Wlodzimierz Brus
Encyclopedia
Włodzimierz Brus born Beniamin Zylberberg (Płock, August 23, 1921 – August 31 2007, Oxford
) was a communist economist
in Stalinist
Poland
. He emigrated from Poland in 1972, removed from power after the Polish 1968 political crisis
. Brus spent the rest of his life in the United Kingdom
.
Brus was born in 1921 in Płock in northern Second Polish Republic
, into a Jewish
family. He began his studies there at Wolna Wszechnica. After the 1939 German and Soviet invasion of Poland, he fled to the Soviet occupation zone and settled in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine
) a Polish city conquered by the Red Army. He continued his studies at John Casimir University
(now Lviv University) and later at the Leningrad University in the Soviet Union. He then fled to Saratov
, where he was a Comintern
teacher and also worked in a factory. Towards the end of the war, Brus returned to Poland with the Soviet controlled Polish First Army
, only to find that his parents and sister had been killed in the Treblinka concentration camp. He run into his young Jewish wife Fajga (now Helena Wolińska
), who he thought also died in the Holocaust
. She was alive but already married to a commander of Gwardia Ludowa
and first commandant of the communist state police Milicja Obywatelska
, a deputy minister of stalininst Secret Police
(1945-1949).
(PPR). He also wrote his doctoral thesis on the Marxist law of value
and then started teaching at Warsaw University. In 1952 he wrote a propaganda textbook in which he expressed admiration for Joseph Stalin
's work The Economic Problems of Socialism. He also attacked Titoism
and Władysław Gomułka's ideas claiming that neither proposed a Soviet paths to socialism. In 1955, Brus became the vice-chairman of a council which was to advise the Gomułka government on economic reforms, but, with the economic stabilization that followed the Poznań 1956 uprising
, most of the council's proposals were ignored. In 1956, he re-married Wolińska, who was recently fired from her job as a military prosecutor accused of violating the rule of law in staged trials of Polish officers which frequently resulted in executions.
In 1961, Brus's most influential work The General Problems of the Functioning of the Socialist Economy appeared, in which he argued that both democracy and market mechanisms were a necessity on the road to socialism. In 1965, he testified in defense of Jacek Kuroń
and Karol Modzelewski
, who were on trial for their "Open Letter to the Party" calling for democratic reforms. He would also defend Leszek Kołakowski and Krzysztof Pomian
when they were expelled from the Party, but in 1968 he was expelled himself. Between 1968 and 1972 Brus was not allowed to publish under his real name. In 1972 he emigrated with Wolińska to the United Kingdom where he became a professor at the University of Oxford
. In 1989, together with Kazimierz Laski, he published From Marx to the Market, in which the arguments presented in Brus's 1961 work were extended. In the 1990s, Brus and his wife decided against their return to democratic Poland because she would face charges there for her involvement in the unlawful detainment and subsequent murder of General Emil August Fieldorf
. Polish prosecutors issued a European Arrest Warrant
(EAW) against Wolinska on November 20, 2007. Brus died earlier that year, on August 31, 2007.
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) was a communist economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
in Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He emigrated from Poland in 1972, removed from power after the Polish 1968 political crisis
Polish 1968 political crisis
The Polish 1968 political crisis, also known in Poland as March 1968 or March events pertains to the major student and intellectual protest action against the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland...
. Brus spent the rest of his life in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Brus was born in 1921 in Płock in northern Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
, into a Jewish
History of the Jews in Poland
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back over a millennium. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jewish community in the world. Poland was the centre of Jewish culture thanks to a long period of statutory religious tolerance and social autonomy. This ended with the...
family. He began his studies there at Wolna Wszechnica. After the 1939 German and Soviet invasion of Poland, he fled to the Soviet occupation zone and settled in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) a Polish city conquered by the Red Army. He continued his studies at John Casimir University
Lviv University
The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
(now Lviv University) and later at the Leningrad University in the Soviet Union. He then fled to Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
, where he was a Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
teacher and also worked in a factory. Towards the end of the war, Brus returned to Poland with the Soviet controlled Polish First Army
First Polish Army (1944-1945)
The Polish First Army was a Polish Army unit formed in the Soviet Union in 1944, from the previously existing Polish I Corps as part of the People's Army of Poland . The First Army fought westward, subordinated to the Soviet 1st Belorussian Front, during the offensive against Germany that led to...
, only to find that his parents and sister had been killed in the Treblinka concentration camp. He run into his young Jewish wife Fajga (now Helena Wolińska
Helena Wolinska-Brus
Lt. Col. Helena Wolińska-Brus born Fajga Mindla Danielak, was a military prosecutor in Poland with the rank of lieutenant-colonel , involved in Stalinist regime show trials of the 1950s. She has been implicated in the arrest and execution of many Polish anti-Nazi resistance fighters including key...
