| dc.description.abstract | The state-financed “Polska Gospodarcza” (1930–1939) presented the official stand on the issue of state
intervention into the economy. During almost 10 years during which the bi-weekly newspaper was
published, only a few articles that included the word “interventionism” in their titles appeared, while
the content of the term was spread across different issues of the newspaper. The phenomenon was
mentioned in the speeches of the Prime Ministers, Ministers of Industry and Trade as well as Ministers
of Treasury. Economists, politicians, and entrepreneurs expressed their opinions on the extent of state
intervention into the economy. The government indirectly intervened into the functioning of private
enterprises through allowances, credit and fiscal relaxations, mineral policy, etc. In 1938, the Minister
of Industry and Trade, Antoni Roman, created the Commission for the Examination of Interventionism
(Komisja do Badania Interwencjonizmu). Its task was to consolidate all actions within the framework
of this trend. Until 1938, interventionism was associated with temporary decisions that resulted
from current problems. It appeared on a larger scale during the Great Depression and was a result of
problems with the national economy. Downsides of interventionism included, among others, chaotic
character of the undertaken activities, lack of consistency, blurred goals, and the lack of long-term plans
with specification of intermediate goals. However, the authors emphasized the value of interventionism
for the public good. During the entire interwar period, interventionism was discussed by the followers
of liberalism and supporters of the increased interference of the government with economy. | en |
