Editing Polish United Workers' Party (section)

=== Gierek's rule ===
[[File:Carl Albert speaking with Polish First Secretary Edward Gierek. October 9, 1974.jpg|thumb|left|230px|First Secretary of PZPR [[Edward Gierek]] (left) with Speaker of the House of Representatives [[Carl Albert]] (right), [[Washington D.C.]], 1974]]
In the late 1960s, Edward Gierek had created a personal power base and become the recognized leader of the young technocrat faction of the party. When rioting over economic conditions broke out in late 1970, Gierek replaced Gomułka as party first secretary.<ref>[[Time (magazine)|Time]] magazine article from 4 January 1971, [https://web.archive.org/web/20081221210959/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,942389,00.html The World: Poland's New Regime: Gifts and Promises]</ref> Gierek promised economic reform and instituted a program to modernize industry and increase the availability of consumer goods, doing so mostly through foreign loans.<ref>[[Time (magazine)|Time]] magazine article from 14 October 1974, [https://web.archive.org/web/20080408132716/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,908864,00.html POLAND: Gierek: Building from Scratch]</ref> His good relations with Western politicians, especially France's [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]] and West Germany's [[Helmut Schmidt]], were a catalyst for his receiving western aid and loans.

[[image:Seal Białystok city committee Polish United Workers' Party 1949.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Seal of [[Białystok]] city committee of the PZPR on official document, 1949]]
On 6-11 December, 1971, the 6th Congress of the Polish United Workers' Party was held (for the first time the television broadcast of its proceedings took place using color broadcasting), attended by 1,804 delegates representing a million members of communist parties. Delegations from 70 such parties arrived. During the congress the program of "dynamic development" and "building socialism in Poland" was adopted. At the same time, a generational change took place in the authorities of the Polish United Workers' Party. The old generation, active in the period of the [[Second Polish Republic]] in the [[Communist Party of Poland]] and later in the Polish Workers' Party, passed away.{{sfn|Eisler|2014|p=139}} The positions were taken by "youth" who began their careers in the Stalinist [[Union of Polish Youth]]. Unable to refer to the condemned times of Gomułka, they reached for the tradition of the fifties, glorifying people from that period such as Bierut and Rokosowski, a situation which led to the decade of the seventies being sometimes called "Stalinism without terror".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ipn.gov.pl/download.php?s=1&id=48560|title=Drogi towarzysz Gierek|lang=pl|publisher=IPN|accessdate=2024-10-09|page=7}}</ref> Gierek strengthened his position by filling the Political Bureau with his supporters. Besides himself, Edward Babiuch, Henryk Jablonski, Mieczyslaw Jagielski, Jaroszewicz, Jaruzelski, Wladyslaw Kruczek, Stefan Olszowski, Franciszek Szlachic, Jan Szydlak and Jozef Tejchma became members of the Political Bureau.{{sfn|Pawłowicz|1976|pp=82-84}}

[[image:II Krajowa Konferencja PZPR 9 01 1978.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Second National Conference of the PZPR in 1978]]
This short-term development was accompanied by a careful policy of indoctrination and total ordering of the society of the PZPR, whose institutional and ideological monopoly was expanded throughout the decade. The ranks of the PZPR grew rapidly: in 1970 it had 2.3 million members, the party was the price paid for promotions, careers, and its activists gained the title of "owners of the PRL".{{sfn|Eisler|2014|p=162}} Many of the changes that were made had Soviet patterns, which Gierek did not hide, proclaiming that "our party's place is with the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]], the place of the People's Republic of Poland - with the Soviet Union". It began with securing the interests of the party apparatus. In the autumn of 1972, the [[State Council of the Polish People's Republic|State Council]] issued decrees that privileged people holding the highest positions in the state and their families in terms of remuneration.{{sfn|Rakowski|2000|pp=112-114}} At that time, the [[Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party|Political Bureau]] of the [[Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party|Central Committee]] of the Polish United Workers' Party issued "guidelines" regarding the nomenclature of management staff, which by the end of the decade included half a million people. Its existence and functioning proved the party's total monopoly, and at the same time exposed the superficiality of the state, administrative and scientific structures operating in the [[Polish People's Republic]]. Detailed lists included positions whose appointment was dependent on the "recommendation" of a given party body - from the Political Bureau to the city and district committees. PZPR (including directors of factories, schools, presidents of cooperatives, agricultural circles, social organizations). The unification of the youth movement and changes in the education system were elements of subordinating society to communist ideology.{{sfn|Rurarz|1990|pp=171-172}}

[[image:Niech żyje PZPR baner na Woli lata 70..jpg|thumb|right|200px|Party banner on the facade of an office building of Fabryki Wyrobów Precyzyjnych im. gen. Świerczewskiego at 29/31 Kasprzaka Street in Warsaw]]
In the spring of 1973, the Federation of Socialist Unions of Polish Youth was established, an organization operating under the leadership of PZPR, whose goal was to indoctrinate youth in the spirit of Marxist ideology. In 1974, the Institute of Basic Problems of Marxism-Leninism was established at the [[Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party|Central Committee]] of PZPR in order to educate party apparatchiks.{{sfn|Eisler|2014|p=177}} Unification and centralization also included economic and cooperative structures, including the establishment of the RSW "[[Prasa-Książka-Ruch]]" concern, a powerful machine financing the activities of PZPR. Already in the early 1970s, the PZPR leadership had been considering changes to the constitution. They were approved by the Sejm of the Polish People's Republic in February 1976. The main program, "Dziennik Telewizyjny", almost every edition of which began with the words "First Secretary of PZPR...", broadcasts from party conferences or information about exceeded plans or completed construction or party activities.{{sfn|Rakowski|2000|pp=71-72}}

