Editing Bolesław Bierut (section)

===Top leader of Stalinist Poland===

[[File:Bolesław Bierut 1949.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bolesław Bierut, [[President of Poland]] and [[General Secretary of the Communist Party|General Secretary]] of the [[Polish United Workers' Party|PZPR]]]]

Gomułka, general secretary of the PPR (and until that time the principal figure in post-war Polish communist establishment),<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 31–38"/> was accused of a "right-wing nationalistic deviation" and removed from his position during a plenary meeting of the Central Committee in August 1948. The move was Stalin-orchestrated and Stalin's choice to fill the vacated job was President Bierut, who had thus become both the top party leader and top state official.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 71–75"/>

The historic PPS was practically taken over by the PPR at the Unification Congress, held in Warsaw in December 1948. The resulting "[[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]]" [[Polish United Workers' Party]] (PZPR) was nearly synonymous with the state and Bierut became its first general secretary.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 71–75"/> The [[Three-Year Plan]] of post-war rebuilding and economic consolidation ended in 1949 and was followed by the [[Six-Year Plan]], which intensified the [[industrialisation]] process and brought extensive [[urbanization]] of Poland.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 75–82"/>

In November 1949, Bierut asked the Soviet government to make available Marshal [[Konstantin Rokossovsky]], a Polish-Soviet politician and famous World War II commander, for service in the government of Poland. Rokossovsky subsequently became a [[Marshal of Poland]] and [[Ministry of National Defence (Poland)|Minister of National Defense]].<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 75–82"/>

[[File:BM OderNeisse.jpg|thumb|1951 [[East Germany|East German]] stamp commemorative of the [[Treaty of Zgorzelec]], which established the [[Oder–Neisse line]] as a "border of peace"; presidents [[Wilhelm Pieck]] ([[East Germany|GDR]]) and Bolesław Bierut are featured shaking hands over the border]]

In early August 1951, Bierut had his main rival Gomułka arrested. Gomułka, though imprisoned, refused to cooperate with his accusers and displayed remarkable ability to defend himself, while Bierut's people bungled the prosecution.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 75–82"/> According to [[Edward Ochab]], though, Stalin and Beria ordered the arrest and trial of Gomułka, while Bierut and [[Jakub Berman]] tried to protect him and caused delays in the proceedings.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 115–116">Jerzy Eisler, ''Siedmiu wspaniałych. Poczet pierwszych sekretarzy KC PZPR'' [The Magnificent Seven: first secretaries of the PZPR], pp. 115–116.</ref> Informal political reforms, slow to take hold after Stalin's death, eventually materialized and in December 1954 Gomułka was released.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 75–82"/>

During the lifetime of Stalin, Bierut was strictly subservient to the Soviet leader. Bierut routinely received instructions from Stalin over the telephone or was summoned to Moscow for consultations.<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 24–25">Jerzy Eisler, ''Siedmiu wspaniałych. Poczet pierwszych sekretarzy KC PZPR'' [The Magnificent Seven: first secretaries of the PZPR], pp. 24–25.</ref> Bierut still had far more power in Poland than any of his successors as First Secretary of the PZPR. He ruled jointly with his two closest associates, Berman and [[Hilary Minc]].<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 31–38">Jerzy Eisler, ''Siedmiu wspaniałych. Poczet pierwszych sekretarzy KC PZPR'' [The Magnificent Seven: first secretaries of the PZPR], pp. 31–38.</ref> Security issues he also consulted with [[Stanisław Radkiewicz]], head of the [[Ministry of Public Security (Poland)|Ministry of Public Security]].<ref name="Eisler siedmiu 75–82"/>