Wawa Design Festiwal - urbanistyka.

Wybrałam się wczoraj spontanicznie na festiwal Wawa Design na Północnej Pradze w Warszawie. Wydarzenie ma promować polski design i idee designu w ogóle. Nie miałam zbyt wiele czasu, więc zdążyłam dokładnie obejrzeć jedynie parę z pośród bardzo wielu wystaw, ale w pamięci została mi szczególnie jedna. Niewiele ma ona wspólnego z designem, znacznie bardziej jednak z Wawą.

Na ekranach paru ekranów do których podłączone zostały słuchawki można było wysłuchać krótkich reportaży z opowieściami znanych architektów. Opowiadali o sobie, swoich zawodach i stworzonych obiektach, dzięki którym stali się znani w swoim zawodowym świadku.
Szczególnie zainteresowała mnie pierwsza postać - doktor inżynier architekt, urbanistka, Pani Magdalena Staniszkis. Jej architektura całkiem fajna - w filmie pokazała budynek jakiejś znanej informatycznej firmy, ale to co zaintrygowało mnie szczególnie, to przesłanie jakie starała się w filmie wyrazić. W paru zdaniach wytłumaczyła idee swojej dziedziny. 

Architektura z natury rzeczy tworzy coś, co ma trwać i co nieodzownie jest związane z kulturą - ma kulturę oddawać i godnie reprezentować. Co ważniejsze jednak, przedstawiła swoją bardzo krytyczną opinię na temat planowania przestrzeni w Warszawie tłumacząc, że w bardzo wielu jej częściach to tzw ,,złe miasto'', czyli sprzyjające bardziej dezintegracji społecznej i niezadowoleniu z życia. Pani Staniszkis podkreślała, że jest również urbanistką, czyli kimś, kto planuje perspektywicznie nie tylko poszczególne budynki (to zadanie bardziej architekta), ale przestrzeń miejską jako całość, która ma tworzyć tzw. ,,dobre miasto''. W jej ocenie dobre miasto charakteryzuje się tak rozplanowaną przestrzenią, aby służyło integracji i komfortowi jej mieszkańców. Tym ostatnim służy ujmowanie w planach zagospodarowania przestrzennego terenów zielonych takich jak parków, gdzie można odpocząć i spotkać ludzi, przedszkoli i szkół, gdzie integruje się lokalna społeczność, terenów przeznaczonych ściśle na odpoczynek, rozrywkę i relaks jak takich jak centra handlowe i sportowe, bary, restauracje czy spacerniki. Tak zaplanowane miasto, gdzie proporcjonalnie rozkłada się przestrzeń mieszkalną i przestrzeń biznesową versus wymieniona wyżej funkcjonalność skutkuje integracją społeczności i co za tym idzie zwiększa komfort mieszkania oraz pracy. 

Takie rozplanowanie wymaga jednak decyzji politycznych, które nie leżą już w rękach architektów urbanistów, czy zwykłych ludzi.
Z powodu podobnego braku decyzji i woli politycznej Warszawa nie ma swojego ścisłego centrum. Są owszem ciekawe miejsca, miejsca piękne i różnorodne, ale gnieżdżą się lub wyrastają po całej niemal Warszawie, aż po jej obrzeża.Tym samym tworzymy sobie miasto które nie ma swojego ścisłego centrum ani rozrywki, ani biznesu. Ma za to wielkie osiedla mieszkaniowe, które być może nie przypominają z zewnątrz komunistycznych blokowisk z płyty, ale strukturalnie niczym się od tamtych nie różnią. Mieszkańcy Warszawy tracą dziennie mnóstwo czasu na dojazdy ze swoich mieszkaniowych azyli do pracy, szkół, przedszkoli, sklepów czy nawet parków i miejsc rozrywki gdzie w końcu mogą spotkać znajomych, rodzinę....ludzi!! W efekcie często nie znają nawet swoich sąsiadów, bo nie mają szans na naturalna, bliską i prawdziwą integracje, która byłaby możliwa przez odpowiednie zaplanowanie i zagospodarowanie przestrzeni miejskiej.
Niestety przeważa myślenie krótkofalowe, umotywowane zyskiem finansowym oraz tworzeniem obiektów, które służą zaledwie paru osobom, czy rodziną, zamiast większej społeczności. 

