Records Relating to Political trials (processes... | Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

It is a collective collection comprising sub-collections of judicial, political, social and national discourses of predominantly political narratives reflecting ethno-national and political tensions in interwar Poland and specifically in East Galicia. Intense political situation in interwar East Galicia induced the acts of political terror largely committed by the Ukrainian nationalists and in some instances by the communists. The trials mirrored ethno-national narratives, challenges and responses and reaction of political spectrum to this ongoing political discourse.

RG-111, Political Trials (Processes) in interwar East Galicia and Poland, this record group comprises the following collections, RG -111.01, Stepan Fedak, Trial,  (Assassination attempt on Jozef Pilsudski, Chief  State and Governor K. Grabowski in September 1921), materials of periodicals from  1921, 1922. RG-111.03, Sydir Tverdokhlib, assassination, October 1922, materials from periodicals in 1922, 1923 and 1930 RG-111.04, Trial of the School district Curator, Sobinski murder by the UVO (Ukrainian Military Organization) members RG-111.06, Ivan Babii (Director of Ukrainian Gymnasium), assassination, Lviv (Lwow), 1934 RG-111.07, Process (Trial) of the  OUN members with regard to assassination of Polish Minister of Interior, Bronislaw Pieracki, Warsaw, 1935, 1936 RG-111.08, Attack on the Post Office, Grodek - Jagiellonski, Poland, 30  November 1932, Discourse and Trial RG-111.10, Trial of the murderers of Tadeusz Holowko, Polish politician and scholar, September, October 1933 (the Sambor Trial) RG-111.11, The Lwow (Lviv) Trial of the members of the OUN, May, June, 1936 RG-111.12, Trial of the 17 young Ukrainian intelligents with regard to Curator Sobinski assassination, UVO, Lwow, 1928, 1929. RG-11.13, Trial for the bombing attack at the Targi Wschodni in 1929, UVO. RG-1141.14, Trial of the on the Soviet Conculate in Lviv (Lwow), April 1930, OUN, UVO.  Political trials in interwar East Galicia as well as in Poland were a common ethnopolitical discourses of the time. This Record Groups relates to political processes (trials) in a form of jury trials against largely individuals or group of national and political minorities or against the otherness. The otherness comprises here Ukrainian nationalists and communists, as well as Jewish individuals. Ukrainian radicals associated with Ukrainian national independence movement largely were tried for political murders. They committed crimes against Ukrainian and Polish officials in the name Ukrainian national idea of independence and rejection of legitimacy of Polish administration over East Galicia. East Galician (West Ukrainian) communists comprise as it was once put "a Jewish and Ukrainian intrigue," Ukrainians, Jews and Poles. East Galician communist movement only partially resembled a bolshevik ideology, overall this political party was longing for a national communism, rather than pure Soviet style authoritarian communist regime. Trials against Jewish individuals and collective trials against a group of Jews were largely a manifestation of significant anti-Jewish sentiment on the part of Polish judicial system. The summary tribunal against Jewish communist Naftali Botwin was a tragedy of a young Jewish man who followed the orders of the East Galician Communist Party. The summary tribunal sentenced Naftali Botwin to death and President of Poland Stanislaw Wojcechowski did not use his right of pardon. Twelve sub-collection present a unique almost stenographic reports, combined with analysis in regard to typical for the country and time-period political discourses. Twelve sub-collection present a unique almost stenographic reports, combined with analysis in regard to typical for the country and time-period political discourses.

Here are the well reflected political trials that brought up multif-vectorial societal responses, The Fedak Trial, The Steiger Trial, The Botwin Trial, the Jager at al Trial, the Trial of the Sobinski's murder, the Trial of Holowko murder, the Trial of Babij murder, and the Trial of Pieracki assassination. There were other trials. Largely over the organized politically spurred acts of terror and crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists and collective trials over the West Ukrainian members of Communist party.

The state organized and implemented persecutions and trials known as the result of so-called Brzeskie elections when a large number of Jozef Pilsudski's and the ruling Sanation camp's opponent were imprisoned and tried is not regarded here as a political discourse pertaining directly to East Galician narrative.

Two political trials against the OUN members related to conspiracy, assassination of the Bronislaw Pieracki, interior minister and a number of political assassination and overall the anti-state activity  become apotheosis of Ukrainian nationalistic political agenda spoken from the Warsaw and Lwow (Lviv) district courts. These are the Warsaw 1935 OUN Process (Trial) and the Lwow (Lviv) 1936 OUN Process (Trial). Both trials served to the both pursposes, namely to reveal the criminal activity of the OUN in Poland, by the Polish state and to make a broad Appeal of Ukrainian national posits and the ideology of the OUN, by the side of the OUN in Poland and abroad.