Access
Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Alternative Form Available
Historical Note
Scope and Content Note
Title: Poland. Ministerstwo Prac Kongresowych records
Date (inclusive): 1940-1945
Collection Number: 47036
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: Mainly in Polish
Physical Description:
13 manuscript boxes
(5.2 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Essays, bulletins, reports, and studies, relating to Poland's boundary disputes following World Wars I and II; events and
conditions in Poland under German and Soviet occupations during World War II; Polish-Soviet relations; communism in Poland;
and twentieth century Polish agriculture, economy, foreign relations, history, politics, and government.
Creator:
Poland. Ministerstwo Prac Kongresowych
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
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.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1947
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Poland. Ministerstwo Prac Kongresowych records, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution
Library & Archives.
Alternative Form Available
Also available on microfilm (16 reels).
Historical Note
Ministry of Preparatory Work Concerning the Peace Conference, Polish Government-in-Exile (London).
Scope and Content Note
The Ministerstwo Prac Kongresowych was brought to life by the Presidential decree of July 1942. It had been known earlier,
since 1940, as the Biuro Prac Politycznych, Ekonomicznych i Prawnych (Department of Political, Economic and Legal Analysis).
The ministry's English name is self-explanatory: Ministry of Preparatory Work Concerning the Peace Conference.
Unlike other branches of the government it functioned more as an advisory agency by collecting ideas for the country's post-war
political and economic reconstruction. Ideas were solicited from top class specialists, researchers, government experts, and
non-government employees.
That was also a way for the ministry to provide financial support to those who found themselves out of work in exile but who
could, thus, contribute to the government's information bank.
The materials included in this collection deal with some of the most critical issues for Poland, which should have been solved
either during the war or shortly thereafter. They document how Poles envisioned their future and how little of those plans
materialized between 1945 and 1989. But the researcher should remember that these are not official government plans but merely
suggestions submitted for consideration.
Among the issues of particular importance discussed here are the restoration of the German state; Poland's relations with
the Soviet Union; borders and historic disputes about them; and events and conditions in the country under Soviet and German
occupation. Plans to restore the Polish economy and the problem of war reparations are particularly well covered.
Researchers are also advised to consult the Poland. Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych records, also in the Hoover Archives,
on topics such as disarmament, execution of treaties, economic organization of post-war Europe, Central European federation,
boundary disputes, and military and political alliances.
The records of the Ministerstwo Prac Kongresowych were sent to the Hoover Institution in 1947 along with the archives of the
Polish Research Centre (London).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Poland -- Politics and government -- 1918-1945
Poland -- History -- Occupation, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Poland
Poland -- Foreign relations -- Soviet Union
Soviet Union -- Foreign relations -- Poland
World War, 1939-1945 -- Peace
Katyn Massacre, Katynʹ, Russia, 1940
Poland -- Economic conditions
Poland -- Boundaries
Communism -- Poland