Authors
Jan Burek1; 1 University College London, UKDiscussion
In the late 1950s and 1960s, chemicalization – understood as the introduction of synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, plastics, modern pharmaceuticals et al. – started to be seen by top Communist leaders across the Eastern Bloc, as a sure way of catching up with Western economies. At the same time, however, doubts about chemicalization began to be raised publicly in Poland by the scientific community, journalists and ordinary Polish citizens. Despite this, the beginnings of environmental discourse in Poland are often attributed to the emergence of oppositional ecological groups in the late 1970s, and the earlier debate on chemicalization is often forgotten.
This paper – based on scientific papers, state and party documents, press articles, and citizens’ letters to the authorities – shows how chemicalization was defined, accepted, rejected, and opposed by various actors. Particular attention is paid to the discussions on the manufacturing and use of DDT in agriculture.
The author argues that, already in the 1950s, the use, production, and handling of harmful chemicals were criticized by scientists, journalists, and even multiple party and state officials. Alternative visions of modernity which rejected chemicalization altogether or proposed more "harmonious" or "selective" use of chemicals were put forth. Moreover, by highlighting the fact that debates on the use of DDT in Poland preceded similar discussions in the US, the author also challenges the Western-centric narrative on the origins of environmentalism .