Mamusiu, doktorat to nie mój temperament...

 Jak chętnie ludzie rezygnują z siebie! To zrozumiałe, bo siebie trudno znaleźć - napisał Sławomir Mrożek i moim zdaniem miał rację. Bardzo niewielu osobom udaje się szybko znaleźć siebie, swoje talenty i swoje prawdziwe, najpełniejsze ,,ja''.  Prawdopodobnie większość z nas potrzebuje na to nieco więcej czasu i pracy, ale warto, bo gra toczy się o nasze szczęście, o wykonywanie naszej ,,pracy'' z przyjemnością, z poczuciem flow i o większym pożytku nie tylko dla nas samych, ale również dla innych. 
Wyobraźmy sobie bowiem świat, w którym każdy robi to, co zgodne z jego naturą, z jego ukrytym wcześniej potencjałem. Społeczeństwo ludzi wyzwolonych od powinności i wewnętrznego głosu rodziców (tzw. ja powinnościowe), ludzi którzy nie realizują wizji i sugestii swoich rodziców lub nie wybierają konwencjonalnych dróg (ja idealne). Byłoby to bez wątpienia społeczeństwo ludzi o wiele bardziej szczęśliwych i mniej zestresowanych. Najpewniej również bardziej wobec siebie życzliwych i użytecznych.

  Niektóre filozofie dalekiego wschodu zakładają co prawda, że życie powinno polegać na tym, aby stawiać czoło naszym największym słabościom. I tak, jeśli jesteśmy kiepscy z matematyki, to powinniśmy zająć się matematyką. Jeśli nie umiemy przemawiać, naszym nadrzędnym celem powinno być zostanie świetnym mówcą. Znam bardzo wiele osób, które właśnie w ten sposób podejmowały swoje najważniejsze życiowe decyzje, a wcale nie pochodzą z dalekiego wschodu. Nie wykluczone nawet, że czas i praca jaką włożymy w ,,naprawianie siebie'' w końcu przyniesie wymierne rezultaty, ale nasz ogromny wkład i stres temu towarzyszący mogą w końcu odbić się nawet na naszym zdrowiu. W najlepszym razie będziemy mogli mówić o wypaleniu zawodowym. 

Znowu zacytuje, tym razem posłankę Joannę Senyszyn (fajny wywiad z nią tutaj), że ,,tylko młodym ludziom wydaje się, że praca to obowiązek. Z upływem czasu okazuje się, że jedyne co człowieka nie nudzi to właśnie praca'' I jeśli założymy, że nasza praca, to ciągłe wykorzystywanie i rozwijanie naszego potencjału i umiejętności,  trudności, przeszkody i pot, ale co ważniejsze.... również poczucie satysfakcji, pewnej łatwości w tym co robimy i poczucie flow i zestawimy to z różnymi  kruchymi i  doraźnymi przyjemnościami, to odważna teza profesor Senyszyn nie wydaje się wcale taka fałszywa czy kontrowersyjna.

Polskie, miejscami zatwardziałe społeczeństwo oraz system edukacyjny nie bardzo zachęcają do poszukiwań naszych talentów. W szkole nie bardzo również  jest czas, aby zająć się tymi mniej oczywistymi przypadkami uczniów. Również dlatego, że źle pojmujemy zjawisko talentu i potencjału. Dzielimy młodych uczniów na dobrych i złych. Bardziej obiektywni nauczyciele i rodzice wyróżniają może jeszcze tych średniaków, uczniów przeciętnych, albo ,,zdolnych, ale leniwych''. 
Tym samym poszukiwania stają się często sprawą indywidualną, zwykle już dorosłych ludzi, bo w końcu świadomych, że warto!
Każdy, kto choć raz w życiu próbując czegoś nowego, eksplorując świat poczuł owe flow wie o czym mówię. Niestety wielu z nas nie wierzy w powodzenie i poddaje się lub tchórzy. Tak właśnie skwitował sytuację Mrożek. 

