Criminal Activities in the Stanisławów Voivodeship in the Period January–July 1939 as Presented in Reports by the Voivode of Stanisławów

The author of this articles focusses on the issue (hitherto little researched) of criminal activities in the south‑eastern part of the Second Republic, that is in the then Stanisławów Voivodeship. Geographically, the article is limited to the abovementioned voivodeship, which belonged to the group of southern voivodeships; chronologically, however, it deals with the last seven months of peace (January‑July 1939). Sources are the monthly Sprawozdania ze stanu bezpieczeństwa (Reports on Security), prepared by the Urząd Wojewódzki (Voivodeship Office) in Stanisławów. The author describes the information offered in these reports on particular kinds of crime, starting from the most frequent: from murder and robbery through acts of political terror up to common theft and poaching. It must be noted that the concept of political terror used in the cited documents differs from its contemporary understanding. For the global community, in which terrorism involves hundreds of innocent victims, occurrences from the earlier period seem rather common acts of hooliganism. In the south‑eastern border areas of the Second Republic, there were also specific kinds of border crimes connected with the existence of the ephemeral Carpathian Ruthenia, and of course smuggling. Some criminal acts were of a political and chauvinist nature.

The author of this articles focusses on the issue (hitherto little researched) of criminal activities in the south‑eastern part of the Second Republic, that is in the then Stanisławów Voivodeship. Geographically, the article is limited to the abovementioned voivodeship, which belonged to the group of southern voivodeships; chronologically, however, it deals with the last seven months of peace (January‑July 1939). Sources are the monthly Sprawozdania ze stanu bezpieczeństwa (Reports on Security), prepared by the Urząd Wojewódzki (Voivodeship Office) in Stanisławów. The author describes the information offered in these reports on particular kinds of crime, starting from the most frequent: from murder and robbery through acts of political terror up to common theft and poaching. It must be noted that the concept of political terror used in the cited documents differs from its contemporary understanding. For the global community, in which terrorism involves hundreds of innocent victims, occurrences from the earlier period seem rather common acts of hooliganism. In the south‑eastern border areas of the Second Republic, there were also specific kinds of border crimes connected with the existence of the ephemeral Carpathian Ruthenia, and of course smuggling. Some criminal acts were of a political and chauvinist nature.