; 61% among the 1174 arrested, interrogated and wanted were Jews). The number of strikes in 1925-1931 was even larger than in the years 1921-1924. However while the strikes of 1921-1924 were usually collective (e. g. in the textile industry itself from 6 000 to 18 000 strikers took part every time), in the next period strikes took place in smaller number of factories. Apart from 20 general strikes, all the others were small, involving several persons. In the years 1925 to 1931 Bund increased its influence upon masses of Jewish workers and the lower middle class. The paper is supplemented with tabular data.