The purpose of this article is to characterize the main stages of political and economic development of people's Poland. The study thus deals with the problems of the last thirty years, concluding with an analysis of the problems raised at the VI Congress of the Polish United Workers ' Party (POR), which was held in December 1971.1 The period under review can be divided into four stages: the first, which covers the period of the creation and consolidation of people's power; the second, which was characterized by the fact that the main emphasis was placed on the industrialization of the country under the conditions of socialism; the third, which is characterized by building the foundations of socialism on a broad socio-economic front; and the fourth, which continues to this day and is characterized by a significant acceleration in the pace of socialist construction.

* * *

The emergence on July 21, 1944 of the Polish Committee for National Liberation( PCNO), a government body created by the left-wing forces of society, opened a new page in the history of the Polish nation2. The transfer of state power to the left was made possible by the liberation of Polish lands by the Red Army ^.3 The revolutionary democratic forces have fully exploited this historic opportunity. Since the creation of the PCNO, a socialist revolution began in Poland, although its progress was slow at first. The slogan was to build a people's democracy, which, fulfilling the functions of the dictatorship of the proletariat, created conditions for a gradual transition to socialism.

The leading political force was the Polish Workers ' Party (PPR), which had a revolutionary program for transforming the country ^.4 The fundamental demands for building a people's democratic Poland were proclaimed in the Manifesto of the PCNO on July 22, 1944, and met with support from the Polish socialist movement, which has a long tradition, and whose left wing at its conference in Lublin, later recognized by the XV Con.-

¹ Over the past five years, the next, seventh Congress of the PORP was held, the tasks of the 1971-1975 plan were implemented, and the next five-year plan was adopted. "VII Zjazd PZPR 8 - 12. XII.1975". Stenogram. Warszawa. 1976.

² Н. Jablonski. Geneza Polskiej Rzeczjpospolitej Ludowej. "Kultura i Spoleczenstwo", 1974, N 4; F. Ryszka. PPR a koncepcje panstwa polskiego. "Dzieje Najnowsze", 1972, N 3.

³ B. Dolata. Wyzwolenie Polski 1944 - 1945. Warszawa. 1966.

⁴ J. Pawlowicz. Strategia frontu narodowego PPR. Warszawa. 1965; N. Kolomejczyk, B. Syzdek. Polska w latach 1944 - 1949. Zarys historii politycznej. Warszawa. 1971.

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At the beginning of September 1944, the Central Committee of the Polish Socialist Party (PPP) decided to restore this party and support the line proclaimed by the PCNO. In its activities, the PCNO relied on a coalition of four democratic parties representing the so-called Democratic Bloc-the PPR, the PPP, the Stronnictwo Ludove and the Stronnictwo demokratichne-united in a kind of parliament - the Craiova Radu Narodova, whose chairman was the elected member of the PPR leadership, B. Berut. The creation of the PKNO aroused considerable interest among the governments of the states of the anti-Hitler coalitions. The fact is that at that time there was another Polish government in exile, which had its seat in London and was recognized by the United States and Great Britain. It enjoyed the support of those forces in Poland who counted on its return to the country and the restoration of the capitalist system. The Soviet Union supported the revolutionary forces of Poland in their efforts to consolidate the conquered power ^.5 These circumstances led to the fact that the struggle for the future shape of the social system of Poland was conducted in two planes - domestic and international ^.6

The external aspect led to the fact that already at the dawn of the existence of the people's Poland, the principles of its foreign policy were crystallized, which logically continues to this day7 . The basis on which they emerged was the platform of gaining international recognition for the new, revolutionary Polish government with its program and the need for a victorious end to the war with the Third Reich. The first of these problems was positively resolved during the Yalta Conference of the Heads of Government of the three Great Powers, as a result of which the formation of the City of Yalta on June 28, 1945 became possible. The Provisional Government of National Unity (VPNE), which, along with representatives of the Democratic bloc, included people from the former "London camp". The Prime minister was E. Osubka-Moravsky, the head of the PPP, who had previously headed the PKNO. The creation of the VPNE formally eliminated the situation when there were two government centers, but by no means meant the end of the struggle for power in the country. This struggle, which was waged not only in the political plane, but also in armed forms, lasted for another four years, absorbing thousands of victims ^.8

