Wolność i Niezawisłość miscellaneous records, 1936-1946

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Summary

Creators:
Wolność i Niezawisłość (Organization)
Abstract:
The collection is comprised of newsletters, memoranda, letters, leaflets, and flyers relating to Polish opposition to Soviet and communist forces at the end of World War II.
Extent:
(1.0 manuscript_box)
Language:
Polish
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Wolność i Niezawisłość miscellaneous records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection is comprised of letters, printed matter, reports, personal orders, notices, and orders of promotion, as well as a file regarding Akcja "O" (Operation "O").

Biographical / historical:

Wolność i Niezawisłość (WiN) (Freedom and Independence), an underground anti-communist organization, was established on September 2, 1945, in Warsaw, Poland. Its main goal was to fight communism and the Sovietification of Poland through political channels, with minimal military action. However, hostility between WiN and communist organizations, such as the Polish Ministry of Public Security, the Polish Worker's Party, and the NKVD, often led to provocation, resulting in violence. Realizing that victory through violence was impossible, members of WiN instead chose to focus on fighting the communists through anti-communist propaganda and by providing assistance to all those who opposed the communist government.

By 1952, WiN ceased to exist, mainly due to the efforts of the Ministry of Public Security and its leader, Jakub Berman, who assassinated a number of the organization's prominent members.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1995.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Wolność i Niezawisłość miscellaneous records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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