YEAR OF ISSUE: 1987
ISSUED BY: POCZTA SOLIDARNOSC BIALYSTOCK
CATALOGUE NUMBER: SOLIDAM0144/AJ0207A
ISSUED IN LIGHT OR DARK BROWN ON GLOSSY WHITE CARD PAPER WITH NO
GUM (AS ISSUED)
3 VERY ATTRACTIVE STAMPS WITH A VERY INTERESTING AND HISTORICAL AND
SATIRICAL THEME OF POLAND´S HISTORY AND THE SO CALL POLISH SOVIET
FRIENDSHIP.
UNDER THE COMMUNIST REGIME THERE WAS A LOT OF UNTRUE PROPAGANDA BY
THE SOVIET REGIME ABOUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP WITH POLAND. THIS ISSUE
DISPELS THE PROPAGANDA AND TELLS THE TRUTH:
1920:
THE SOVIETS WERE AMASSING BY THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ON THE
POLISH BORDER PREPARING TO INVADE. THIS RESULTED IN THE
POLISH-SOVIET WAR. THE STAMP ON THE LEFT DEPICTS JOZEF KLEMENS
PILSUDSKI WHO WAS POLISH CHIEF OF STATE (1918-22) AND “FIRST
MARSHALL” FROM 1920.
1939:
THE CENTRE STAMP DEPICTS THE POLISH EMBLEM – THE EAGLE OF
INDEPENDENT POLAND. ALSO SHOWN ARE STALIN AND HITLER WHO SIGNED THE
MOLOTOV-RIBBENTROP PACT, OFFICIALLY CALLED THE TREATY OF
NON-AGRESSION BETWEEN GERMANY AND THE SOVIET UNION. IN ADDITION TO
STIPULATIONS OF NON-AGRESSION IN THE TREATY THERE WAS A SECRET
PROTOCOL DIVIDING POLAND (AND ALSO ROMANIA, FINLAND, LITHUANIA,
LATVIA, ESTONIA AND FINLAND) INTO GERMAN AND RUSSIAN SPHERES OF
INFLUENCE. GERMANY AND THE SOVIET UNION INVADED POLAND ON THE 1ST
AND 17TH SEPTEMBER 1939 RESPECTIVELY, DIVIDING THE COUNTRY BETWEEN
THEM.
1981:
THE STAMP ON THE RIGHT DEPICTS LECH WALESA THE SOLIDARITY TRADE
UNION LEADER WHO EVENTUALLY LED POLAND TO BECOME FREE OF THE
COMMUNIST REGIME. HE ALSO WAS LATER AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.
ALSO SHOWN ARE GEN. JARUZELSKI AND THE SOVIET LEADER LEONID
BREZHNEV.
MARSHAL LAW (STAN WOJENNY) WAS DECLARED IN 1981 IN POLAND AND
FINISHED IN 1983. THE AUTHORITARIAN COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT
DRASTICALLY RESTRICTED NORMAL LIFE IN AN ATTEMPT TO CRUSH THE
SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT. THOUSANDS OF SOLIDARITY ACTIVISTS WERE
INTERNED WITHOUT CHARGE AND MANY WERE KILLED. THE PLAN TO INTRODUCE
MARTIAL LAW WAS PRESENTED TO THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR
AGREEMENT BEFORE IT’S ACTUAL INTRODUCTION.
THIS PROPAGANDA STAMP SET WAS ISSUED BY THE POLISH UNDERGROUND
SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT AS A DIVERSIFICATION STATEMENT AGAINST MARTIAL
LAW WHICH HAD BEEN DECLARED BY THE COMMUNIST AUTHORITIES IN POLAND.
IT IS A VERY RARE AND COLLECTABLE ITEM . THE UNDERGROUND MEMBERS
WHO ISSUED THIS STAMP RISKED A LOT, BECAUSE IF CAUGHT THEY WOULD
HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED WITHOUT TRIAL. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A
UNIQUE PIECE OF HISTORY. IT IS A MUST FOR EVERY SERIOUS HISTORIAN
AND COLLECTOR OF THIS PERIOD AND WILL MAKE AN INTERESTING ADDITION
TO YOUR COLLECTION.
General Wojciech Jaruzelski announced the introduction of martial
law in a speech first broadcast on radio and television at 6:00 am
on December 13, 1981. In order to isolate members of the opposition
(from the Solidarity movement), 52 internment centers were created.
A total of 10,132 internment orders were issued against 9,736
people during the period of martial law.
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