The political and criminal origins of the Potempa Murder of 1932

Marek Chyliński

Uniwersytet Opolski, Instytut Politologii
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0046-2574

Abstract

Murder of Konrad Piecuch, a Polish worker from Potępa in Upper Silesia, appears in all publications devoted to the origins of the Third Reich. The authors describe the murder committed on the night of August 9, 1932, as an example of the ruthless methods of political struggle of the Nazis. One-sided interpretation of the events in Potępa is also discussed in postwar historical writings of Polish authors. These writers did not perceive criminal motives of the murder. The following text shows the famous murder from both perspectives. This is how it referrs to the article by Richard Bessel from 1977. For the first time in history, results of the election to the Reichstag and Landtag held from 1928 to 1933 in Potepie have been published. The author questions the official version of Konrad Piecuch's biography, the murder victim.

Keywords:

Potempa, Potępa, Konrad Piecuch, Potempa Affair