Poland

Poland is the largest country in Central and Eastern Europe with a population of 38.6 million in 1996. Poland has been in the forefront of countries transforming their economies and economic organizations. Under communism Poland was possibly the most restive of the countries of CEE. Polish post-war history embodies various attempts by the Polish Communist Party to assert and maintain its control. During the communist period there had been periodic manifestations of revolt against the regime, including the Poznan uprising of 1956, the Gdansk riots of December 1970, the establishment of the trade union Solidarity (Solidarnosc) and further strikes in 1976 following an announcement of substantial increases in food prices. The difficulty of maintaining political stability in Poland can be exemplified by the number of heads of government. This turnover in Party leadership in the communist period was in sharp contrast to the majority of CEE countries which were typified by a long-term stability of the ruling elite. The culmination of the Party’s attempts to achieve stable conditions in Poland was the imposition of martial law in December 1981. Communist Poland’s last decade was thus characterized by a period of overt repression, followed by a process of negotiation leading to democratic elections in 1989, as a result of which the communist regime came to an end.