Of fundamental importance for Poland's foreign policy was the formation of the Polish-Soviet Union by a legal act, which was the Treaty of Friendship, Mutual Assistance and Post-war Cooperation of April 21, 1945. Its consequences were far-reaching not only in the final stage of the war (when the Soviet Union helped Poland build up an army of hundreds of thousands, liberate the rest of its lands, and then, during the Potsdam Conference, supported its territorial claims: the return of Piast lands along the Odra and the Baltic Sea9 ), but also in the process of rebuilding the country. At its first stage, the Soviet Union remained Poland's sole trading partner ^.10 Poland, in turn, was by no means just a passive ally.-

⁵ A. Reiss. Z problemow odbudowy i rozwoju organizacyjnego PPS. Warszawa. 1971; B. Syzdek. Polska Partia Socjalistyczna 1944 - 1948. Warszawa. 1974; T. Sierocki. Warszawska organizacia PPS 1944 - 1948. Warszawa. 1976.

⁶ W. T. Kwalski. Walka dyplomatyczna о miejsce Polski w Europie. Warszawa. 1970; S. Zabiellо. O rzad i granice. Warszawa. 1965.

⁷ W. T. Kowalski. Polityka zagraniczna RP 1944 - 1947. Warszawa. 1971; E. Gajda. Polska polityka zagraniczna. 1944 - 11974. Warszawa. 1974.

⁸ "Z walk przeciwko zbrojnemu podziemiu 1944 - 1947. Warszawa. 1966; T. W a 1 i- chnowski. U zrodel walk z podziemiem reakcyjnym w Polsce. Warszawa. 1975.

⁹ A. Klafkowski. Granica polsko-niemiecka po II wojnie swiatowej. Poznan. 1970; ejusd. Umowa poczdamska z 2.VIII.1945. Warszawa. 1960.

¹⁰ M. Wilk. Pomoc i wspolpraca. Warszawa. 1976; K. Zemajtis. Wiez gospodarcza Polski i Zwiazku Radzleckiego w okresie pigtnastolecia. Warszawa. 1960.

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kom, helping to the best of their, though at that time small opportunities advancing to the west of the front.

The border issue discussed above was one of the most controversial political issues of the time. ¹¹ On the one hand, the lands that were under Polish rule before the war and inhabited mostly by Ukrainians, Belarusians and Lithuanians were reunited with the corresponding Soviet republics, and this was confirmed by special Polish-Soviet agreements, and on the other, the lands up to the Odra and Nyssa Lusatian rivers, Silesia, West Pomerania, Warmia returned to Poland and Mazury. This was accompanied by mass migration, the return of refugees, military exiles, deportees and expatriates, ¹² as well as internal displacement of people who, due to the great devastation of some regions and especially cities, sought better living conditions elsewhere. In 1944-1950, about 8 million people, or a third of the total population of the country, were covered by internal migration movements. The need to provide them with living conditions required huge organizational and economic efforts that accompanied the process of adapting the spatial distribution of the population to the new state and political conditions of life. Especially in this regard the campaign of settling the Western Lands deserves attention ¹³ -

As a member of the anti-Hitler coalition and an ally of the USSR, Poland emerged victorious from the war. Its troops operated during many operations on the fronts of World War II, storming Berlin ¹⁴ . The war and occupation cost the Polish people huge sacrifices. Irreplaceable were the human losses, which amounted to more than 6 million people, that is, almost 1/4 of the population that the country had in 1939,15 This resulted in changes in the natural growth of the population, a decrease in the number of newly emerging families, changes in the age and gender structure of the population, etc. This was essential for the formation of demographic processes throughout the entire period under review, and under the influence of these processes, the most responsible decisions were made more than once.

The economic damage, direct and indirect, was proportional in its magnitude; it is estimated at 258 billion rubles. pre-war zlotys (50 billion US dollars) ¹⁶ , which corresponded to the amount of national income of interwar Poland for 10 - 12 years. On a European scale, they were proportionally the highest. 2/3 of industrial and energy enterprises were in ruins, and the communications system was destroyed. Polish culture suffered serious losses: the invaders looted works of art, destroyed cultural monuments, burned libraries, and disorganized the educational system.-

¹¹ G. Labuda. Polska granica zachodnia. Poznan. 1971; W. Dobrzycki. Grani-ca zachodnia w polityce polskiej 1944 - 1947. Warszawa. 1974; W. Т. Kowalski. ZSRR a granica na Odrze i Nysie Luzyckiej. Warszawa. 1965; K. Skubiszewski. Zachodnia granica Polski. Gdansk. 1969.

