Haskie drogi Zygmunta Gargasa. Poolsch Persbureau a niemiecka propaganda kulturowa 1914–1918

Abstrakt

The Netherlands was an important arena of propaganda work for both sides of the conflict during WWI. One of the major tasks of German diplomatic posts in The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam was undoubtedly to skilfully manipulate Dutch public opinion regarding the occupied territory of Belgium. This was undertaken to contradict the propaganda work of the Triple Entente. Apart from that, the areas of the eastern war front, including the so-called “Polish issue”, were also hotly debated in the Netherlands. This paper presents the historical background and the organisational structure of the German culture propaganda in the years 1914–1918. Moreover, it focuses on the activity of the Polish Press Agency Het Poolsch Persbureau, founded in the Netherlands in 1914 by Zygmunt Gargas. The Agency constituted the sole source of information on Poland available in the area of neutral countries during WWI.