JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Book of Disgrace. Reflections after Reading "The Polish Dreyfus Affair".

  • Published In: Akcent, 2025, v. 180, n. 2. P. 226 1 of 3

  • Database: Humanities Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Sendecki, Piotr 3 of 3

Abstract

In 1924, an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Polish President Stanislaw Wojciechowski took place in Lviv. Ideologically linked to the nationalist current in politics and steeped in anti-Semitism, the Lviv police authorities, influencing the testimony of witnesses and manipulating evidence, led to the arrest and prosecution of a Jewish student - Stanislaw Steiger. Only the integrity of the lawyers and judges, who resisted political pressure throughout the proceedings, prevented Steiger from being wrongfully sentenced to death. These events are recounted in Grzegorz Gauden's 2024 book Polska sprawa Dreyfusa (The Polish Dreyfus Affair). The article presents personal reflections on Polish antisemitism, the role of independent courts, legal responsibility, and efforts to erase "inconvenient" figures from history. Like the famous French Dreyfus case, the Steiger affair illustrates how authoritarian regimes, for ideological reasons, abuse their power to destroy innocent individuals and manipulate public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Akcent. 2025/04, Vol. 180, Issue 2, p226
  • Document Type:Abstract
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:02086220
  • Accession Number:184844761
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