¹² K. Kersten. Repatriacja ludnosci polskie] po II wojnie swiatowej. Wroclaw: 1974; "Ludnosc Polski w latach 1945 - 1965". "Studia i prace statystyczne", 1966, z. 1.

¹³ M. Jaworski. Na piastowskim szlaku. Dzialalnosc Ministerstwa Ziem Odzys-kanych w latach 1945 - 1948. Warszawa. 1973; T. Sz arota. Osadnictwo miejskie na Dol-nym Sla.sku w latach 1945 - 1948. Wroclaw. 1969; L. Кosinski. Procesy ludnosciowe na Ziemiach Odzyskanych w latach 1945 - 1960. Warszawa, 1963; H. Rybicki. Powstanie i dzialainosc wladzy ludowej na zachodnich i polnocnych obszarach Polski 1945 - 1949, Poznan. 1976.

¹⁴ Z. Stapor. Bitwa about Berlin. Warszawa. 1973.

¹⁵ H. Jgdruszczak. Straty ludnosci i odbudowa potencjalu demograficznego. "Uprzemyslowienie ziem polskich w XIX i XX wieku". Warszawa. 1969.

¹⁶ "Straty wojenne Polski w latach 1939 - 1945", Poznan, 1961.

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In particular, the intelligentsia cadres suffered a great deal of damage ¹⁷ . Therefore, the most important task was the revival of the country.

The new system made it possible to implement this task. The nationalization of industry in 1946.18, control of ^the banking system, and co-operation of most trade opened up the possibility of applying previously unknown methods of economic management in Poland. They found their expression in the development of a social and economic development plan, which was called a three - year plan in terms of implementation (1947-1949). Its most important task was to achieve the pre-war level of production and consumption in the main areas of life, complete reconstruction, and connect the Western Lands into a single whole with Poland. The plan was completed ahead of schedule.

The restoration of the national economy was intertwined with the process of restructuring the social structure as a result of socio-economic transformations - agrarian reform and the nationalization of industry. Shortly after coming to power, on September 1, 1944, the PCNO adopted a decree on agrarian reform, thus implementing the program of the left-wing forces of society on the expropriation of large land ownership without compensation to former owners and the division of land between landless and low-land ¹⁹ . The implementation of this measure caused a radical change in the agrarian structure of the country, led to the elimination of the landowner class and reduced the land hunger that existed in the country.

In Poland, in 1945-1947, a sharp class struggle took place, which led to the fact that sometimes this period is compared with the revolution, or rather with that stage of it, which is characterized by an armed struggle with the remnants of the former system. The right-wing forces, carrying out underground activities, grouped around the legal political party of the Polish Stronnitzwa Ludowy (PSL), which, resorting to the "agrarian" slogans fashionable in the interwar period, demanded special rights for the rural residents who still made up the majority of the Polish population. These slogans were opposed to the idea of a workers 'and peasants' union, which was to form the basis of the emerging new system, put forward by the parties of the Democratic Bloc, especially the PPR. This struggle ended in a decisive victory for the left forces.

The strengthening of cooperation between the two workers 'parties, the PPR and the PPS, ²⁰ which went hand in hand with the massive growth of their ranks, gave the Polish workers' movement the task of liquidating the organizational split. Although since the signing of the Unity of Action agreement between the PPR and the PPP on November 28, 1946, the process of their rapprochement has been moving forward, but the pace has been too slow. It was weakened by the discussion within both parties, in which they mutually accused each other of either right-wing tendencies or dogmatism. Regardless of the arguments put forward, sometimes exaggerated, the reason for this phenomenon should be sought in the fact that the stage of formation of the state has ended.-

¹⁷ "Straty bibliotek i archiwow warszawskich". Tt. 1 - 3. Warszawa. 1955 - 4957; "Straty wojenne zbiorow polskich". Warszawa. 1953.

¹⁸ "Upanstwowienie i odbudowa przemyslu w Polsce 1944 - 1948". T. t. 1 - 2. Warszawa. 1967 - 1969; J. W. Golebiowski. Walka PPR о nacjonalizacje przernyslu. Warszawa. 1961.

¹⁹ "Reforma rolna PKWN". Materialy i dokumenty. Warszawa. 1959; Cz. Madajczyk. Sprawa reformy rolnej w Polsce 1939 - 1944. Warszawa. 1961; H. Slabek. Polityka agrarna PPR. Warszawa. 1967; ejusd. Dzieje polskiej reformy rolnej 1944 - 1948. Warszawa. 1972.

