Liberated Twice. The Political Rights of Women 1918 | Film and Educational Materials - Instytut Pileckiego
Liberated Twice. The Political Rights of Women 1918 | Film and Educational Materials
The granting of both active and passive voting rights to Polish women in 1918 placed Poland among the most democratic countries in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. We encourage you to explore the film and educational materials on women social activists.
The film presents Polish women in a dual way: as citizens who, after 123 years, regained their state, and as women who, in the restored homeland, obtained full voting rights. The film features well-known, lesser-known, and entirely forgotten women whose achievements and life stories form an integral part of Poland’s history. To present these figures and past events, archival photographs were used, drawn from the collections of Polona, the National Digital Archives, the Museum of Independence, and the Polish Underground Movement Study Trust in London. The photographs have been colorized and animated.
The film uses 2D animation techniques, and the movement of the speaking figures was created based on the real movement of an actor. These technical methods aimed to animate the figures in the film, so that after many years their voices could be heard again and the memory of Polish women restored – women who not only were liberated twice by regaining an independent homeland and obtaining voting rights, but who also actively fought for that independence.
With teachers of primary and secondary schools in mind, the Pilecki Institute has prepared educational materials (available below) that will help students better understand the path to political participation paved by women’s rights advocates and social activists.
Events
- Conference: Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)
conference
Conference: Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)
We invite scholars to participate in an international academic conference devoted to various forms of activity undertaken by women who engaged in opposition and dissent under authoritarian and totalitarian rule in the 20th century.
- CALL FOR PAPERS | Conference “Shared Experiences – Different Paths? The Turning Point of 1956 and Its Significance for the Countries and Societies of East Central Europe”
conference
CALL FOR PAPERS | Conference “Shared Experiences – Different Paths? The Turning Point of 1956 and Its Significance for the Countries and Societies of East Central Europe”
The Pilecki Institute and the Tadeusz Manteuffel Institute of History of the Polish Academy of Sciences invite you to participate in an international academic conference, Shared Experiences – Different Paths? The Turning Point of 1956 and Its Significance for the Countries and Societies of East Central Europe, which will be held on 19–21 October 2026 in Warsaw. The event is part of a series of conferences devoted to the history of transformations in East Central Europe after 1945.
- CALL FOR PAPERS: International academic conference „Soviet Central Asia as a Totalitarian Testing Ground” | Deadline for submissions: April 30
conference
CALL FOR PAPERS: International academic conference „Soviet Central Asia as a Totalitarian Testing Ground” | Deadline for submissions: April 30
The Pilecki Institute in Warsaw invites scholars to take part in the international academic conference “Soviet Central Asia as a Totalitarian Testing Ground”, to be held on 15–17 June 2026 at the Institute’s headquarters in Warsaw.
- CALL FOR PAPERS: Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)
conference
CALL FOR PAPERS: Oppositional Engagement of Women in Authoritarian and Totalitarian Systems of the 20th Century: Poland in a Comparative European Perspective (1919–1989)
We invite scholars to participate in an international academic conference devoted to various forms of activity undertaken by women who engaged in opposition and dissent under authoritarian and totalitarian rule in the 20th century.
- Call for Papers | Embracing the New, Preserving the Old: Studying Fascism, Communism, and Totalitarianism in the 2020s (October 14-15)
conference
Call for Papers | Embracing the New, Preserving the Old: Studying Fascism, Communism, and Totalitarianism in the 2020s (October 14-15)
We invite historians, political scientists, sociologists, scholars of culture and media, and others interested to reflect on methods, cases, and knowledge production related to the study of fascism, communism, and totalitarianism in the 2020s.
- The conference “The Roots of Crimes against Humanity: Bridging the Normative Gap” places Warsaw at the center of global human rights diplomacy
conference
The conference “The Roots of Crimes against Humanity: Bridging the Normative Gap” places Warsaw at the center of global human rights diplomacy
As global efforts to codify a groundbreaking legal act intensify, Warsaw is becoming a center of legal discourse. The international conference “The Roots of Crimes against Humanity: Bridging the Normative Gap" will be held on April 20–21, 2026. This event represents a significant contribution to the discussion on the first-ever United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity.
- Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program 5th edition. Post-war decade. | Call for participants
project
Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program 5th edition. Post-war decade. | Call for participants
Recruitment for the fifth edition of the Pilecki Institute International Teachers and Educators Program has begun. We invite teachers and educators from around the world to participate in the online conference. This year, we are focusing on the history of
- Inauguration of the Pilecki Institute in New York | A transatlantic bridge for values that are dear to us all
Event
Inauguration of the Pilecki Institute in New York | A transatlantic bridge for values that are dear to us all
This coming weekend, the Pilecki Institute will inaugurate its activities in New York.
- Steve Crawshaw at the Pilecki Institute in Berlin! | Accompanying Event: “Unknown Legacies of the Nuremberg.”
Event
Steve Crawshaw at the Pilecki Institute in Berlin! | Accompanying Event: “Unknown Legacies of the Nuremberg.”
Join us a special event accompanying our two-day international conference “Unknown Legacies of the Nuremberg Trial: Regional Approaches and Perspectives in East Central Europe.”
- Conference: Unknown Legacies of the Nuremberg Trial: Regional Approaches and Perspectives in East Central Europe
conference
Conference: Unknown Legacies of the Nuremberg Trial: Regional Approaches and Perspectives in East Central Europe
We are pleased to invite you to participate in the academic conference "Unknown Legacies of the Nuremberg Trial: Regional Approaches and Perspectives in East Central Europe".
- Film "Soviet Camp 0331"
Event
Film "Soviet Camp 0331"
As part of the program accompanying the opening of the Pilecki Institute headquarters at 82 Sienna Street, we invite you to a screening of a film about the tragic experiences of the inhabitants of the Vilnius region.
- Debate "World War 2, Russia and Ukraine in the Era of the Smartphone War"
debate
Debate "World War 2, Russia and Ukraine in the Era of the Smartphone War"
As part of the events accompanying the opening of the new headquarters of the Pilecki Institute at 82 Sienna Street, we invite you to a a debate on how Russia and Ukraine use and reinterpret the memory of World War II in the context of today’s war.