Joseph Stalin’s birthday celebrations in December 1949 (the example of the Olsztyn Voivodeship)

Abstract

The celebrations related to the 70th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Stalin began well before their culmination, which was to take place on December 21, 1949. The communist authorities issued a special instruction which strictly regulated the course of these celebrations. Special party meetings were organized to celebrate the dictator. Young people gathered in workplaces, schools and youth organizations were also expected to participate in the celebrations. Furthermore, it was recommended to study the biography of Stalin and decorate public buildings with Polish and Soviet colours, as well as portraits of Stalin and related slogans. In Olsztyn, as in other Polish cities, the Provincial Committee for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Stalin was established, which included members of the political and administrative authorities, as well as representatives of the army, trade unions, social, scientific, creative and artistic organisations, and industry leaders. However, compared to other regions in the Olsztyn Voivodeship, the celebrations of the jubilee of the birth of Joseph Stalin had a much more modest dimension, mainly due to the typically agricultural character of the region, as well as the relatively small population of Warmia and Masuria at that time