²⁰ K. Cwik. Problemy wspoldzialania PPR i PPS w wojewodztwie krakowskim 1945- 1948. Warszawa. 1974; Z. Kozik. Partie i stronnictwa polityczne w Krakowskiem 1945 - 1947. Krakow. 1975; J. Kantyka. Koncepcje PPR i PPS wsprawie budowy socjalizmu w Polsce. "Dzieje Najnowsze", 1970, Na 3.

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The Polish workers ' movement was faced with the question of what to do next and how to implement basic social reforms.²¹ . It was necessary to work out a further program of action, and its formulation ended just during the discussion on the program of activities of the future united party. During the discussion, it became clear that the process of unification of both parties can only take place on the basis of the principles of Marxism-Leninism. The recognition of these principles was facilitated by the polarization of positions and a fierce struggle within the PPP between supporters of revolutionary Marxism and its opponents, as a result of which the latter did not join the newly created party. The Unification Congress of Workers ' Parties was held in Warsaw on December 15-21, 1948. He founded the Polish United Workers ' Party (PORP). The main presentations at the congress were made by: from PPS-Yu. Tsirankevich, later the long-term head of the government of the People's Republic of Poland; from the PPR-B. Beryut, who was elected chairman of the Central Committee of the PORP. Having adopted Lenin's unification platform and revolutionary program of activity, the PORP was a communist party from the very beginning of its existence and became part of the great family of communist parties.

* * *

The Unification Congress adopted a program for building a socialist system in Poland. This was really possible, because the people's state had the main levers of managing the national economy. The primary tasks were to eliminate economic and cultural backwardness, raise living standards and turn Poland into an industrial and agricultural country. Changes in public consciousness, the struggle against the remnants of bourgeois ideology, and the emergence of prerequisites for the development of socialist culture were to become an integral part of the implementation of this program. The experience of the USSR was taken as a model.

The immediate tasks of the party were formulated in the Directives of the six-year plan for the development of the national economy. The leading idea of this plan was the creation of modern industry, especially heavy industry, the state of which was crucial for the development of all branches of the national economy ^.22 Soon, the construction of the Novaya Guta metallurgical plant named after V. I. Lenin near Krakow became a symbol of the six-year plan. Progress in agriculture was associated with socialist transformations in the countryside. The main role in the development of agriculture was assigned to state farms, which were to become model socialist farms in the countryside. Their output was expected to increase by 168%. It provided for the production cooperation to cover a significant part of small-and middle-peasant farms, and also proclaimed a policy of " limiting and ousting, and then eliminating, the rural capitalists as a class."

These gigantic plans for perestroika of the country contributed to the fact that the front of the struggle between supporters and opponents of socialism focused on the problems of the economy and in the sphere of socio-political consciousness. However, even at the first stage of the implementation of the 6-year plan, it was hindered by the phenomena of the "cold war" ²³ . The threat of military confrontation with imperialism demanded higher standards.,

²¹ A. Werblan. Dyskusja nad "Dziejami Polski". "Nowe Drogi", 1976, z. 6, str. 204.

²² W. Secomski. Podstawowe zadania planu szescioletniego. Warszawa. 1950; ej usd. Polityka gospodarcza Polski Ludowej 1944 - 1955. Warszawa. 1976.

²³ R. Frelek. Zimna wojna. Warszawa. 1969.

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than initially expected, the pace of industrial construction. Therefore, it was decided to increase them, and the existing reserves were too optimistic. The socialist industrialization of Poland was a grand but difficult undertaking. It required not only the accumulation of large financial resources, but also the mobilization of the forces of the entire people. The assistance of the Soviet Union was of great importance for building the foundations of socialism in Poland. Economic agreements with the USSR provided for the supply of the necessary raw materials, machinery, loans, necessary documentation and the sending of specialists ^.24 Without this assistance, the country's industrialization at the planned pace would not have been possible. And political and economic stabilization was provided to Poland by the developing economic and defense community of socialist countries.

Despite extremely strenuous tasks, the six-year plan for industrial production, especially for the production of means of production, was fulfilled; Poland was transformed from an agrarian-industrial country to an industrial-agrarian country. In 1955, the level of industrial production in Poland per capita exceeded the global average by almost 1.5 times, whereas before the war it was half lower. The increase in production was achieved by significantly increasing employment. The number of people working in the socialist sector of the national economy exceeded 6.4 million, with the largest increase recorded in industry and construction. This meant, on the one hand, the quantitative growth of the working class, and on the other - a reduction in agricultural overpopulation, because the three million population growth in 1949-1955 was completely absorbed by the city.

