The German occupation brought with it many legal and moral dilemmas for Poles. Therefore, the government in exile decided that a set of rules should be drawn up that would become the basic and universal determinant of norms in dealing with the Nazis. The rule was simple:the apostates faced death.
This was the principle laid down by the Code of Civil Morality, which was written by the Justice Department of the Government Delegation for Poland. The document was most likely written in 1941 (although the date was previously quoted two years later in the literature). According to its authors, it was supposed to clearly and clearly define legal and ethical boundaries which Poles must not exceed.
To achieve this goal, the code had to create in society the belief that there was an authority that expressed not only moral value, but also strength in the sense of severe and just repression ad hoc.
It contained as many as 25 items, divided into four sections. Each of them referred to a different category of offenses for which a specific punishment was available. Compliance with it - according to the definition by Tomasz Strzembosz quoted in the book "Knots of memory of independent Poland" - was one of the basic conditions for being a citizen of the Underground State.
Of course, the death penalty was also punishable by denying belonging to the Polish nation and cooperating with the enemy to the detriment of that nation. The well-known pre-war actor Igo Sym, who was shot on March 7, 1941, found out about it. The photo shows a still from the movie "Serenade" (1937).
Only one penalty
The most serious crimes were included in the first section. They concerned the betrayal of the Polish state and nation. Committing any of them amounted to a death sentence. This one was going to waste his life:
1. Who is denying his nation.
2. Who actively cooperates with the enemy in his fight against the State, the Polish Nation and its allies.
3. Who turns to the enemy with denunciations on their compatriots.
4. Who does not provide the necessary shelter or does not provide immediate necessary assistance to a person pursued by the enemy because of his service to the State and the Polish Nation.
5. Whoever, in order to weaken the defense spirit of the Polish nation, undertakes actions that may weaken it.
The citizen is not this…
The second section related to crimes against belonging to the Polish nation. Anyone who committed at least one of them was at risk of losing public civil rights, honorary rights and the right to practice a profession . The culprit was this one:
6. Who serves the enemy without compulsion.
7. Who during service with the enemy has the ability to provide assistance or act in the interest of the State of the Polish Nation, and does not take such actions.
8. Who in the period of fights with the enemy, being obliged by virtue of his position to participate in this fight - remains completely passive.
9. Who uses the enemy's orders and impunity in their application for their own benefit, and for the detriment of the State and the Polish nation.
10. Who, out of carelessness, vanity or recklessness, reveals with his actions the details of independence work, causing harm to the State and the Polish Nation.
This person cannot be called a Pole ...
The third section is devoted to crimes against civil morality. The punishment for their commission was to be exclusion from the Polish community, that is inability to occupy any state, local government and social positions . This one exposed himself to the above sanctions:
During the occupation, going to the cinema was seen very badly, as evidenced by, for example, this caricature.
11. Who has a close acquaintance or love relationship with the enemy.
12. Who, without serious and justified need, makes fun of and criticizes the enemy or in public - the devices, laws and customs of the Polish Nation.
13. Who uses the compulsory position of another person for material gain and uses violence against him or threats to turn to the enemy or to apply its orders.
14. Who without compulsion takes an active part in the shows of theaters, theaters and films and in other events organized by the enemy.
15. Who, having sufficient material resources, refuses to help his compatriots, victims of the enemy's activities or orders.
16. Whoever, having sufficient means to live, takes the work of others, who, despite his prosperity, avoids helping human misery, who does not feel like active national solidarity.
17. Who attends the Casino Games or other facilities run by the enemy.
Only pigs sit in Swabian cinema
The last section includes crimes for which a given person was subject to public stigmatization. This was associated with a social boycott, and in particularly gross cases, even the confiscation of all property.
Visiting the cinema, however, is nothing compared to having intimate acquaintances or love relationships with an enemy. The photo shows a German soldier on a carriage ride with a young woman in Krakow.
The term public stigma meant infamy or rebuke. However, milder measures such as warning and admonition were allowed.
The offenses from the fourth chapter were committed by this one:
18. Who he pretends to be a German for the sake of passing comfort.
19. Who, using the detailed conditions created by the occupation, changes the procedure customarily adopted in Poland.
20. Who expresses satisfaction and praise over any decree of the enemy.
21. Who throws away money to please seeing human misery all around.
22. Who attends theaters and entertainment events where the proceeds go to the enemy.
23. Who does not limit himself in buying and reading reptile work to the incidents of the necessary need.
24 Who gives up and does not fight the fatal habit of getting drunk forgetting about his constant obligation to maintain a dignified moral attitude.
25. Who is flashy and inappropriate in public places and premises.
Now, you are probably asking yourself what it was like to observe these rules in the realities of the occupation. Well, it's hard to imagine many people failing to break a single one of the 25 points mentioned above. Most likely, the authors themselves were well aware of how high they set the bar. But that's what it was about.
Probably few of the inhabitants of occupied Poland managed not to break any of the 25 points of the Code of Civil Morality throughout the war.
The task of the Code of National Principles was to show that there was no room for any form of cooperation with the occupant who treated the conquered nation in such a ruthless manner. It is no coincidence that in the motto the authors emphasized that: The greatest defeat for the nation is its debasement. It leads irrevocably to death.
Would you be able to comply with all the points of the code under the conditions of war?
Editor:Kamil Janicki; Photo edition:Rafał Kuzak