Polish Immigrants in Britain: A Study of Adjustment

228 Pages·1956·12.64 MB·English

by  Jerzy Zubrzycki (auth.)

POLISH IMMIGRANTS IN BRITAIN
STUDIES
IN SOCIAL LIFE
III
EDITORS:
GUNTHER BEYER
JULIUS ISAAC
ADVISORY BOARD
P. J. BOUMAN,
University qf GroningeT!
DAVID V. GLASS,
University qf London
JEAN GOTTMANN,
University of Paris
WALTER HOFFMANN,
University of MUTlSter
LlVIO LIVI,
University of Rome
POLISH IMMIGRANTS IN
BRITAIN
A STUDY OF ADJUSTMENT
by
JERZY ZUBRZYCKI
PREFACES BY RENE CLEMENS, PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY
OF LIEGE AND FLORIAN ZNANIECKI, PROFESSOR IN THE UNI
VERSITY OF ILLINOIS, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN
SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V.
1956
Copyright 1956 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Martinus NijhoJ!, The Hague, Netlterlands in 1956
AU rights reserved, including the rigltt to tram/ale or to
reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form
ISBN 978-90-247-0509-2 ISBN978-94-011-9783-0 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-011-9783-0
TO MY WIFE
PREFACE
Le livre de M. Zubrzycki met excellemment en evidence cer
tains facteurs determinants du devenir d'une communaute natio
nale en pays etranger.
On ne pouvrait en effet comprendre "Les Polonais en Grande
Bretagne", si l'on negligeait les raisons pour lesquelles ils sont
venus la apres avoir quitte leur pays et les circonstances qui ont
entoure leur installation dans Ie milieu d'accueil.
M. Zubrzycki a justement souligne Ie caractere politique d'une
immigration qui ne peut etre consideree comme une immigration
au sens usuel du terme. Les Polonais en Grande-Bretagne se
considerent comme une communaute d' "exiles politiques". Ils se
sont opposes a tout changement de vues, d'usages et de regles de
conduite. Ils ont ete determines a sauvegarder leur originalite
culturelle et nationale "comme la seule voie dans laquelle pouvait
Cire accomplie leur mission politique d' emigration combattante".
M. Zubrzycki a montre comment l'etablissement des immigres
a pris un caractere institutionnel, avec toutes sortes de conse
quences socioJogiques. La distribution geographique des Polonais
en agglomerations ou "enclaves" nationales n'est pas la moindre
de ces consequences. M. Zubrzycki a parfaitement decrit aussi et
illustre Ie role des associations polonaises, celui de l'organisation
religieuse et de la presse nationale.
Des trois si.tuations auxquelles peut conduire Ie processus
d'ajustement - assimilation, accomodation et conflit -, c'est dans
ces conditions l'accomodation qui est Ie type dominant. L'attache
a
ment au groupe primaire, 1'affiliation nombre d'associations
propres, la conscience d'avoir a poursuivre des buts politiques
definis en rapport avec Ie sejour dans Ie pays sont les facteurs qui
conduisent a l' accomodation, avec les situations caracteristiques
de segregation dans l'habitation, segregation dans 1'emploi et
recherche de compensation danslesloisirs. L' auteur voit l'e ssence de
a
l'accomodation dans "cette disposition accepter les institutions
du milieu d'accueil combinee avec un effort fait pour maintenir
l'identite ethnique et la separation de la communaute polonaise".
x PREFACE
L'auteur reconnait cependant que "Ie progres graduel dans la
situation economique des Polonais pris individuellement leur
donne un sentiment de securite et accroit ainsi leur predisposition
a changer et adapter leurs fa<;ons de vivre aux standards culturels
britanniques. "
Il ne semble pas douteux, comme l'auteur Ie demontre avec
succes, que les associations notamment ont joue un role protec
teur de la personnalite et que cette forme d'integration sociale
a retarde l'action des processus d'assimilation, mais en abri
tant les individus des processus de desorganisation et de demo
ralisation. On peut a vrai dire se demander si l'importance du
caractere politi que de l'immigration merite d'etre soulignee avec
aut ant de force que Ie fait l'auteur. Meme des communautes
d'ouvriers immigres pour des raisons economiques presentent, en
Europe tout au moins, des traits analogues. L' accomodation, au
sens defini par M. Zubrzycki, pouvrait caracteriser la situation de
maintes communautes de ce genre en Belgique ou en France.
Certes, la situation politique a marque profondement les con
ditions initiales de l'immigration polonaise consecutive a la
deuxieme guerre mondiale. Maisl'attachement au groupe primaire
et la structure familiale, l'existence d'associations, l'influence
religieuse, la presse, la formation d"'enclaves" nationales ont
probablement une importance beaucoup plus determinante que
Ie caractere politique de l'immigration.
Peut - etre faut - il considerer que l'immigrant, apres avoir quitte
son pays, reste plus ou moins longtemps un "refugie", du moins
s'il n'a pas quitte son pays sans esprit de retour. Et quel emigre
parti pour gagner sa vie ne garde pas plus ou moins longtemps
au coeur l'espoir d'un possible retour?
On peut se demander, a la lecture du livre perspicace de
M. Zubrzycki, si, independamment de tout caract ere politique
a
de l'emigration, l'attachement la mere-patrie et la distance
cUlturelle du milieu d'accueil ne produisent pas necessairement,
dans d' attires circonstances qui favorisent la formation de com
munautes polonaises en milieu etranger, des situations toutes
a
sembI abIes celles qui sont decrites ici avec tant d'interet.
RENE CLEMENS
PREFACE
Dr. Zubrzycki's investigation of the ongm, formation, and
evolution of the Polish immigrant community in Great Britain
from the beginning of World War II to the present includes a
