Young Communist League of Poland
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| Young Communist League of Poland Związek Młodzieży Komunistycznej w Polsce | |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 22, 1922 |
| Dissolved | 1938 |
| Membership | 7,000 (1931) |
| Ideology | Communism Marxism–Leninism |
| Mother party | Communist Party of Poland |
| International affiliation | Young Communist International |
| Newspaper | Towarzysz (1922–1936), Towarzysz Młodzieży (1937–1938) |
The Young Communist League of Poland (Polish: Związek Młodzieży Komunistycznej w Polsce, abbreviated ZMKwP), in February 1930 renamed as the Communist League of Youth in Poland Polish: Komunistyczny Związek Młodzieży Polski, abbreviated KZMP), was the youth wing of the interbellum Communist Party of Poland between 1922 and 1938.[1][2] ZMKwP/KZMP was a section of the Young Communist International.[3]
The founding congress of ZMKwP was held on March 22, 1922.[1][4][3] Alfred Lampe was elected Secretary of the Central Committee of ZMKwP at the time of its first congress.[2][5] The other members of the Central Committee of ZMKwP were Bronisław Berman, Leon Holcer, Władysław Kniewski, Tadeusz Oppman, Stanisław Teszner, Antoni Werner and Włodzimierz Zawadzki.[5]
Growth
In 1923 the left opposition of the Polish League of Socialist Youth (ZPMS) joined ZMKwP.[6] Komtsukunft, the youth wing of the Jewish Communist Labour Bund in Poland, merged into ZMKwP in March–April 1923.[2][7] ZMKwP also absorbed dissidents from the Poale Zion Left and Fareynikte factions.[2]
In 1925 ZMKwP organized a pioneer movement for children, Pionier. Later followed the setting up of organization amongst secondary school students.[8]
ZMKwP had some 3,700 members as of June 1926. As of July 1931, membership had increased to around 7,000.[2] KZMP had a larger percentage of Jewish membership than the mother party.[9][10] As of 1930, 51% of KZMP members were Jews, 19% Poles, 18% Ukrainians and 12% Bielorussians.[9][11] The Jewish dominance in the membership hindered expansion between in rural areas, as Jewish-dominated branches in small towns were largely disconnected from the peasantry in the surrounding countrysides.[2] However, by 1933 the ethnic proportions had changed with 33% of KZMP members being Poles, 31% Jews, 19% Bielorussians and 17% Ukrainians.[9] The decline in the percentage of Jewish members corresponded to an increase of recruitment amongst the peasantry. By 1932 50% of KZMP members hailed from the peasantry.[2]
