Cooperativism and Democracy

The Cooperativism and Democracy, edited by Bartłomiej Błesznowski is not purely a scientific book, but rather a guide which shows how scholars and activists wrote about the community, social participation and politics in Poland in the early 20th century. The book contains a selection of texts in socio-political thought, led by the work of one of the most important Polish thinkers—Edward Abramowski, socialist, philosopher and psychologist. Polish cooperativism can be inspiring to both contemporary researchers and political activists in Europe post economic crisis, which brought about a crisis of faith in political and economic institutions. These works have a chance to become a significant voice in the debate over the relationship of contemporary economics and politics.

Contributors are: Edward Abramowski, Fr. Stanisław Adamski, Bartłomiej Błesznowski, Zygmunt Chmielewski, Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska, Maria Dąbrowska, Jan Hempel, Jerzy Kurnatowski, Romuald Mielzarski, Remigiusz Okraska, Maria Orsetti, Adam Próchnik, Marian Rapacki, Franciszek Stefczyk, Edward Taylor, Stanisław Thugutt, Stanisław Wojciechowski, and Jan Wolski.

First published in Polish as Kooperatyzm, spółdzielczość, demokracja. Wybór pism by Wydawnictwo Uniwerstytetu Warszawskiego in 2014. The current work includes an additional chapter ‘Through Cooperatives to the Future Order’ by Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska.

ISBN: 9781608460908

Publication date: January 8, 2019

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
About the Contributors
1 Utopia in the Service of Modernity: On the Sources of Cooperativism
 Bartłomiej Błesznowski
2 From Self-Help to the Vision of New System: An Outline of the Material and Ideological Development of the Cooperative Movement in Poland to the Year 1939
 Remigiusz Okraska

Part 1: Cooperativism and Democracy

3 The Social Ideas of Cooperativism
 Edward Abramowski
4 Clasped HandsWith of without the Idea
 Maria Dąbrowska
5 Solidarism as a Doctrine of Democracy
 Jerzy Kurnatowski
6 On Uniting the Movement
 Romuald Mielczarski
7 Through Cooperatives to the Future Order
 Zofia Daszyńska-Golińska

Part 2: The Aims and Functions of Cooperativism

8 Woman, Whose Name is Millions (On the Responsibilities of Women in the Cooperative Movement)
 Maria Orsetti
9 The Social Aims of Cooperatives
 Stanisław Thugutt
10 A National Ideology of Cooperativism
 Stanisław Wojciechowski
11 An Economic Program for Consumer Cooperativism
 Marian Rapacki
12 The Concept of CooperativismCooperativism as the Organization of Relatively Weak Economic Elements
 Edward Taylor

Part 3: The Social Bases of Labor Cooperativism

13 Consumer Cooperatives and Trade Unions
 Jan Hempel
14 Work Cooperatives
 Jan Wolski

Part 4: Universal Cooperativism or Labor Cooperativism

15 The Universal or Class Nature of Cooperativism
 Marian Rapacki
16 The Ideology of Labor Cooperativism
 Adam Próchnik

Part 5: The Agricultural Cooperative Movement and the Stefczyk Savings and Loan Fund

17 The Past and Future of the Farmers’ Agricultural and Trade Cooperatives
 Fr. Stanisław Adamski
18 The Position of Cooperativism in Agriculture
 Franciszek Stefczyk
19 The Farming Cooperative and Its Development
 Zygmunt Chmielewski

Part 6: Housing Cooperativism
20 The Importance of Cooperative Housing
 Teodor Toeplitz
21 “Glass Houses”: An Experiment in Cooperative Life
 Adam Próchnik
Bibliography
Personal Index