Polish Socialist Party – Left Explained

Polish Socialist Party – Left
Native Name:Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Lewica
Abbreviation:PPS–L
Logo Alt:Logo of the Polish Socialist Party
Founded:1906
Dissolved:1918
Merged:Communist Party of Poland
Ideology:Socialism
Proletarian internationalism
Position:Far-left
Colours: Red
Split:PPS
Country:Poland

Polish Socialist Party – Left (Polish: Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Lewica, PPS–L), also known as the Young Faction (Polish: Młodzi|links=no), was one of two factions into which Polish Socialist Party divided itself in 1906 at its ninth congress.[1] Its primary goal was transform Poland into a socialist country, established through proletarian revolution, and likely a member of some international communist country.

Its opposition was the Polish Socialist Party - Revolutionary Faction (also known as Old Faction – Starzy) which wanted to restore independent Poland, which was envisioned as a representative democracy.

PPS–L for a time gathered most of the former PPS members, but with the failure of the Russian Revolution of 1905 and corresponding revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–1907), it has lost popularity. In 1909 PPS–FR renamed itself back to Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (Polish Socialist Party). Over time the party became more Marxist.[1] The increasingly marginal PPS–L – opposing the First World War and supporting the Russian Revolution of 1917 – eventually merged with Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania on 16 December 1918[1] to form the Communist Party of Poland.

One member of Lewica was elected to the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine at the Second All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets in Katerynoslav (Dnipropetrovsk) on 19 March 1918.

Prominent activists of the PPS–L were: Maria Koszutska, Feliks Kon, Stefan Królikowski, Paweł Lewinson, Henryk Walecki and Tadeusz Rechniewski.

PPS–L was recreated in 1926 by PPS activists who opposed PPS involvement with Józef Piłsudski (particularly in the aftermath of his May Coup). It was delegalized in 1931.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lerski, H. . Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966-1945 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 1996 . 978-0-313-03456-5 . 2024-02-11 . 459.