Zasłyszałam niedawno w pewnej radiowej audycji historie chłopca, który był najgorszym i najniegrzeczniejszym uczniem w klasie. Przeszkadzał wszystkim, był nadpobudliwy, nie bardzo chciał się uczyć. Aż kiedyś pewien nauczyciel uwierzył w niego i dał mu skrzypce oraz odrobinę cierpliwości. Okazało się, że chłopiec ma wielki talent muzyczny i po tym epizodzie jego zachowanie w środowisku zupełnie się zmieniło.

Skupmy się zatem na odnalezieniu własnych skrzypiec....

 .....ale jak się już odnajdzie, to.... odważnie trzeba się ich trzymać i nie bać realizacji marzeń. 


LINK DO AUDYCJI TRÓJKI - POLECAM

Do czego może służyć sztuka....

,,Art must be beautiful, artist must be beautiful'' - tym sarkazmem Marina Abramović otwiera bardzo ważny w przekazie temat: po co właściwie nam sztuka, czemu służy, czym właściwie jest i czy współczesny człowiek nie myli jej czasem - sztuki - z estetyką.

Nie istnieje spójna, ogólnie przyjęta definicja sztuki (nie ma takiej nawet na Wikipedii) i gdy przypatrzymy się bliżej funkcjom sztuki, zaczynamy dostrzegać ich mnogość. Dla niektórych najważniejsza to funkcja estetyczna: sztuka ma tworzyć piękno, którym my, zwykli ludzie mamy się następnie otaczać.
Współcześnie bardzo ważna funkcją jest ta społeczna, a w niej również edukacyjna, dydaktyczna.
Dlaczego? Bo w krajach rozwiniętych i rozwijających się, gdzie zauważa się bardzo wiele problemów społecznych i je dyskutuje, czasem nawet to życie społeczne ulepsza, ....sztuka może stanowić najdobitniejszą i najefektywniejszą formę przekazu.

Gdy obserwuje w swoim otoczeniu artystów, to dostrzegam w nich jedną wspólna wszystkim umiejętność: wrażliwość na rzeczy małe i talent do wyrażenia dostrzeżonej sprawy, często błahostki i elementu zdawało by się tak mało istotnego, ale przy całym dziele elementu, jak się finalnie okazuje, kluczowego. Zupełnie jak trywialne picie wody, o której w istocie bardzo wielu z nas w ciągu dnia zapomina, a za pomocą którego Abramović chce nam przypomnieć o zachowaniu prostoty w naszym codziennym życiu i niezapominaniu o sprawach najważniejszych.


http://gildedbirds.net/2013/03/22/marina-abramovic/ - źródło inspiracji do posta. Polecam uwadze artykuły i wywiady z Mariną Abramović. Poświęciła całe swoje życie sztuce. Znana jest głównie ze swych spektakularnych i kontrowersyjnych performersów, często z użyciem nagości. Ostatnio również współpracowała z Lady Gagą.

Detroit - modelowe miasto.

Detroit,  stało się istnym laboratorium lewicowych polityków i stworzyło społeczeństwo zależne od państwa, a gospodarkę miasta zależną od jej mieszkańców, a nie potrzeb runku. Przepis na gwarantowane bankructwo, które właśnie realizowane jest przez Włochy, Hiszpanie czy niedawno Grecję.

STYLES OF LIFE AND SOCIAL-ECONOMIC REALITY IN SOCIALIST POLAND

Introduction

This paper is presenting the life style and reality of every-day life in socialistic Poland, so the time between 1944 – 1989 years. In the first instance I am going to present the historical background of Polish history as well as social and economic factors of Polish reality during Socialism in order to introduce and understand easier the object of styles of life in socialist Poland. Afterwards I would like to emerge the life style of particular social group in Poland and common features of every-day life among all the members of Polish society in socialism Poland. It is important in my intention to emphasize some of the elements of absurd in this daily life.