The main failure of the six-year-old was the failure to fulfill planned tasks in the field of agriculture due to a lack of investment in this branch of the national economy. In addition, agriculture had to largely take on the burden of financing the country's industrial development. The decline in the profitability of peasant farms led to a strong slowdown in the growth of agricultural production. As a result, workers ' real earnings and living standards have not reached the target level. These economic failures were attributed to a lack of experience in capital investment and technology, planning errors, and a larger volume of industrial construction than originally planned. In addition, the start-up of individual factories was delayed, and the national income was burdened by excessive accumulation.

An attempt was made to overcome the growing disparity between developing industry and lagging agriculture by accelerating the restructuring of agriculture, which corresponded to the general principles of building the foundations of socialism in Poland. However, these attempts, although they led to the emergence of several tens of thousands of production cooperatives, did not cause a turning point in the socialist restructuring of agriculture, which was hindered by objective reasons (lack of appropriate financial and technical means) and subjective (traditional attachment of the peasant to his land, which he was deprived of for centuries). Nevertheless, the results of economic development gave people a sense of pride.

On July 22, 1952, the Legislative Sejm adopted the Constitution of Poland-

²⁴ J. Ptaszek. Polska-ZSRR. Gospodarka. Wspolpraca. Warszawa. 1972; E. Bаsinski. Polska-ZSRR. Kronika faktow i wydarzen. Warszawa. 1971.

²⁵ P. Bozyk. RWPG. Warszawa. 1970; ejusd. Rozmowy о polityce spoleczno- gospodarczej PRL. Warszawa. 1973; ej usd. Wspdlpraca gospodarcza krajow RWPG. Warszawa. 1976.

²⁶ M. Jarek, E. Skrzypkowski. Tarcza pokoju. Warszawa. 1975.

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The Russian People's Republic, the draft of which was developed on the initiative of the PORP. The Constitution sanctioned the new social and political system of Poland, which was formed as a result of the victory of the revolution. The Constitution stated that the basis of people's power is the workers 'and peasants' union. The adoption of a constitution based on socialist principles was an outstanding event in the history of people's Poland. The tradition of Polish socialist parliamentarism of a multi-party system has developed ^.27 It consists of three political parties: PORP, Zednochone Stronnictvo Ludove (United Peasant Party-OKP) and Stronnictvo demokratychne (Democratic Party), as well as non - partisan representatives of public organizations. All of them are united in a common organization-the People's Unity Front (named since 1956), which during elections makes a single list of candidates for deputies of the Sejm and local councils of the people.

One of the most important achievements of the party's policy in those years was the implementation of changes in the field of culture ^.28 They demanded the elimination of illiteracy and the introduction of universal education. A seven-year basic school with a unified curriculum has become publicly available. The 1950s were a period of fundamental change in the propaganda of Marxism-Leninism, which entered science and university education; new areas of research developed, in particular in the field of the history of social movements, the role of the masses and the working class in history.

Despite these heterogeneous and diverse achievements, Lenin's norms of party and social life were violated. Violations of the rule of law were allowed, and the development of socialist democracy was hindered. Attempts to overcome these phenomena were made at the second Congress of the PORP (March 1954) and other quorums of the party. But the leadership of that time did not draw proper conclusions from the criticism, and in connection with the criticism of mistakes, a strong anti-socialist current that tried to use them became more active. It still had a broad base at that time, for although 10 years had passed since the events that shaped the new Polish political system, traditions and forces that resisted the establishment of people's power were still alive ^.29 Political tensions increased in 1955, and the results were felt the following year. Their source was largely the fact that at that time senior officials did not try to explain to the population the necessity of the hardships caused by the country's industrialization. The main part of the party's active members gradually became aware of the need to make a fundamental turn in the country's domestic policy.

The XX Congress of the CPSU (February 1956) led to a radical turn in the modern international communist and labor movement, influencing changes in the countries of the socialist camp. The decisions of the congress indicated that the main trend of the modern development of the-

²⁷ W. Skrzydlo. System partyjny PRL i jego wyraz w ustroju politycznym panstwat "Panstwo i Prawo", 1959, N 7; M. Sadkowski. System partyjny PRL. Warsza-WL 1974; W. Wesolowsкi, J. Wiatr. Ksztattowanie sie. instytucji politycznyeh Polski Ludowej. "Studia socjologiczne", 1965, N 3; A. Burda. Rozwdj Ustroju politycznego Polski Ludowej. Warszawa. 1967.

