• DOI:10.1080/00085006.2004.11092362
• Corpus ID: 192186418

Radio Free Europe and the Catholic Church in Poland During the 1950s and 1960s.

@article{Kasprzak2004RadioFE,
  title={Radio Free Europe and the Catholic Church in Poland During the 1950s and 1960s.},
  author={Michał Kasprzak},
  journal={Canadian Slavonic Papers},
  year={2004},
  volume={46},
  pages={315 - 341}
}

• Michał Kasprzak
• Published 1 September 2004
• Political Science
• Canadian Slavonic Papers

Abstract A review of the literature on Radio Free Europe’s role throughout the Cold War reveals its underdeveloped historiography. Yet, how valuable are RFE’s reports and broadcasts as a tool for historical exploration? Drawing on a wealth of materials from Polish programming, this analysis uses the case study of the role of the Catholic Church in Poland throughout the 1950s and the 1960s, to appraise not only the content of RFE reports but also the extent to which they can be used as a historical tool. The reports reveal, for example, that the Church became politically active already in the mid 1960s during its struggle with the Communist regime over the Millennium anniversary celebrations and the issue of Poland’s Western territories. This analytical framework allows for an examination of RFE’s comments in terms of what they might tell us about what really happened, and in terms of what they actually tell us about the station’s perceptions of what happened. The station’s position as an observer, critic and participant in the turmoil of the Cold War, gave it a distinct ability to access both the realities behind the Iron Curtain and the Western perceptions of what was happening in the satellite countries.