Historical Background

Poland is a country located in a Central Europe bordered by German, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russian Enclave in the north. Poland exists officially on a map of Europe since 966 year when Polish Prince Mieszko I from Slavic line adopt the Christianity and gained the power among Slavic populace in the region of the former Poland (the territory similar to polish lands nowadays). It is important to mention that the Christianity and then the Catholics religion (confession) was the most popular and powerful religion highly connected and influenced the power and society during all next ages. The Polish Kingdom was formed 1025 and in 1569 Poland cemented the personal and then economic and military union with Lithuania formed the Polish- Lithuanian Commonwealth and built strong tradition of parliamentary for noble democracy (as a second country in Europe that time),original system of King’s election and established second constitution in the world (Constitution of May 3, 1791y.). In 1795 the Commonwealth, so Poland indeed was portioned among the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire and Old Austria and lost its independance for exactly 123 years. After few rebellions and after first World War in 1918 Poland regained the independence and became the Second Polish Republic, but only for a short. Later on in 1939 was attacked by Nazi Germany and then Soviet Union (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact). Around 6 million Polish citizens (including Jewish citizens in Poland) has been killed during the second World War. It is also necessary to emphasize that the biggest part of Polish intelligence has been killed, export to Siberia or emigrated to other countries on purpose. This event changed the structure of Polish society for a long and influence the Polish society nowadays. 

In result of decisions in Posdam, Yalta and Teheran conferences at the end of Second World War Poland was allocated to the Russian, so Communistic sphere of influence however Communism (Socialism) was not a popular political ideology in Poland that time, being only represented by the small unpopular political grouping. In 1952-1989 Poland has been officially named People's Republic of Poland and has been described as a satellite state of the Soviet Union to the end of Soviet Union durance. The Polish United Workers' Party with significant help from Stalin policy has became the dominant political party, officially made the country a Socialist state. In the years of 1956, 1968, 1970, 1980/81 and finally in 1989 took a place some significant strikes of trade-unionists. (2001 J.Lukowski, H. Zawaszki).

I think it’s important to understand some main points of Polish history before trying to understand social economic reality and more specific object like style of life of particular social groups in socialist Poland.

Social and economic feature in Socialist Poland.

Communism is a socialist movement to propagate a classless, common ownership as well as a social, political and economic ideology which aims the social order as a common and universal for everyone (1994, A. Daniels, R. Vincent). This ideology was not popular in capitalistic part of Europe and as I had mentioned before, communism in Poland was not popular and dominant ideology or any significant political movement before 1945 year. The direct reason of accession the power by communistic party (The Communist Party of Poland and then Polish United Worker’s Party)  might be the conference in Teheran in 1944, which put Poland to the zone of Soviet Union influence. In effect Soviet Union and Stalin supported minority of communists to gain the power and won the election by distortion of the results in the election in post-war Poland. Since 1947 Polish, communistic’’ government was directly dependent on support of the Soviet Union and steered by it until 1989 year (2001, J.Lukowski, H. Zawaszki).  Although the constant policy  of supporting this new socialistic regime by propaganda lead by party with support from Soviet Union. The fact, that Poland was quite fresh post-war formation as a country, still not well-formed, Polish society was giving many evident that the new system was not accepted by it. During all this socialistic time there have been taken many strikes, organized mostly by trade-unions which have been contributed inchmeal to the collapse of communism in 1989. The fact that the socialistic ideology and communist regime was provided by ,,force’’ and by policy of propaganda and had its continuation in every-day life marked the social discourse that time and specific attitude those who were not  the part of the communistic power structure. This situation is one of the factors for big distance that time between private and public sphere and implicit critique of this system. It was also one of the reasons for specific attitude of the society in every-day life, but not the one reason. 