²⁸ B. Suchodolski. Edukacja narodu 1918-1968. Warszawa. 1970; J. Szcze-panski. Struktura inteligencji w Polsce. "Kultura i Spoleczenstwo". 1960, N 1/2.

²⁹ A. Werblan. Op. cit., str. 205.

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The dynamic growth of the forces of socialism has become a reality. Rejecting the thesis that a new world war was inevitable, the Congress stated that the decisive factor for the victory of socialism on a global scale would be, first of all, peaceful competition between two opposing socio-economic systems. The Congress pointed out the possibility of various ways of transition to socialism. The decisions of the Congress were based on Lenin's theory of peaceful coexistence and Lenin's instructions on the variety of forms of transition of individual peoples and states to socialism.

The XX Congress of the CPSU had a profound impact on the situation in the PORP and in Poland in general. It led to increased criticism of the negative phenomena that weakened the PORP and the socialist society. The POR leadership at that time did not have a clear program for how to guide the country's renewal process. At the same time, the attacks of hostile forces inside and outside increased. The events in Poznan on June 28, 1956, became a tragic manifestation of the growing social tension. In this situation, the seventh Plenum of the PORP Central Committee was convened, which was held in the second half of July. The Plenum made efforts to restore the norms of socialist legality. The decisions adopted by him contained a program of necessary changes in economic policy, pointed out the causes of economic difficulties and notified about the creation of a workers ' self-government. The plenum postulated a reduction in savings and the allocation of large funds to improve the living conditions of workers. The composition of the Politburo was changed. The decisions of the seventh Plenum of the Central Committee of the PORP represented a significant step forward in the development of a new political line of the party. However, they have not been able to completely prevent further escalation of tensions. In the country, along with the process of consolidation of healthy forces, there was a further polarization of various groups: dogmatic, revisionist, and even liberal-bourgeois. The country's achievements have already been discredited. It came to street performances, which reached their peak in October 1956.

However, in those difficult conditions, the party was able to become the leader of the masses and lead them. This was reflected in the eighth Plenum of the Central Committee of the PORP, which pointed out the need to mobilize activists and all party members to fight the onslaught of forces that sought to turn Poland away from the path of socialist construction. ³⁰ The plenum marked the beginning of a turn in the policy of the party and the people's state, outlining a real program for overcoming political and economic difficulties. V. Gomulka, the former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the PPR, who was now elected to the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PPR, returned to the leadership of the PORP. The decisions of the Plenum were aimed at restoring unity and cohesion between the party and its leadership, and at rebuilding the party apparatus by eliminating bureaucratic methods of work that were contrary to the essence of Leninism and weakened the party's connection with the people. The role of the Seimas was restored and the electoral regulations were changed, so that the number of candidates for deputies should now exceed the number of deputies elected in a given constituency. Changes were made to the work of the Radomovs, which contributed to the development of the system of democracy. A new state authority , the Supreme Control Chamber, was also created. A. Zavadsky was elected Chairman of the State Council. As a result of the decisions of the eighth Plenum of the PORP Central Committee, a new atmosphere was created in the party and the country.

On January 9, 1957, the Central Committee of the PORP and the Main Committee of the OKP jointly defined the principles of further agricultural policy, since the lag of the Party's leadership in the field of agriculture was not fully developed.-

³⁰ "Historia pplskiego ruchu robotnicsego 1864 - 1964". Т. 2. Warszawa. 1967.

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the decline in agriculture has become a serious obstacle to the development of the entire national economy. A course was taken to make full use of the productive capabilities of individual peasant farming, to transfer relations between the state and the peasants to real economic foundations, and to link the socialist restructuring of the countryside with a simultaneous increase in agricultural production. The new agrarian policy freed up the productive initiative of the countryside, although it did not bring a radical improvement in the situation in agriculture, because it required huge investments and a long time. As a result, property relations in the countryside have stabilized, and there has also been some growth in agricultural production.