), who he thought also died in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. She was alive but already married to a commander of Gwardia Ludowa
Gwardia Ludowa
Gwardia Ludowa or GL was a communist armed organisation in Poland, organised by the Soviet created Polish Workers Party. It was the largest military organization which refused to join the structures of the Polish Underground State. It was created in 1942 and in 1944 it was incorporated by the...
and first commandant of the communist state police Milicja Obywatelska
Milicja Obywatelska
Milicja Obywatelska was a state police institution in the People's Republic of Poland. It was created in 1944 by Soviet-sponsored PKWN, effectively replacing the pre-war police force. In 1990 it was transformed back into Policja....
, a deputy minister of stalininst Secret Police
Ministry of Public Security of Poland
The Ministry of Public Security of Poland was a Polish communist secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage service operating from 1945 to 1954 under Jakub Berman of the Politburo...
(1945-1949).
Career
After the war, Brus became the head of propaganda for the communist Polish Workers' PartyPolish Workers' Party
The Polish Workers' Party was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland, and merged with the Polish Socialist Party in 1948 to form the Polish United Workers' Party.-History:...
(PPR). He also wrote his doctoral thesis on the Marxist law of value
Law of value
-General:The law of value is a central concept in Karl Marx's critique of political economy, first expounded in his polemic The Poverty of Philosophy against Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, with reference to David Ricardo's economics...
and then started teaching at Warsaw University. In 1952 he wrote a propaganda textbook in which he expressed admiration for Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's work The Economic Problems of Socialism. He also attacked Titoism
Titoism
Titoism is a variant of Marxism–Leninism named after Josip Broz Tito, leader of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, primarily used to describe the specific socialist system built in Yugoslavia after its refusal of the 1948 Resolution of the Cominform, when the Communist Party of...
and Władysław Gomułka's ideas claiming that neither proposed a Soviet paths to socialism. In 1955, Brus became the vice-chairman of a council which was to advise the Gomułka government on economic reforms, but, with the economic stabilization that followed the Poznań 1956 uprising
Poznan 1956 protests
The Poznań 1956 protests, also known as Poznań 1956 uprising or Poznań June , were the first of several massive protests of the Polish people against the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland...
, most of the council's proposals were ignored. In 1956, he re-married Wolińska, who was recently fired from her job as a military prosecutor accused of violating the rule of law in staged trials of Polish officers which frequently resulted in executions.
In 1961, Brus's most influential work The General Problems of the Functioning of the Socialist Economy appeared, in which he argued that both democracy and market mechanisms were a necessity on the road to socialism. In 1965, he testified in defense of Jacek Kuroń
Jacek Kuron
Jacek Jan Kuroń was one of the democratic leaders of opposition in the People's Republic of Poland. Kuroń was a prominent Polish social and political figure; educator and historian; an activist of the Polish Scouting Association; co-founder of the Workers' Defence Committee; twice a Minister of...
and Karol Modzelewski
Karol Modzelewski
Karol Modzelewski is a Polish historian, writer and politician.He is the adopted son of Zygmunt Modzelewski. Professor at the University of Wroclaw and the University of Warsaw, he was a member of the Polish United Workers Party but was expelled from it in 1964 for opposition to some policies of...
, who were on trial for their "Open Letter to the Party" calling for democratic reforms. He would also defend Leszek Kołakowski and Krzysztof Pomian
Krzysztof Pomian
Krzysztof Pomian is a Polish philosopher, historian and essayist. He is a professor of history at the Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika in Toruń and, since 2001, academic director of the Museum of Europe in Brussels.Pomian's specialization lies in the socio-cultural history of France, Italy, and...
when they were expelled from the Party, but in 1968 he was expelled himself. Between 1968 and 1972 Brus was not allowed to publish under his real name. In 1972 he emigrated with Wolińska to the United Kingdom where he became a professor at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. In 1989, together with Kazimierz Laski, he published From Marx to the Market, in which the arguments presented in Brus's 1961 work were extended. In the 1990s, Brus and his wife decided against their return to democratic Poland because she would face charges there for her involvement in the unlawful detainment and subsequent murder of General Emil August Fieldorf
Emil August Fieldorf
Emil August Fieldorf was a Polish Brigadier General. He was Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Home Army or AK, after the failure of the Warsaw Uprising...
. Polish prosecutors issued a European Arrest Warrant
European Arrest Warrant
The European Arrest Warrant is an arrest warrant valid throughout all member states of the European Union . Once issued by a member state, it requires the receiving member state to arrest and transfer a criminal suspect or sentenced person to the issuing state so that the person can be put on...
(EAW) against Wolinska on November 20, 2007. Brus died earlier that year, on August 31, 2007.