This specific distance as well as lack of connection between pay and work effects, improper system of economic stimuli, neglect in the domain of work security and hygiene and low level of remuneration in general yielded a widespread feeling of lack of sense in working and caused egocentric and unreliable approach to work and individualistic attitudes manifested in the illegal deriving of economic profits or frequent absences from the work-place. The whole system gave the priority to individual interests rather than to the employer, so that the state with the support from everyone who was depended on the party. In other words it caused the contradiction and distance between the interests of the individual and those of the formal organization. The sociological analysis of Polish society revealed in general rather homogeneous image of the work situation. There were only few alternative choices that are relevant for the life style, prevalent the eight hours permanent employment model, not connected with a positive work ethic system and gave less and less chances of social advancement. A negative work ethos functioned and influenced the system of general  work's attitudes, so that work as a value didn’t affect the principle of Polish families’ life style, however the main source of income for polish families came from work for the state. In some families the work caused significant consequences for the physical and mental health because the new marker rather industry-oriented needed mostly physical workers in general. (P.Gliński 1987).

The systematic shortage of everything

The characteristic of the social-economic reality in years 1945-1989 was of course diversified and broadly-based but some features were quite common and distinguishing for that period of time. Polish communistic government started inputting the communistic ideology by nationalization of industry (including monopoly for alcohol industry), transportation and banks. The state has a monopoly for international trade and has limited the private property. One of the first step made by new communistic government was to launched the land reform (partial collectivization of agriculture) and made the whole economy industrially-oriented (J.Kornai, 1992).

According to the communistic ideology the economy was centrally planned, so all decisions regarding production and investment were made by the Socialistic state. In practice the most important decisions depended on USSR state (Soviet Union) and Polish government, which was  strictly observed and controlled by Soviet Union. Because the economy was not efficient enough and because most of the national production were imported to the different parts of Soviet Union (most to the Russia) not to the Polish market indeed, the economical monopoly of the state cause the systematic lack of basic need’s products . The common view of everyday life were the long lines of people waiting for his order to get finally the opportunity to buy and receive some products, even the products of basic needs (pic.1) The common lack of products regarded most often the toilet paper and meat. As a part of the salary people often received the cards with the permission for buying some limited amounts of basic need’s products (flour, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, washing powder, chocolate, oil, grain flakes for instance). As a result of this situation Polish people lived that time very thriftily in general. Almost every material thing was valuable and might be necessary or could be exchange for something else or collected for the next generation (like clothes, for instance). 

Pic.1 ,,The lines of Polish citizens waiting for his order to receive the products in the store’’.

Pic.2 ,,The typical card with limited amount of products of basic needs’’ similar to the food stamps and the symbol of goods rationing. The first card was launched in 1976 year. It is probably important to notice that the state allowed the alcohol and cigarettes for every family, even if no one in the family was smoking or drinking. Those products were always exclusive, valuable and exchangeable, which means that there was always someone with whom people could exchange the products. Also those cards were functioning as a currency in time of high inflation. People exchange the cards of cigarettes and alcohol for sweets cards. * There was also something similar to the rationing cards called ,,Books G’’ (Książeczka G) for privilege labor groups (militia, mineworkers for instance). ‘’ http://www.zgapa.pl/data_files/referat_9794.html

The systematic lack of everything cause that people stayed often in peculiar social-economic connection with each other in order to exchange the products, information and make a deals with each other regarding work, products as well as share the private aspects of life (family issues, cultural or political life). Social position and social existence depended strictly on people’s social connections and quality of those connections (,,mieć znajomości’’, ,,załatwić coś’’). If someone has good connections especially with communistic statesmen, could deal easier and more efficient. It was really important for everyone to have many connections with people because many aspects of life depended on those connections: work, food, health, travelling or even the access to the information like the Chernobyl issue showed (there was three days delay to informed people in Poland of state of emergency but some families with members in the Polish army known about this ecological catastrophe before). In my opinion it was very similar to the Russian ,,blat’’ in socialistic time – the social networking and informal exchange. The economic situation of socialist Poland in comparison to Western countries was less stable and worst in general regarding infrastructure, consumption, quality of production, the level of industrialization and economical insurance or incur. During all the socialism time in Poland there was a systematic  shortage of something and high inflation. The communistic government in order to patch the budget up have been taken foreign loans and made reprinting of money cause the national currency devaluation. As a result people have a currency and money which have low values!! According to the systematic shortage of some products the money stowed to functioning as a currency to make a deal. Polish people very often that time made a deal and business by exchange of rationing cards or by giving alcohol, especially vodka (1992 J. Kornai). The rate of consumption of vodka in socialist Poland was really high. In 1938 the rate of consumption  per capita was 1,5l, in 1956 it was 3,2 l, in 1965 it was 4,1 l and in 1970 almost 5,1 liters per capita. The vodka and alcohol consumption was in the same time one of the most important profits for the national budget because the government has the monopoly for alcohol production. That period of time the alcoholism problem as a social issue was wide in Poland. Polish society has been kind controlled by the rate and price of vodka. Drinking was the most common way of entertainment for people and the way of making deal with other people. (W. Roszkowski 2007), http://historia2000.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/zycie-w-prl/.