vast amount of factual evidence. I do not know any individual
study of a relatively large, widely spread, and continually
changing immigrant group which is so thorough and well inte
grated. Even more important is its content, especially the reference
of this recent immigration to the historical past and its comparison
with immigrant groups in other countries.
In Part I, Chapter I, the author surveys the emergence and
development of Polish emigration after the partition of Poland
throughout the nineteenth century. During this period, Polish
warriors, as well as political and intellectual leaders, shared a
common ideal of national independence and unification. There
was a series of unsuccessful attempts to regain independence by
military rebellion, beginning with the struggle in 1795, later in
the rebellions of 1830, 1848, and 1863. After each defeat
thousands of Polish warriors and leaders escaped from Poland.
They organized associations in France, Belgium, Switzerland,
and England, in order to gain the help of these nationalities for
the realization of their ideals. They did find "sympathetic under
standing", but European governments up to 1917 did almost
nothing to promote Polish independence.
N ow, the emergence of Polish immigration to England after
the German invasion was a continuation of this old historical
trend. The Poles formed a Government-in-Exile in France,
which they transferred to England when French defence became
hopeless. Numerous Polish soldiers who escaped the German
invasion entered Britain and fought against the Germans under
British command. Later, many civilian immigrants were admitted.
And yet, just as in the 19th century, nothing was done to promote
XII PREFACE
the revival of Polish national independence. At the Yalta
Conference, one-half of Polish pre-war territory was conceded to
Russia. Later the Communist regime in Warsaw, dominated by
Russia, was recognized instead of the Government-in-Exile. How
ever, the British government sponsored the resettlement of some
150,000 Poles who came to England during and after the war. The
consequence of this was a gradual accommodation of these Poles
to British society.
Dr. Zubrzycki's work provides a key to the general problem
of cultural assimilation in various countries, as e.g. in the United
States, where the number of immigrants for economic goals has
reached millions. Although the Polish settlements were mostly
composed of people who imported their traditional folk culture,
they became eventually assimilated in the sense that they
gradually learned and accepted American professional and literary
culture. And yet, during the last thirty years, although their
participation in American culture has increased, their active
interest in Poland and in Polish culture above the folk level has
developed and spread widely.
In Great Britain assimilation is very rare and slow, since
economic immigration has always been small there. The majority
of immigrants from the very first were struggling for the ideal
of national independence and included an increasing number of
professionals who wanted to preserve the Polish culture which
they considered threatened by Germany and Russia. They
formed a large number of diverse and mutually supplementary
associations for that very purpose. Dr. Zubrzycki's study of these
associations and their functions is very efficient and instructive.
And when we survey the Polish cultural associations in the
United States, we find that most of them similarly emerged in
defence of Polish culture against European oppressors.
FLORIAN ZNANIECKI
INTRODUCTION
In 1939, at the outbreak of the second World War there were
some eight million first or second generation Poles living
permanently outside the political frontiers of Poland. The figure
varies according to whether Polish or foreign estimates are taken
as a basis. There is no doubt however that the figure was very
large both in the absolute and in the relative sense: a quarter
of the Polish nation was at that time residing permanently
abroad. This fact is of deep political, economic and sociological
significance.
Politically Poles abroad were an important numerical force,
forming minorities in various countries. The essential importance
of Polonia, as the Poles abroad are generically termed, lay in the
very close co-operation between the mother country and Polonia.
This was stressed in the proclamation of the second Congress of
Poles Abroad held in Craco\v in 1934 which defined Polonia's
attitude to the countries where Poles were domiciled in the
following words:
"The Second Congress of Poles Abroad .....d eclares that Poles
wherever they may live, constitute a compact national community,
solid in their work for the Polish nation and in the endeavour to
strengthen and develop the national culture. The good name of the
Polish Nation, its requisite honour and the creative force of the
national culture are the common good of all Poles. To care for this
common good is the most honourable and the highest duty of every
Pole.
The Congress considers that work for the Polish Nation cannot in
any way cause the Poles living in foreign countries to have difficulties
in regard to their surroundings and the States in which they are living.
On the contrary their obligations to these States must be fulfilled with
all loyalty and it should be the ambition of every Pole to participate
in the public life of the State in which he dwells. Such an attitude on
the part of Poles living abroad must be regarded as the best assurance
that their right to free cultural development will not only be guaranteed
but also respected ..... "