Prasa centralnych związków samorządowych w Drugiej Rzeczypospolitej

Abstract

Subject of study is press of the central territorial self-government’s unions in Second Republic of Poland, released in years 1919-1939. These are periodicals of government organizations of all-Poland range, clustering intercomunal units. These were Związek Miast Polskich, Związek Gmin Wiejskich Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej and name-changing organization of county (powiat) self-governments: Związek Sejmików Powiatowych Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, Zrzeszenie Samorządów Powiatowych i Związek Powiatów Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Topic of self-government press for long years wasn’t raising deeper interests of researchers. Till today we know a little about diverse character of these publishing companies because these problems aren’t fully recognized and this issue deserves syntetic study. I put to detailed observation: all-Poland county organizations weekly - “Samorząd” (1919-1939), municipal activist monthly - “ Samorząd Miejski” (1921-1939) and quaterly devoted comunal theory and life - “Samorząd Terytorialny” (1929-1939). These titles are the most representative for all-Poland self-government’s press of interwar period because they were connected to the biggest self-government’s organizations representing county councils and counties, cities, districts and the smallest administrative units which are examplifications of various types of periodics: weekly, monthly, quaterly whereas typology of frequency of appearance connects with periodic’s typology character: informational, scientific for the general public and specialist-scientific. Taking into account the specification of the subject of this work the actual method of resarch is bibliological-historical study and supporting them specific research technics. Research that I carry into history and function of press has bibliological and historical character because that’s the angle I analyse periodics under. The technics I use are most often used in press studies. Because periodics shouldn’t be examined in isolation, which means without a context, I tried to look into the issue from a broad perspective in six parts of my work, that’s why I didn’t limit only to chosen magazines but I examined their deepest cultural-historical context: press of self-government unions rising from family’s and european’s traditions. The treatise has problematical-chronological character. First part - Introduction - contains explanation of term: self-government press. It considers traditions of self-government and problem of central unions which is element that treats of historical point of view at birth of polish administration and state institutions which was effect of regaining independence by Poland. I also elaborated issue of establishing and activity of Związek Miast Polskich and Związek Sejmików Powiatowych.In second part I tried to locate all-Poland self-government publishers on press market. Here I discussed statistical context, publishers geography and issues of legal situation in which magazines of central self-government unions functioned. Then - in next three parts - I presented, using uniform model, titles „Samorząd”, „Samorząd Miejski” and „Samorząd Terytorialny”. I presented origins and facts, that inf luenced magazines creation, and earlier forms that affected final character and shape of periodics. I considered material base, task and history of magazines, redactors profiles and authors in context of their inf luence on periodic shape. I characterized permanent columns and thematic cycles and also I made contents (thematic structure) and formal-publishing analysis. The most important parts of last one are: graphic design, typographical arrangement, binding, ilustrating material (photographies, cartographical materials, tables, drawings and sketches), imprint, inf luence range (circulation, distribution area, subscription types and receivers), format, size, pagination, prize, text breaking, printing base (printing houses), quality and durability of paper and advertisments. Size of parts dedicated to particular titles are matching their publishing cycle and periodization. Study is closed by last part, ending. Bibliography of used literature, frequency index of authors who were publishing in mentioned titles and illustration material is fulfillment to this study. In my work I discussed in details problem of publishers and sections of documentary (bibliographical) character, published in the pages of central self-government unions’s press. I thoroughly analysed sections Tabllettes Dokumentaires Municipales, Autonomie Municipale and Bibliografaę Miast Polskich appearing in „Samorząd Miejski”, Przewodnik wśród Książek and Oceny i Sprawozdania from „Samorząd”, Bibliografia, Zagadnienia Samorządowe w Prasie and Przegląd Piśmiennictwa in „Samorząd Terytorialny” and also publications like Bibliografia dotycząca działalności samorządu w zakresie oświaty pozaszkolnej and Bibliografia literatury o gminie wiejskiej. Many times elaborations of these sections, documental publications and bibliographies were their first analysis. Never till today they weren’t noticed and characterized by bibliographical history researchers and they are very valueable bibliographical relic in many respects. Issue of central press of self-government unions which I discussed in this treatise wasn’t so far subject of scientific research which involves that there is lack of systematical elaboration. There are only a few pieces of information about magazines which exists only in collective publications where they have general character and are only superficial. The presented work, although is significantly widening current knowgledge about self-government press, doesn’t aspire to overall perspective of this subject and has ambitions to show - on three chosen examples - constitutive elements of magazines owned by central self-government unions. Maybe this will be an inspiration to further research into self-government press in The Second Republic of Poland.