The compulsory duty of work

In 7’th of March 1950 Polish communistic government in order to increase the economic growth, eliminate unemployment rate and most of all increase social support for the party mandate the compulsory duty of work to the Polish law. From that moment everyone has to do some work. In practice those people who tried to avoid working could be even imprisoned. Polish government started the propaganda coming from Soviet Union about social responsibility and social solidarity in working for the state. Lenin also said ,,who doesn’t work, doesn’t eat too’’ (,,Kto nie pracuje, ten nie je’’' Stalin). The propaganda concern also Polish woman and youth. In communistic time women were encourage to work even in typical men’s professions (Pic. 3 and 4). Polish government launched some reforms (,,plan trzyletni’’, plan sześcioletni’’) to rebuild Polish economy and the work solidarity among the society. Duty of work and working for the state were the parts of those reforms and socialist propaganda. In this period of time Polish government has also established free saturdays. (M. Gładysz,2006).

Pic. 3 and 4. ,, Picture number three shows one of the propagandist posters portrays woman as a typical bricklayer’’

Pic. 5 and 6. ,, The propagandist posters concern drinking.’’ On the one hand the state critiqued drinking but on the other convinced people to drink alcohol made in Polish factories’’. 

The characteristic features in the industrial work place were the propagandist posters against drunk or or laziness. On the one hand the state critiqued drinking but on the other hand the state was systematically convincing the society to drink (Pic.5 and 6). (http://www.zgapa.pl/data_files/referat_9794.html). 

There were also no limitation for changing the job position and place. The place for which employee was dedicated may depended on academic results in school, so that better students should receive more comfortable place for work, located more close to the place of residence and including more social facilities but in practice the place depended on social connection (,,znajomosci’’) of the person and its family or offering a bribe. (Daniels, R. Vincent, 1994). 

Insight into the life style of particular social groups

Generation

It is very necessary to mention at the beginning of the overview of Polish people life style in socialist Poland, that there is significant differentiation of perception and life style not only related to the economic situation and social range. The differentiation of life styles is related to the variety of factors, mainly economic and social background but also to the generation and sex. For instance the autobiographies of members of the elder generation significantly differ from the related life-stories from the younger postwar generations. The biographies of the younger generation showed individual struggles with difficulties and limitation to facts and events of personal life (individual-oriented). The characteristic of the elder people, rich in many historical events, widen the individual experience by collective dimension, showed expression of sense of shared fate and common experience (collective – oriented). According to the Polish history, rich of many emotional and convulsive events such as rebellions and World Warfare’s  this should not be a surprise. The generation play important role in differentiation of life styles in Polish families in that period of time (E.Tarkowska 1987).

Sex

The second particular factor, necessary to mention is the sex. The life and reality was different for woman and men. However communistic ideology as well as Polish communistic government supported the idea of women as a full-worked the policy was not working for the women edge. The women situation as well as life style was defined by her sex. The role of woman was still quite homogeneous among all country - first of all being mother and wife. Rarely professional career after giving the birth, except the families were woman needed to work (mostly physically) to survive and to help the family to survive playing in the same time the role of wife, mother and often the nurse for family elderly with  her husband or alone. The most significant events of the women’s life were the marriage, child-birth (motherhood) and deaths of her relatives. (E.Tarkowska 1987).

