The National Radical Camp () was an ultranationalist, patriotic, and antisemitic political movement which existed in the pre-World War II Second Polish Republic, and an illegal Polish anti-communist, and nationalist political party formed on 14 April 1934 mostly by the youth radicals who left the National Party of the National Democracy movement.
Shortly after its creation ONR split into two branches: the National Radical Movement Falanga (; RNR-Falanga or ONR-Falanga), and National Radical Camp ABC (; ONR-ABC). "Falanga" is Polish for "phalanx", "ABC" refers to a newspaper printed by the organisation at the time.
Since 1993, an organization exists in Poland that has adopted the name ONR, following its ideology and traditions.
First incarnation (1934) The party was influenced by the ideas of Italian Fascism. It rejected parliamentary democracy and called for the construction of a "national state," based on the principles of hierarchy, one-person leadership, and elimination of national minorities from public life.
Dominated by youth, National Radical Camp was an outgrowth of the Endecja movement, an ultra-nationalist movement that had arisen in the 1920s. The emergence of the National Radical Camp was part of broader movement of the Polish right toward radicalization in the 1930s. Virulently antisemitic and eliminationist, ONR's members were responsible for an increase in antisemitic violence after 1935.
The party was created on the insistence of former members of the Camp of Great Poland (Obóz Wielkiej Polski), including Jan Mosdorf, and Henryk Rossman. It supported "class solidarity," nationalization of foreign and Jewish-owned companies and introduction of antisemitic laws.
The ONR was mostly supported by students and other groups of urban youth. ONR openly encouraged anti-Jewish pogroms, and became the main force in the organization of attacks against Jews. It organized fighting squads, attacked Jews and leftist politicians, destroyed Jewish property, and provoked clashes with the police. Because of its involvement in boycott of Jewish-owned stores, as well as numerous attacks on left-wing worker demonstrations, the ONR was outlawed after three months of existence, in July 1934. Several leaders were interned in the Bereza Kartuska Detention Camp, where the organization split into two separate factions: the ONR-Falanga (Ruch Narodowo-Radykalny) led by Bolesław Piasecki, and the ONR-ABC (Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny) formed around the ABC journal and led by Henryk Rossman. Both organizations were officially illegal.
During World War II
During World War II, both organizations created underground resistance organizations: ONR-ABC was transformed into Grupa Szańca (Rampart Group), whose military arm became the Związek Jaszczurczy (Lizard Union), while the ONR-Falanga created the Confederation of the Nation. They were not supportive of the mainstream Polish Underground State related to the Polish government in exile. During the German occupation of Poland, many of the former ONR activists belonged to National Armed Forces resistance groups. After World War II, the forced exile of many ONR members was made permanent by the newly created Polish People's Republic, which branded them enemies of the state.
Falanga
Formation and ideology
The RNR-Falanga was formed in the spring of 1935 following a split by members of the National Radical Camp held in Detention Camp Bereza Kartuska. Adopting the name of Oboz Narodowo-Radykalny (National Radical Camp), it soon became known as Falanga after the title of its journal (the rival group would also soon be named after its own journal, thus becoming known as National Radical Camp-ABC).
The Falanga was led by Bolesław Piasecki and advocated a 'Catholic totalitarianism' inspired by Spanish Falangism. However, although clearly derived from Falangism, it has been argued that their Catholicism was even more central than that of the Spanish group and indeed their pronouncement that "God is the highest form of man" recalled the religious fanaticism of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu. The group is widely considered to have been a fascist movement. Harshly critical of capitalism and supportive of removing citizenship rights from Poland's Jews it presented itself as the vanguard of the opposition to Józef Piłsudski.
Development
Largely based on university campuses, the Falanga followed a policy of anti-Semitism and although it had few members, from its power bases in schools it attempted to launch attacks on Jewish students and businesses. Left-wing activists were also as part of this violent activity.