On 4 February, 1974, at the 1st National Conference of the Polish United Workers' Party, a "great and universal action of working people undertaken for the purpose of educating the 30th anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland" was initiated. Reports of increased production and coal mining began to arrive from all over the country. However, the quality of life did not improve. On 15 February of that year, the 13th Plenum of the Central Committee was held, devoted to the topic of "Ideological and educational tasks of the party in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland". During the meeting, Wincenty Kraska and Andrzej Werblan were elected secretaries of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, while Kazimierz Barcikowski, recommended for the position of Minister of Agriculture, was dismissed from this position. The following day, it was announced that Józef Tejchma had been appointed Minister of Culture and Art, while retaining his position as Vice-President of the Council of Ministers. A few days later, Józef Pinkowski was dismissed from the position of Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission at the Council of Ministers, taking up the position of secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party.{{sfn|Pawłowicz|1976|pp=124-126}}

The 7th Congress of the Polish United Workers' Party took place on 8-12 December, 1975. Among the guests was [[Leonid Brezhnev]], for who arrived to the newly opened [[Warszawa Centralna railway station]]. Gierek delivered the programmatic report of the Political Bureau "for further dynamic development of socialist construction - for higher quality of work and living conditions of the nation". After the congress, Gierek remained at the head of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party; a ceremonial concert for the leaders of the Polish United Workers' Party and delegates took place in the Grand Theatre. Among others, the Central Artistic Ensemble of the Polish Army performed, presenting a ballet version of "Capriccio" by [[Krzysztof Penderecki]].

On 1-2 December 1976, the 5th Plenum of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party met under the slogan "For consistent implementation of the socio-economic program of the 7th Congress of the Polish United Workers' Party, for higher efficiency of management". [[Stefan Olszowski]] and [[Alojzy Karkoszka]] were appointed as secretaries.

On 9-10 January 1978, the 2nd National Conference of the Polish United Workers' Party met under the slogan "For consistent implementation of the program of improving the quality of work and living conditions, for further strengthening of the leading party's power and deepening the moral and political unity of the nation".

The [[standard of living]] improved in Poland in the early 1970s, [[Economy of Poland|the economy]], however, began to falter during the [[1973 oil crisis]], and by 1976 price hikes became necessary. [[June 1976 protests|New protests broke out in June 1976]], and although they were forcibly suppressed, the planned price increases were suspended.<ref>[[Time (magazine)|Time]] magazine article from 8 November 1976{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918491,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220151218/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918491,00.html|archive-date=2011-02-20|title=POLAND: The Winter of Discontent|publisher=Time}}</ref> High foreign debts, food shortages, and an outmoded industrial base compelled a new round of economic reforms in 1980. Once again, price increases set off protests across the country, especially in the [[Gdańsk Shipyard]] and [[Szczecin Shipyard]]. Gierek was forced to grant legal status to [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] and to concede the right to strike. ([[Gdańsk Agreement]]).

On 9-10 June 1981, amidst much social and economic unrest, the IX Plenum of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party convened, under an attack by the "concrete", demanding a change of leadership to a more decisive one. Under the influence of the Soviet letter, Kania also hardened his position. On 14-20 July, the IX Extraordinary Congress of the Polish United Workers' Party was held (over 350 thousand members left the party during the year), at which Stanisław Kania was re-elected First Secretary (for the first time in the history of the Polish People's Republic in a democratic manner). He received 1,311 votes against 568 cast for [[Kazimierz Barcikowski]]. Only 4 of its previous members (Jaruzelski, Barcikowski, Olszowski, Kania) joined the new politburo. The congress was a defeat for both the reformers and the "concrete". Many new supporters found themselves in the authorities - Jaruzelski, who had been prime minister since February 1981, gained support; many representatives of the army, which was gaining more and more influence, were also elected. Gierek, [[Edward Babiuch|Babiuch]], [[Jerzy Łukaszewicz|Lukaszewicz]], [[Tadeusz Pyka|Pyka]], [[Jan Szydlak|Szydlak]] and [[Zdzisław Żandarowski|Żandarowski]] were ousted from the PZPR.

Kania admitted that the party had made many economic mistakes, and advocated working with [[Roman Catholicism|Catholic]] and trade unionist opposition groups. He met with [[Solidarity]] leader [[Lech Wałęsa]], and other critics of the party. Though Kania agreed with his predecessors that the Communist Party must maintain control of Poland, he never assured the Soviets that Poland would not [[Poland–Russia relations|pursue actions independent]] of the Soviet Union. On 18 October 1981, the Central Committee of the Party withdrew confidence in him, and Kania was replaced by Prime Minister (and Minister of Defence) Gen. [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]].