As a contrast,,Sexmission’’ (Polish: Seksmisja) is a 1984 cult Polish comedy science fiction action film where all males have died out and women reproduce through parthenogenesis, living in feminist society. The feminist world and world govern by woman in this movie was showed as extremely oppressive and not realistic reality.  The movie contains a hidden political satire layer specific to the time and place of its production. This movie tried to equate also this feministic society and world to the communistic government that time. In my opinion this movie and the reactions for this movie showed kind of misunderstanding of the feminist ideology and the measure in the movie showed the critique of the society where the women could have the equal professional and social positions to the men. 

Different classes of families

The life style is defined not only by the generation, sex but also by the other important factors such as economic situation (incomes), current milieu, type of social contact and cultural family background – in the meaning of values, traditions, customs, beliefs and patterns (A. Pawelczynska, E.Tarkowska 1987). 

In Poland, as well as in all the Europe that time have been taken a place the regular movement from rural areas to the cities. This process caused for the former peasant the social advancement and permanent satisfaction in the meaning of the transition from the countryside to the city and from the hard physical work to work often in the office for example. From that reason work was the most important duty and necessity for those, class’’ of people.  Industriousness and thrift were the main values and general characteristic of peasants who moved to the urban areas. However a possession of objects was the symbol of social advancement, the flat was not played important role in the life style. Most of the expenses were put on clothes and food. There prevailed the Catholicism and traditional model of consumption, culture and leisure time, for example Sunday was treated as a day free of work.

The main characteristic of bourgeois and neo bourgeois life of style was possessing and investing most of the time and energy in the activity on possessing, acquiring and attaining, which leaves of course a little room and time for other activities like self-education, cultural life and helping others for instance. The possession and acquisition of things was the symbol of change and social position( social advancement). This ,,class’’ of people and families found the advance socially and economically in the way and meaning of having and possessing. There was peculiar ,,tradition on heaving’ ’as a value. The participation in culture was mostly limited to the newspapers and to the television. The leisure, except watching television signified the gathering with friends including often vodka drinking and business transactions indeed. Bourgeois families usually didn’t evinced authentic involvement in the field of social and political concerns. There was no familial solidarity and positive attitude to work. Also the furnishing of house was usually without aesthetic needs. It was important to impress the others, even the family. 

The quote described the motives of life of some representatives of kind of bourgeois married couple:

,,On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of our marriage we organized a party, to which we invided both my family and my husband’s family and friends and acquaintances. This day was very solemn as we fulfilled our most hidden dreams. With pride we showed our guests the apartment furnished in a modern style, a newly installed telephone, the most modern house equipment, wardrobes full of cothes and linen and other things necessary at home’’  (A. Pawelczynska, E.Tarkowska 1987).

The working class was the biggest in Poland. In working families usually both men and woman were working, doing some physical work 14-16 hours a day as a miners, nurses or working in the factory to produce some goods or doing some work in the railway industry or construction field).

 (…) This is the worker’s family. Husband  (60 years old) is a construction foreman, for couple of years now in a disability pension. They have no children but they have raised three nephews. Both completed six years of elementary school. Until quite lately wife and the nephews went on pilgrimage to Czestochowa each year. After the was the husband was a Communist Party member and a city councillor. He sees a connection between the status of worker and the Party. Before retirement he worked up to 14-16 hours per day. He did not tolerate unreliable work, but accepted though he himself rarely committed such things, the carrying away from the building site of deficit materials or employing the enterprise’s equipment to do some job, on te side, reasoning that ,,otherwise one just cannot live’’ and ,,people must help each other’’. (A. Pawelczynska, E.Tarkowska 1987).

The working class people were usually low educated but the education has a high value for working class families (mostly in the meaning of the next generation, for their children) as well as catholic and communistic values. (,,work for economical and moral reason’’). This class was easy persuasibility of communistic propaganda. The life style and activities were simple: watching television, drinking vodka or beer, smoking cigarettes, meeting relatives at the weekends.