Various forms of peasant cooperation in the field of supply and marketing were also resumed and developed: dairy and horticultural cooperation was restored, various forms of credit cooperation were launched, and the network of agricultural circles was expanded. The technical base of agriculture was modernized and at the same time the culture of agriculture was raised. Deliveries of artificial fertilizers, tractors, and other agricultural machinery and equipment to the village increased significantly ^.31 Already in 1960, agricultural production increased.

Positive results of economic development, restoration of market balance and improvement of the material living conditions of the population, overcoming dogmatic and sectarian distortions of the party line, strengthening the socialist rule of law and increasing the authority of the people's government were the basis for an optimistic assessment of the situation in the country. This was also indicated by the phenomena in the cultural sphere of the people's life. A new generation of intellectuals, fully educated already in the people's Poland, entered the arena more and more boldly. In the field of culture, the so-called Polish film School has become most widely known. The student and youth movement has revived, finding its expression in a number of organizational forms. Scientific research, based on the solid foundation of the Polish Academy of Sciences established in 1952, began to grow like an avalanche. Creative discussions have become widespread. As a result of the discussion on economic models, the concept of rational employment policy was adopted. Now they were striving to ensure that the socialist economy was based on self-financing. ³² The task of improving the financial situation of the population has come to the fore. Capital investment in the non-manufacturing sector increased ³³ . The process of industrialization continued, and a significant increase in production was achieved as a result of the launch of a number of enterprises, the construction of which was previously delayed.

Summing up the achievements and at the same time developing a new concept for the further development of the country was the task of the next, III Congress of the PORP (March 1959). At it, directives for the further development of Poland were approved. They provided for an increase in industrial production by 50%, agricultural production by 20%, the creation of about 1 million new jobs, an increase in housing construction, an increase in per capita consumption by 25%, and an increase in national income by 40%. The concept of further development.-

³¹ T. Hunek. Spoldzielczosc produkcyjna w rolnictwie polskim. Warszawa. 1965; W. Michna, A. Szynkarezuk. J>olnictwo w Polsce Ludowej. Warszava. 1965

³² H. Jgdruszczak. Spoleczenstwo i gospodarka Polski Ludowej w latach 4944-1960. "Dzieje Najnowsze", 1970, z. 2.

³³ W. Kawalec Problemy rozmieszczenia przemyslu w Polsce Ludowej. Warszawa. 1965; ejusd. Okrggi przernyrrlowe i regiony ekonomiczne w Polsce. Warszawa. -1995.

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the economy was formed under the influence of the demographic factor;. In connection with the implementation of the principle of full employment, it was intended to further accelerate ^the pace of economic development by increasing labor productivity34 . The development of the country's energy and raw material base was recognized as a priority task. Both of these measures were necessary, but they proved to be extremely capital-intensive and, unfortunately, coincided with crop failures and difficulties in foreign trade ^.35 In 1962, the decline in agricultural output was 16.4% compared to the previous year and was the largest in the history of people's Poland. As a result of two very unfavorable years for the economy, the growth rate of national income was only 2.1%. New difficulties and imbalances were revealed, which had to be either eliminated or mitigated. Capital investment was too large in comparison with production capacity, especially in construction, and output growth was still achieved by increasing employment, although at the same time there was a shortage of highly qualified personnel. The production of consumer goods and industrial goods intended for the market did not develop sufficiently.

These phenomena cannot obscure the fact that in 1961-1965 the development of the national economy was progressing. A number of new enterprises were built, many existing ones were modernized, and favorable prospects for the future were created by expanding the domestic energy and raw material base ^.36 Industrial production in 1965 increased by more than 50% compared to 1960, and national income - by 35%. But the dynamics of real wage growth turned out to be insignificant, while the number of people employed in the national economy increased from 7.2 million to 8.8 million. The latter indicated, in particular, cardinal social changes ³⁷ : the huge numerical growth of the working class and the complete disappearance of former social gradations. The ways of people's social advancement were also different, and the attitude of a person to work was now decisive in this regard. The stratum of the intelligentsia has changed, and the technical intelligentsia has become numerically predominant in it. The process of change in the countryside continued, based on the voluntary creation by peasants of joint farms or production cooperatives, which often, after accumulating certain funds, chose a certain specialization of production.

