Industrial Control Over the Socialist Town

The author addresses the neglected issue of the relations between the functioning of powerful state industrial firms and the town under socialism. As they strived for labor force, the manufacturing and mining employers in Central and Eastern Europe became prominent gatekeepers controlling access to scarce goods and services, which reflected a specific labor market segmentation. The distribution of social benefits and burdens they generated enhanced life chances of certain groups by and large at the cost of the underprivileged—women and the elderly in particular. This socialist industry contributed to social injustice and deprivation as well as the reproduction of entrapping spatial settings such as factory colonies and areas reserved for potential expansion.The study reveals a great diversity of mechanisms of industrial control over and exploitation of socialist towns in Poland. Spatial organization of local activities and facilities exhibited the power of industrial gatekeepers, and in several cases became a mediating element facilitating achievement of the firm's objectives. The residents' sense of place was permeated by the company through its multiple involvement outside the factory gates, which could justify its dominant position and conceal sources of social inequalities and conflicts. The legacy of socialist factory paternalism bears heavily upon post-socialist society, which is evident in anti-egalitarian attitudes and social closure attempts demonstrated by the beneficiaries of the gatekeepers' allocation.

"[This] text provides a wealth of empirical information by ways of examples (most often from Poland) and does a very good job of synthesizing this information in order to offer generalizations that are useful in understanding socialist societies in particular and bureaucratic systems more generally....Domanski's book is well written, well organized, thorough, and insightful. It is so filled with information that its contents cannot be well "digested" at one time. The book is likely to become viewed as a "classic" work on the social geography of socialist states, at least among Domanski's fellow geographers. The book...is an excellent one for social scientists interested in socialist societies and the latters' comparability to paternalistic and bureaucratic institutions and places (such as company dominated milltowns) in capitalist society. This newest work will cement [Domanski's] position as a recognized leader in research on the social and economic conditions of life under socialism."- William H. Berentsen Department of Geography and Center for European Studies University of Connecticut, "This is an important and original contribution to the understanding of urban inequalities under Eastern European socialism. The author analyses how the process of distribution of valued goods and services was administered, in the context of the patronage exercised by large industrial enterprises, stressing the crucial role of "gatekeepers" in controlling access. Empirical detail is set in a framework of contemporary social theory, with penetrating observations on social (in)justice. The result is a fascinating account of the interdependence of economic power, unequal life chances, and spatial organisation in the industrial towns of socialist Poland. The book is essential reading for those interested in the limitations of socialism as an egalitarian project, and in the problems faced by post socialist societies in claiming moral superiority. This product of many years of careful research will establish Boleslaw Domanski as a leading authority in East European urban studies."-David M. Smith Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, "Drawing on his meticulous and wide-ranging research, [Domanski] provides a sociological view on the consequences of the gatekeeping activities of large state firms that dominated the towns in which they operated....[a] well-organized and systematic study."-Choice, ?Drawing on his meticulous and wide-ranging research, [Domanski] provides a sociological view on the consequences of the gatekeeping activities of large state firms that dominated the towns in which they operated....[a] well-organized and systematic study.?-Choice, ?For those interested in urban development in general, and in the former socialist realm in particular, there is much of value in terms of ideas and information in Domanski's work.?-Slavic Review

BOLES/LAW DOMANSKI is Senior Lecturer in Geography at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. He is the author of numerous articles in both English and Polish on local industrial development, quality of life, and environmental issues under state socialism.