The Campaign to Remove Crucifixes and Crosses From Schools in Opole Voivodeship in 1958. Introduction to the Issue

Abstract

The article presents the circumstances and trajectory of the action of removal of religious symbols from state schools in 1958, initiated by Polish communists, as well as the reaction of the society in Opole Silesia to these events. The aforementioned action was a prelude to the program of secularization of the society. The analysis of surviving documents has demonstrated that the reaction of the society to the campaign was moderately peaceful. Protests in defense of the crosses were organized in areas inhabited by influx population from central Poland and the Eastern Borderlands.