Two Faces of the 1905 Revolution

At the Museum of independency in Warsaw we can watch an interesting exhibition entitled “In You Was Poland”, dedicated to the 1905 Revolution. For us, the most interesting part of it is the presentation of many flyers and challenges of the National Workers' Union (NZR), subordinate to the National League.

The NZR fought for Polish affairs, for Polish school, but besides actively opposed anarchy and panic of the revolution. The following is the content of 1 of the leaflets in which the position of NZR is presented very clearly:

National Labour Union

On unemployment

BROTHERS — WORKERS

The sinister times have come for us today. Here are many factories and workshops in our country have been closed, others work only a fewer days a week or on a much shorter working day, many have been expelled a large part of the workers, thousands of families have been left without bread and they are starving if they do not want to scope out for alms.

Workers! In this hard situation, it is our work to search salvation in society, to call on them to work with us in solidarity in order to combat a country-wide disaster, to stand with him to the national ranks, as only a common effort of all layers of society will reduce the poorness present.

But not enough. It is not adequate temporary help; here we must destruct the origin of the disasters that plague us, for that is the only way to prevent them from repeating themselves in the future.

Who's to blame for not working?

When we solve this question, we will know who is the enemy of the Polish worker, who threatens his life, who should be combated before everything,

Brothers! The socialists are saying today. that the reasons for the deficiency of work are the Russian-Japanese war and the evil will of the factories. Workers! It's a lie, made up for it. To blame myself for others.

The crucial creators of the current deficiency of work are the socialists and their mindless activity, which has undermined the manufacture in the country and deprived thousands of people of their jobs.

After all, the socialists, in their calls for no work, deny themselves: for if war were the only origin of the present state of affairs, why at the same time say that the factories are closing by the bad will of the factories. Either 1 or the other, and in fact neither.

The economical solstice due to war has indeed affected our country, but it would have been long ago if it had not been for the socialists with their madness of continuous strutting and theirs, based on the spread of anarchy and terror, a "revolution." We remember all the fresh times, namely the autumn of last year, erstwhile the factories were so swamped, that almost everywhere there were more than a specified number of hours, after the alleged façade." We remember at the time the socialists fought against this extra work, bringing us extra earnings, as they assured us that the times of tremendous industrial improvement had come. present many of us only live, which then, not listening to the socialist promises, managed to catch up. So if then, after the war ended, the solstice had passed completely, where did it come from today?

Old supplies of goods in the East are exhausted, now fresh ones would should be produced, and so our manufacture could inactive have orders, well erstwhile no 1 here wants to do our installations, due to the fact that no 1 can number on transportation within the time limit, due to the fact that no 1 can be engaged, whether a fistful of gun-gunned agitators will start driving workers from factories or stopping iron railways, or whether any day or any hr now the expected “genders of freedom” will not throw themselves at the workers, working busy, or, in 1 word, the socialists will not stand in the way of the installation.

Under these circumstances, no manufacture can exist. The fires of work disappear, and with them and the ability to improve the working layer. due to the fact that if the socialists claimed that our continuous drafts would improve the labour fate, then everyone present sees how they have mocked and humiliated us. Let us remember only the Girards, where our brothers were promised the golden mountains, where they ruled panic with almost all the population, and then fled, leaving thousands of workers to destitute and bayonets of Moscow. Like Zyrardov, it happens elsewhere: the socialists shout, threaten, respond, but we have no work, nor bread.

Workers! Who else can believe this? What have they failed many times to believe in the workers, who preached miracles about the benefits they have gained for their working people, and as a result, only poorness and disorder in our ranks? And today, their boasts that they won't let the factories close are lousy soaping our eyes. The factories stand and stand as long as the manufacture doesn't start surviving again. erstwhile the plant manufacture does not have or can't accept them, then all threats will come to nothing: no 1 will work with losses.

So let go of this false lie! The only way to improve your position is to make things clear. The socialists showed that they did not know whether they truly wanted to fight to improve our existence.

Instead of being reasonable and conscientious in making demands, they origin brawls and mindless steps, alternatively of a real professional organization that would take the helm of labour affairs and in relation to employers by the name of workers with all seriousness and energy could occur, a rei leading young people and agitators who seem to be swinging a revolver and constantly striking the worker's position improves.

Not panic and rape, but self-help based on solidarity will win us better surviving conditions. They kept calling out, “Strike, and you will get an 8-hour working day!” Many have listened, others have been raped, and here we have a 5-hour working day! It is only that we are cold and hungry, that children cry for bread, and all of them request help.

It will not save the opinion of the socialists to shout that it is simply a national democracy guilty of closing factories. No 1 will believe this fresh scam! After all, it was the nationalists who, erstwhile predicting the effects of the socialist robot, called for the fight against their activities, resisted these streets, ending in anarchy and confusion, tried and tried to organize the working layer in real, not for organization agitation created, trade unions, which can only become a stone in the fight for better working conditions.

Those who proceed to promise earthly paradise and poorness spread what they preach freedom, and all political opponent is served with a revolver and dagger, what the defenseless murder, and for the most useful labour institutions, specified as cooperative shops, they proceed to attack and shoot, what they break into meetings and an unarmed crowd, who deal with national affairs, their bronnings want to drive, and those who spit on the most sacred feelings of our national, are nothing defenders, but enemies of the worker.

The current deficiency of work is their work, so it will only vanish erstwhile the activities of the socialists are crushed to pieces.

We know our situation, we know how much injustice is happening in working life, but we want to fight for a better future so that no enemies of society are seen in us, but his support that all law earned for a individual is simply a permanent asset, not a soap bubble, after a while disappearing.

A Polish worker, bound by his heart and soul with his Homeland, has the right to request that his hard position be taken into account and call upon the full society to supply solidarity; but he can do so full only if he creates a strong and firm opinion, which, as a actual labour representative, will remove from his ranks the rabids and robbers, present in its name inactive present.

Then we will be able to stand with a clear conscience and no 1 will have the right to punish the Polish worker.

So what is it that comes to us today?

In countries governed on the rule of freedom, governments are standing against the deficiency of work, taking up public jobs, giving them the business of those who lost their jobs in the solstice. In our country, the Tsaric government takes on tasks, its only business – oppression of the country, 1 tool of work – a flask and a drug addict.

We Polish workers can find support in the ranks of national and democratic society, last with their aid the worst times, focus all forces to heal our mill life.

The National Workers' Union, always defending the needs of the Polish worker, and this time it will be able to gain all its strength to fight the ban on the deficiency of work. Any unjustified disappearance of factories, any unfair removal of workers, any voluntary simplification of earnings, we will brand and fight, as we have always done.

Let us remember 1 atoll, labour brothers! It is only then that our efforts in this direction will be truly fruitful erstwhile we remove from us the origin of all disaster, erstwhile average working conditions arise, the general trust will return, the panic of the individual will end, that is, erstwhile we fight the activity of those who call us shame, and the working life will be brought to destruction.

Then the general society will support our origin and stand full for the large work to which we serve: the material and moral revival of the working layer in Poland.

Long live the labour business! Long live Poland!

National Labour Union

Warsaw in March 1906.

“In You was Poland” – exhibition at the Museum of independency in Warsaw, curator of the exhibition Krzysztof Bąkała, open until March 2026.

Think Poland, No. 5-6 (1-8.02.2026)