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| 1947–1989 | |||||||||
.svg) Coat of arms
(1980–1990) | |||||||||
| Anthem: Mazurek Dąbrowskiego "Poland Is Not Yet Lost" | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Status | Warsaw Pact and Comecon member | ||||||||
| Capital and largest city | Warsaw 52°13′N 21°02′E / 52.217°N 21.033°E | ||||||||
| Official languages | Polish | ||||||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism (de facto) State Atheism (de jure) | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Polish, Pole | ||||||||
| Government | Socialist republic | ||||||||
| First Secretary and Leader | |||||||||
• 1947–1956 (first) | Bolesław Bierut | ||||||||
• 1989 (last) | Mieczysław Rakowski | ||||||||
| Head of Council | |||||||||
• 1947–1952 (first) | Bolesław Bierut | ||||||||
• 1985–1989 (last) | Wojciech Jaruzelski | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1944–1947 (first) | E. Osóbka-Morawski | ||||||||
• 1989 (last) | Tadeusz Mazowiecki | ||||||||
| Legislature | Sejm | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
| 19 February 1947 | |||||||||
| 22 July 1952 | |||||||||
| 21 October 1956 | |||||||||
| 13 December 1981 | |||||||||
| 4 June 1989 | |||||||||
• People's Republic abolished | 31 December 1989 | ||||||||
| 9 December 1990 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 312,685 km2 (120,728 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1989 estimate | 37,970,155 | ||||||||
| Currency | Złoty (PLZ) | ||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||||||||
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||||||||
| Drives on | right | ||||||||
| Calling code | +48 | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | PL | ||||||||
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The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989),[b] formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952),[c] and also often simply known as Poland,[d] was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million near the end of its existence, it was the second most-populous communist and Eastern Bloc country in Europe, and one of the main signatories of the Warsaw Pact alliance.[1] The largest city and official capital since 1947 was Warsaw, followed by the industrial city of Łódź and cultural city of Kraków. The country was bordered by the Baltic Sea to the north, the Soviet Union to the east, Czechoslovakia to the south, and East Germany to the west.
The Polish People's Republic was a unitary state with a Marxist–Leninist government established in the country after the Red Army's takeover of Polish territory from German occupation in World War II. Communist control was strengthened through electoral fraud in the 1946 Polish people's referendum and the 1947 Polish parliamentary election. The Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) became the dominant political faction in a one-party state but the country had more liberal policies than other socialist states due to its strategic location in the Cold War and internal opposition. The state's official name was the "Republic of Poland" (Rzeczpospolita Polska) between 1947 and 1952 in accordance with the temporary Small Constitution of 1947.[2] The name "People's Republic" was introduced and defined by the Constitution of 1952. The Polish People's Republic was dissolved following the Revolutions of 1989 and the 1990 Polish presidential election, but the post-communist Third Polish Republic retained the 1952 constitution, with amendments, until the introduction of the current constitution on 17 October 1997, abolishing the socialist structure entirely and replacing with a parliamentary system that has remained in place to the present-day.
The Ministry of Public Security (UB) and later the Security Service (SB) were the chief intelligence agencies that acted as the secret police. The official police organization, Milicja Obywatelska (MO), along with its ZOMO squads, conducted mass surveillance and violent suppression of protests. The various crimes committed to maintain the PZPR in power, especially after the Cold War intensified, included the harsh treatment of protesters, arrest of opposition leaders and in extreme cases, executions,[3] with an estimated 22,000 people killed or disappeared from 1947 to 1989.[4] Despite the numerous economic hardships, some achievements were established during this period, including improved living conditions, rapid industrialization, and urbanization. Access to universal health care and free education were made available, and the population almost doubled between 1947 and 1989. Poland also maintained a large standing army, known as the Polish People's Army. In addition, units of the Soviet Armed Forces were also stationed in Poland as in all other Warsaw Pact countries.[5]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "What Was the Eastern Bloc?". Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych (2013). "Small Constitution of 1947" [Mała Konstytucja z 1947]. Original text at the Sejm website. Kancelaria Sejmu RP. Archived from the original (PDF direct download) on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ "Urząd Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego - Virtual Shtetl". sztetl.org.pl. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
- ^ Rummel, R. J. (1997). Statistics of democide: genocide and mass murder since 1900. Charlottesville, Virginia: Transaction Publishers.
- ^ Rao, B. V. (2006), History of Modern Europe Ad 1789-2002: A.D. 1789-2002, Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.