Ritual as reflected by censorship. The Control Bureau as the custodian of the cultural image of the authorities in the early days of the People’s Republic of Poland

The ritualisation of life in communist states was mainly used for maintaining the influence of the authorities to ensure the undisturbed operation of the totalitarian system. The rituals resembled religious rites, thus diminishing the important role of religion. The similarity was particularly significant as it naturally removed any opportunity to question or dispute the system since, first of all, religion should be accepted “as a God-given truth”, and secondly, it placed the persons in the centre of the cult above ordinary mortals, and you do not question the highest authority. When referring to the theory of ritual formulated by J. Cazaneuve1, Michał Głowiński emphasised that it is a symbolic activity closely following its own principles. Repetition is the essence of a ritual. In political reality, rituals were created through the apologia of the people’s rule (the cult of the leader), the organisation of state holidays (functioning as alternatives to Church holidays) with, substituting sermons, speeches by state officials, ceremonies in honour of important people or events, community projects, and propaganda initiatives. In this study, I discuss the aspect of ritual which refers to the cult of the broadly defined authorities: starting from the head of the Soviet state, through the cult of the leaders of the People’s Republic of Poland, dignitaries and state officials of all rank, to police and army enforcement bodies. A fixed repetitive principle, which characterised the propaganda policy of the authorities, was t h e p r e v e n t i o n o f a n y c r i t i c i s m directed towards any and all its bodies in order to amalgamate and strengthen its position. A special role in defending the thus understood ritual fell to the Chief Control Bureau for Press, Publications and Performances (GUKPPiW), which was the authorities’ tool for efficiently eliminating all forms of criticism, and ensuring the