Censorship in the People’s Republic of Poland and the Jarocin Rock Music Festival in the 1980s: An Analysis of Censorship Interventions in 1984 Documents

Abstract

The article examines the mechanisms of institutional censorship applied to the Jarocin Rock Festival in the 1980s, focusing on documents from 1984, discovered in 2011 at the Jarocin Cultural Centre. These materials – including censored lyrics from bands such as T.Love, Siekiera, and Izrael – serve as a reference point for deeper reflection on the true scope and effectiveness of censorship during the final years of the Polish People’s Republic. The analysis takes into account the broader context of censorship institutions’ functioning, as well as the changing attitudes of young artists, who increasingly ignored the censors’ recommendations and presented uncensored content on stage. The article highlights the gradual erosion of censorship’s influence and the growing independence of creative communities in the second half of the 1980s.