Popular republic of Poland

After the Second world war, the history of the Poland is dominated by the Soviet presence. These years, where several improvements of the Polish daily life appeared, were disturbed by the animated social climate and the economic recession.

Towards the end of the Second world war, the German forces are pushed out of Poland by the advance of the troops of the Soviet Red Army. The Conférence of Yalta ratified the formation of a government pro-Soviet by thus being unaware of the Polish Gouvernement in exile. This act was described like a treason on behalf of Poland by the allied Forces in order to alleviate Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader. The new Communist government in place with Warsaw saw its political power increasing and the working Parti unified Polish under the direction Bolesław Bierut, proclaimed the creation of the Popular republic of Poland, thus making party integral of the Communist bloc of post-war period of the Europe of the East. According to the death of Stalin in 1953, a wind of liberalization in Eastern Europe allowed the emergence of a more liberal faction of the Polish Communist party directed by Władysław Gomułka which seized the power in October 1956. About the middle of the years 1960, Poland knew as well an economic period of growth as political difficulties. In December 1970, an abrupt increase in the prices involved a wave of strikes. The government presented a new economic program based on the loan to broad scale in the occident having an immediate impact by increasing the standard of living of the population. However, this program has periclity because of the First oil crisis of 1973. Towards the end of the year 1970, the government of Edward Gierek constrained to increase the prices, had to face another wave of protest public.

This vicious circle was finally stopped with the election of the new pope Jean-Paul II in 1978, the person of Karol Wojtyla, and resulting in reinforcing the opposition to Communism in Poland. At the beginning of August 1980, a wave of strikes led to the formation of the independent trade union Solidarité (Solidarność) by the electrician Lech Wałęsa. In December 1981, the increasing force of the opposition forced the government of Wojciech Jaruzelski to declare the law martial. However, with the reforms of Mikhail Gorbatchev in the USSR, under the pressure of the Occident the Communists were thorough with the negotiation with their opponents. In 1988, the talks of the Polish Roundtable led to the participation of the Solidarité trade union in the elections of 1989. The bright victory of the candidates of Solidarity caused series of transitions peaceful in Eastern Europe and Central. In 1990, Jaruzelski resigns of the presidency. Wałęsa succeeded to him at the time of the elections of December 1990. The Popular republic of Poland became again the République of Poland.

The Popular republic of Poland (1944-1956)

Shortly after the war

Poland underwent heavy losses at the time of the Second world war. In 1939, Poland counted 35,1 million inhabitants and the end of the war, 19,1 million. The first census of post-war period counted a population of 23,9 million inhabitants. Nearly 21,4% of the population, that is to say more than 6 million Pole were killed between 1939 and 1945. The minorities composing the population of Poland were affected to a significant degree. Before the Second world war, a third of the population Polonaise was composed of ethnic minorities. According to the war, they had almost left all.

More than 80% of the Polish capital was destroyed the shortly after the Insurrection of Warsaw. Poland, having been a rather agricultural country compared to the Western nations, suffered catastrophic damage with its infrastructures, and thus an industrial retreat even more important was followed from there the shortly after the war. The losses on the level of the infrastructures and resources national amount with more than 30% compared to the potential of pre-war period.

The establishment of the immense task of rebuilding of the country was accompanied by the problems by the new government to stabilize its capacity and to have a centralized base. This task was even more difficult due to the mistrust of a considerable part of the population towards this new mode and the arguments concerning the borders of Poland of post-war periods, which were only fixed about the middle of 1945. In 1947 pennies the influence of the USSR, Poland rejected the Marshall plan and adhered to the Council for Mutual Economic Aid or CMEA dominated by the Soviets. At the same time, the Soviet forces had begun in plundering of the Territoires release which owed beings annexed by Poland. This caused to deprive it of industrial plants and infrastructures which were dispatched in Soviet Union.

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