Milicja Obywatelska (Citizens' Militia or Civic Militia) was a state police institution in the People's Republic of Poland. It was created in 1944 by Soviet-sponsored PKWN, effectively replacing the pre-war police force. In 1990 it was transformed back into Policja.
The term milicja had been adapted from the cognate term, "militsiya," used in several communist countries. The term is derived from Militia, which in turn claims its etymology from the concept of a military force composed of ordinary citizens. Contrary to implied meaning, in most cases it represented rather a state-controlled force, used to exert political repression on the citizens.
No comments:
Post a Comment