"Sztandar Ludu" w walce z biurokracją w latach 1945-1956

The article is an attempt to present an overview of a part of the activity of “Sztandar Ludu” – the official press organ of the ruling party – in 1945-1956. Even though the bureaucracy at that time was outside the main scope of the press’s interest, it was given a considerable amount of attention as the part of a “closer look at everyday problems.” The aim of the analyzed material was mostly to intervene. The main issue I take up in the article are the dysfunctions of the bureaucracy, e.g. the dehumanization of interpersonal relations and the symptomatic gap between an official and an enquirer, organizational and procedural absurdities, problems with implementing innovations, and problems with reaction to change and untypical situations. The threat posed by the bureaucracy was also noticed in the working of the party. Most of the articles were aimed at presenting how procedures and unsuitable persons could make everyday life difficult, leading to the loss of valuable time and health. The ideological dimension of “the fight against the bureaucracy” was strongly emphasized. The bureaucracy was labeled as one of the “most exasperating ailments” suffered by the administration, attributed, in accordance with the rule of the juxtaposition of the present and the past, to its “preSeptember origin.” That last phenomenon should be attributed to the belief that the bureaucracy was one of the internal enemies, even though the bureaucrat was not their major representative.