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• Tygodnik Urzędowy Naczelnej Rady Ludowej (...)
• The need to issue an official journal (...)

The need to issue an official journal was a consequence of the political situation in which the Greater Poland territories occupied by the insurgents found themselves until the time when the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles came into force. Until that time, the region was still a part of Germany and any attempts at transferring the models of governance from Warsaw, or using official state terminology could, pursuant to international law, be treated as interference in the affairs of a neighbouring country or separatist activities - this, in turn, would make the international situation of the region and the reborn Poland very difficult. Given these circumstances, the government system in the region, after the proceedings of the Partition Sejm of Poznań had come to an end, had to be based on a different nomenclature and principles than in the case of a fully independent state. The forced official independence of the region resulted in the establishment of institutions of administrative power with their own names (people's councils) and structures - presumably on the initiative of Priest S. Adamski – based on an economic organisation. However, the publication of an official journal, which would regulate basic issues and the functioning directions of the authorities, administration and economy of a region which was formally relying on its own resources, was inevitable. These matters were touched upon in the first issue of the journal dated 16 January 1919, when the maintenance of contact between the Commissariat of the Supreme People's Council and the poviat’s people's councils and simultaneous avoidance of any political issues was agreed upon as one of the major objectives of the publication. These issues were strictly monitored until 1 August 1919, when the Commissariat of the Supreme People's Council was liquidated and the competences of this body were assigned to the Minister of the former Prussian Partition (Tygodnik Urzędowy No. 61 of 18 November 1919, p. 315).    

Nowadays, Tygodnik Urzędowy Naczelnej Rady Ludowej is the basic official source related to the history of the central authorities of the region during the functioning of the Greater Poland insurgent state. Analysis of these texts allows for the observation of the basic, central and often very detailed aspects of the functioning of the region in 1919. The first issue contained basic information regarding the composition of the Supreme People’s Council and the respective divisions, also, the basic sections of TU were agreed upon. They were modified depending on the importance of the information which needed to be communicated. The publication of regulations which governed supplies to the population was started immediately. As time passed, they also covered such issues as the rules of trade, the rationing of food supplies and the exporting of articles and funds outside of the borders of the former Poznań Province. From February to the middle of September 1919, the Commissariat of the Supreme People's Council, as the political head of Armed Forces in the former Prussian Partition published information and proclamations in Tygodnik Urzędowy, regarding the conscription of consecutive age groups of young men to the army as well as decrees regarding promotions - which were also announced in the day orders of Central Command. Legal provisions and regulations concerning, among other issues, the judiciary and educational systems as well as the functioning of the respective offices were included in TU. The information (often very detailed) published in TU is an excellent, multi-directional illustration of the situation in the region, both in economic and political terms; it also represents the huge effort put in by the inhabitants and administration of Greater Poland into the efficient functioning of the region, the supplies for the population and equipment for the army. Social pathologies, usury and price manipulation were fought against while discipline and order were taken care of. Also, information was published regularly with regards to changes of the German names of towns into Polish names –right up until the last issue of Dziennik Urzędowy Ministerstwa b. Dzielnicy Pruskiej (No. 4, dated 8 April 1922). A separate, though still important section of TUNRL contained announcements and communications regarding the activities of economic associations. Their number was always gradually increasing and in some issues of the journal they accounted for 1/3 of the volume of a given issue. The reading of those announcements is a valuable source for analysing the functioning of institutions, companies and banks in Greater Poland in the year 1919. It also allows for an insight into the private lives and official matters of the inhabitants of the region.