There was variety kind of families still rank as the upper class intellectuals’ families but the life style of this class of families was connected in some point. Work as a source of high incomes for the whole family and high satisfaction was in the central role of the life of intellectual’s families. Often those families have and emphasized the gentry’s roots, traditions, patterns and behavior. Man with his prestige profession was the central person of the family. The leisure and cultural life like the holidays, theater, concerts, cinema, books and newspapers were discussed with all members of the family and played important role in the life of those families. Leisure time depended on the incomes. The members have the active role and social involvement. Flat was usually the central role of the life of thiese families. The life style was and the factor that some families we can specify as a intellectuals families was the cultural and social involvement and meaningful work as a central role of the family’s life, not the high incomes indeed.

,,The life of family composed of three generations concentrates in the large, spacious flat of parents. Person number one is the father, who guarantees material well-being of the family while the authority within the family rest in the hands of the mother. The moment when family ties are seen most visibly is a joint afternoon meal. All members of the family work professionally with the exception of the mother, who functions as a housewife. The father has a specialist’s job, requiting large experience. The family life is strongly influenced by the work of one of the sons, connected with the artistic milieu: his friends are know to the whole of the family, problems of his milieu are willingly discussed. Work is seen in the categories of generational determinism: the example of the father, who supported on his own the whole family and secured education and high social status for his children made work. The whole leiusure time was planned and spent jointly(…)’’ ( A. Pawelczynska, E.Tarkowska 1987).

 Very often it is emphasizes that the big disadvantage and injustice of this kind of social  construction and this form of society in socialist Poland is the fact, that the standard of life, the existence of particular person depended more on others (connections, ,,znajomosci’’) rather than the individual efforts like good results in school or in the workplace. This social system didn’t support some class of people regarded as a smart, intelligent or hard-working and supported often those who were just a conformists, which not always meant cleaver, intelligent and represented high values.

In my paper I have explained the historical background and described the life style of Polish society in socialist Poland particularizing than particular social groups of people living mostly in the cities. There is much more features to mention and describe, like the life style and input of people living in rural areas,  the catholic religion (confession), which played significant role in politics and well as social life or music, movies and sense of humor expressed in cabarets that time. There is also housing, suburbs’ yards or ecology issues or the issue of running the own business in socialist Poland. The climbing milieu and myth of West countries and American dream and others characteristics which are worth to describe in this wide topic how it is the Polish social reality in socialist time indeed, but I needed to leave those points for another paper.

References:

1.     J.Lukowski, H. Zawaszki (2001),, A Concise History of Poland ‘’. University of Stirling Libraries – Popular Loan (Q 43.8 LUK): Cambridge University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0-521-55917-0.

2.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_Poland

3.     Daniels, R. Vincent. ,,A Documentary History of Communism and the World: From Revolution to Collapse’’. University Press of New England, 1994.

4.     W. Roszkowski ,,Najnowsza Historia Polski 1980-2006’’. Wyd.  Świat Książki 2007.

5.     http://historia2000.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/zycie-w-prl/The Socialist System – the political economy of communism’’, Oxford.

6.     J. Kornai ,, Economics of shortage. Amsterdam: North-Holland.’’ 1980.

7.     http://historia2000.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/zycie-w-prl/

8.     http://www.zgapa.pl/data_files/referat_9794.html

9.     M. Gładysz ,,Historia III - Podróże w czasie. Podręcznik dla liceum i technikum. Czasy współczesne’’ Wydawnictwo GWO Gdańskie Wydawnictwo œoświatowe.

10.                         P.Gliński ,,Economic aspects of styles of life in Polish urban families’’ in ,,Ways of life in Finland and Poland: comparative studies on urban populations’’ eds. J.P. Ross and A.Sicinski. Aldershot: Avebury, cop.1987.

11.                         A. Pawelczynska, E.Tarkowska ,,Life styles of individuals and families in Polish cities’’ in in ,,Ways of life in Finland and Poland: comparative studies on urban populations’’ eds. J.P. Ross and A.Sicinski. Aldershot: Avebury, cop.1987.

12.                         E. Tarkowska ,,Differentiation of life style in Poland generation and sex’’ in Polish cities’’ in in ,,Ways of life in Finland and Poland: comparative studies on urban populations’’ eds. J.P. Ross and A.Sicinski. Aldershot: Avebury, cop.1987.