Economic and political transformation. Beginnings of the Third Republic of Poland
what the Round TableRound Table Talks were;
what the ‘thick linethick line’ was;
about the most important political, social, and economic reforms after 1989;
why there was a division among the opposition;
what the ‘Balcerowicz PlanBalcerowicz Plan’ was, and what effects it had.
The economic collapse of Poland in the late 1970s was further worsened by the period of the Martial law and sanctions of the West. In 1988, once again, great strikes broke out (in Cracow, Wrocław, and Gdańsk), which demanded a restoration of independent trade unions, improvement in the economic situation, and release of the arrested activists of the opposition. In order to pacify them, the authorities used the Motorized Reserves of the Citizens’ MilitiaMotorized Reserves of the Citizens’ Militia and the police.
Realizing the hopeless situation, the authorities made the first attempts at cooperation and agreement with the opposing side. The result of this was the Round TableRound Table Talks, which started in February 1989. The talks were conducted in three groups concerning the economy, political reforms, and trade union pluralism. The opposition was represented by representatives of Solidarity, headed by Lech Wałęsa. Part of the opposition opposed to the agreement with the communists was omitted. It was agreed that Solidarity would be re‑registered and freedoms would be introduced in political and economic life. A reform of the law and the judiciary was promised, as well as an election in which the opposition would be able to run for the first time (35% of seats in the Sejm, and 100% in the Senate).
In the parliamentary election held on June 4, 1989, the opposition won practically all the seats (1 seat in the Senate for an independent candidate). As a result of a compromise, Tadeusz Mazowiecki was appointed Prime Minister of the first non‑communist government, and Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski was elected by the National Assembly for the re‑established position of President.
One of the most important tasks of the new government was to improve the economy. Leszek Balcerowicz took it on. He proposed 11 new Acts aimed at changing the law, stopping the hyperinflationhyperinflation, granting property rights, and reforming unprofitable workplaces. These led to an increase in unemploymentunemployment and higher product prices. However, the economy soon stabilized and inflation fell.
Changes began, which affected practically every aspect of the lives of Poles. The new government opened the economy to international capital, and started integration with Western European countries. Changes were made to the ConstitutionConstitution, thus restoring the name Republic of Poland, political pluralism, and the national emblem from before the war.
In the autumn of 1990, a general presidential election was held. It was won by Lech Wałęsa. Wałęsa held power for only one term, followed by Aleksander Kwaśniewski for 10 years (1995–2005), and then Lech Kaczyński (2005‑2010) and Bronisław Komorowski (2010‑2015).
Poland was the last of all the countries of the former Eastern bloc to hold a completely free parliamentary election. As a result of fragmentation of the political scene, 29 groups entered the Sejm, which was not conducive to stability of governance. In the early election of 1993, post‑communists from SLD returned to power, and formed a coalition with PSL thus ruling until 1997. 1997 was also the year when the ConstitutionConstitution, which is still in force today, was adopted by the nation in a nationwide referendum.
Read about the most important events of the economic and political transformation.
Match the terms to the descriptions.
a voluntary organization bringing together a group of people from a workplace or profession, the aim of which is to defend their socio-economic interests, talks conducted by the democratic opposition with the authorities of the Polish People’s Republic between February and April 1989, the slogan used by Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, supposed to mean complete separation of his government from the previous political system and its authorities, militia units established in 1956, the aim of which was to establish order in the event of strikes and social disturbances, as well as to help the population during natural disasters, the common name for the economic and political reforms prepared by Leszek Balcerowicz, Minister of Finance in the government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, supposed to enable transformation of the centrally planned economy into a free market economy
| Round Table | |
| Motorized Reserves of the Citizens’ Militia (ZOMO) | |
| Trade union | |
| Thick line | |
| Balcerowicz Plan |
Keywords
transformation, political system, Round Table, thick line, Balcerowicz Plan
Glossary
Okrągły Stół – rozmowy prowadzone przez demokratyczną opozycję z władzami PRL pomiędzy lutym a kwietniem 1989 roku. Miały na celu doprowadzenie do reform politycznych, gospodarczych i społecznych. Rozpoczęły przemiany ustrojowe Polski i doprowadziły do częściowo wolnych wyborów w czerwcu 1989 roku.
Zmotoryzowane Odwody Milicji Obywatelskiej (ZOMO) – oddziały milicji powołane w 1956 r., których celem było zaprowadzanie porządku w sytuacjach strajków i wystąpień społecznych, a także pomoc ludności w czasie klęsk żywiołowych. Przez cały okres PRL cieszyły się złą sławą.
Związek Zawodowy – dobrowolna organizacja zrzeszająca grupę ludzi jakiegoś zakładu pracy (np. robotników) lub zawodu, której celem jest obrona ich interesów społeczno‑ekonomicznych.
Hiperinflacja – bardzo wysoka inflacja, gwałtowny spadek wartości pieniądza.
Giełda – instytucja za pośrednictwem której kupuje się, sprzedaje lub wymienia papiery wartościowe i walutę.
Konstytucja – inaczej zwana ustawą zasadniczą. Jest to akt prawny, który najczęściej jest najważniejszym i najwyższym dokumentem stanowiącym prawo w państwie.
Bezrobocie – dosłownie brak pracy, zjawisko polegające na braku zatrudnienia przez grupę ludzi posiadających kwalifikację i zdolności do jej wykonywania, a pragnących ją znaleźć.
Trójpodział władzy – oddzielenie od siebie władz: ustawodawczej, wykonawczej i sądowniczej, i powierzenie jej niezależnym od siebie instytucjom, w celu zapobiegania nadużyciom i łamaniu praw obywatelskich. Został zaproponowany i opisany przez Johna Locke’a i Monteskiusza.
Gruba kreska – hasło użyte przez premiera Tadeusza Mazowieckiego w jego expose w sierpniu 1989 r. Słowa te miały oznaczać odcięcie się jego rządu od poprzedniego systemu politycznego i jego władz.
Plan Balcerowicza – potoczna nazwa reform gospodarczych i ustrojowych przygotowanych przez Leszka Balcerowicza, ministra finansów w rządzie Tadeusza Mazowieckiego. Plan wszedł w życie 1990 r. i miał umożliwić przekształcenie gospodarki centralnie planowanej w wolnorynkową.
III Rzeczpospolita – określenie państwa polskiego po przemianach politycznych roku 1989.