Dekret PKWN o reformie rolnej 1944 r. na przykładzie północnego Mazowsza – ziemia pułtuska

Abstract

The Agricultural Reform from of 1944 drastically changed the agricultural attitude in Poland. It had been previously announced in the Manifesto from 22nd of July by the Polish Committee of National Liberation. There were three main reasons in favour of the reform. First of all, the consolidation of power by the country folk through the closedown of the squirearchy. Secondly, the territorial estate of huge tracts of land. Finally, its endorsement by both peasants and farm labourers. In order to achieve the required goals some regulations were introduced to speed up the process of implementation. The District of Pultusk is the chosen example of the changes made, which were to rapidly spread over the agricultural landscape of post-war Poland. The changes made were visible and especially so in North Masovia where about 25 thousand hectares of the land was divided into smaller plots, including arable land, forests and wastelands. The largest group of beneficiaries were represented by the landless and smallholders. Additionally, many families migrated to the so-called Regained Lands. Here they received glebe allocations but, under distinct regulations, the West farmlands and a former Prussian’s annexation.