Dariusz Aleksandrowicz Aleksandrowicz - Europa-Universität ...

D. Aleksandrowicz: The Socialist City and its Transformation 13
Huta with workers marching in perfect order during the May Day celebrations; in the
last decade of the communist Poland, there were long-term strikes and bloody street
fights that decisively determined the image of the city.
After the collapse of the communist system the new socialist cities - owing to their
dependence on one single, usually inefficient, production plant or one branch of
heavy industry - developed into areas of sharp crisis. In face of the (at least expected)
bankruptcy of this industrial infrastructure these cities became existential
pitfalls, without any attractive future prospects for their inhabitants and particularly
for the younger generation. Discussing these problems, we must, however, note that
limiting the number of behavioural alternatives with respect to the possible spatial
behaviour undertaken on one’s own account, the socialist city at the same time relieved
its inhabitants from the corresponding individual risk. They were therefore
only exceptionally burdened by decisions of the type to go shopping to this or that
shop, to live in this or that neighbourhood etc. To be sure, most of the residents of a
communist country could lead a somewhat “economy-free” life, that is a life substantially
relieved from stress resulting from being confronted by the genuine economic
process. Although they had to come to grips with many economic problems in
their every-day life (as supply shortages or low wages), at their place of labour as
well as with respect to the basic conditions of life they were free from pressure and
from uncertainty due to the market economy and the competitive system.
In Communism, the all-round control was the reverse of the all-round support the
state offered to the system-conforming individual. Owing to the disintegration of the
communist system the people had to live progressively in an economy-related reality.
Finally, even at their place of work and in their extremely important relation to
the production plant they became dependent on the economic process. This very
situation was completely alien to their previous experience, hierarchy of values and
way of life. They, therefore, often lacked orientation and appropriate behavioural
patterns to come to grips with the changed conditions of work and of life. The expected
bankruptcy of the production plant means for the inhabitants of the new socialist
city not only unemployment but also a collapse of what they regarded to be
“normal” and “just”, and what they were used to live in. This situation causes frustrations
and tensions which strengthen the already existing potential of aggression
and anarchistic populism. Now, however, it is the authority of the democratic state,
the system of free enterprise and the market economy that are the, more or less consciously
defined, targets of striking and rioting workers of the post-socialist production
plants. In doing it, the workers try again to exert collective aggression as a
means of finding escape from the difficulties of their individual lives. 25
few bomb attacks), whereas on the other hand the official authority finally gave in to the pressure
exercised by the local bishop as well as by the workers of the steel plant and allowed a big church
building to be legally erected in the middle of the city.
25 Admittedly, this type of destructiveness is not a primary psychological attitude of individuals but
is to be understood as an attempt to master some related problems due to a specific social con-