Under these conditions, the fourth Congress of the PORP was convened, which was held on January 15-20, 1964. It was preceded by a party discussion, which was based on theses published in advance, highlighting the results of the achievements of the past 20th anniversary of the NDP and outlining a new five-year plan. The pre-Congress discussion was very specific. During the meeting, many proposals were made regarding the improvement of the national economy, expansion of production, its modernization and improvement-

³⁴ J. Pajestka. Zatrudnienie i inwestycje a wzrost gospodarczy. Warszawa. 1961; K. Secomski. Perspektywy rozwoju gospodarczego PRL. Warszawa. 1959.

³⁵ S. Kuzinski. Inwestycje i handel zagraniczny Polski 1960 - 1970. Warszawa. 1967; P. Bozyk, B. Wojciechowski. Handel zagraniczny Polski 1945 - 1969. Warszawa. 1971.

³⁶ A. Karpinski. Polityka uprzemyslowienia Polski w latach 1958 - 1968. Warszawa. 1969; A. Karpinski, J. Pajestka. Ogolne zagadnienia polityki rozwoju ekonomicznego. "Polityka gospodarcza Polski Ludowej". Warszawa. 1965.

³⁷ W. Wesolowski. Przemiany spoJeczne w Polsce Ludowej. Warszawa. 1965; S. Wider spil. Skiad polskiej klasy robotniczej. Warszawa. 1965; J. Szczepanski. Zmiany spoteczeristwa polskiego w procesie uprzemyslowienia. Warszawa. 1972.

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improving the quality of manufactured products ³⁸ . The decisions of the Congress provided for further progress in the socialist industrialization of the country, the growth of agricultural production, the development of the raw material base and the reduction of raw material costs, the improvement of the foreign trade balance, the provision of 1.5 million new jobs, the growth of the vital level of the population, the development of the service sector, the creation of foreign exchange reserves, as well as grain and feed reserves.

On the economic side, the implementation of the decisions of the fourth Congress of the PORP was successful ³⁹ . The main difficulties were revealed in the ideological, and then in the political planes: since the mid-60s, signs of a revival of trends that contradict the ideology of socialism have increased. This time such a revival was connected with the international situation, since the development of a socialist society in Poland was an organic part of the class struggle on a global scale. A special feature of revisionism of the 60s was its political aggressiveness, the desire to cause tension and conflict. At the turn of 1967-1968, after another Israeli aggression against Arab countries, the situation inside Poland contributed to the development of anti-socialist forces. Many people then sought their ideal in the bourgeois model of "consumer society", the philistine way of life, and the anarchist attitude to power. The March 1968 events in Poland were inspired by revisionism in ideology and politics ^.40 Against the backdrop of political and economic difficulties and a slow improvement in the living conditions of the population, as well as the weakening of ideological work, the party was attacked by various reactionary forces. Their tactics were based on inciting students to make anti-state and anti-party speeches. Supporters of reactionary, revisionist and Zionist views for a long time treated the student youth in the spirit of denying any party initiatives. However, the resolute position of the party activists and the working class became an obstacle to the activity of opponents of the people's power.

The fifth Congress of the PORP, which was held on November 11-16, 1968, pointed out some shortcomings in the ideological work of the party and in the implementation of socio-economic tasks. The economic policy program adopted at the congress was intended to ensure comprehensive economic and cultural development of the country and increase the standard of living of the population. It was possible to realize these intentions by rapidly and effectively increasing production and modernizing the economy through the full use of technical and organizational progress, and by activating the activities of party organizations and the working class. The decisions of the congress correctly defined the further line of the party, but its implementation left much to be desired. In practice, the relevant conclusions were again not drawn from the analysis of existing shortcomings and weaknesses.

Since the mid-60s, the crisis in the leadership of the party and the state has become increasingly pronounced. The methods of work imposed by the then leadership did not create a favorable atmosphere. The principle that the goal of socialism is to meet the needs of working people more and more was not properly applied in the late 1960s.

³⁸ Cz. Bobrowski. Planowanie gospodarcze - problemy podstgwowe. Warszawa. 1965; J. Pajestka. Analiza niektorych aspektow polityki FOZWOJU gespodarezego Polski. "Ekonomista" 1965, z. 2; K. Secornski. Njektore problemy aktualnej sytuacii gospodarczej kraju. Warszawa. 1963.

³⁹ A. Karpinski. Zarys rozwoju gospodarezego Polski Ludowej. Warszawa. 1968; A. Jezierski. Historia gospodarcza Polski Ludowej 1944 - 1968. Warszawa. 1971.

⁴⁰ A. Werblan. Przyczynek do genezy konfliktu. "Szkice i poleraiki", Warszawa. 1970.

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was observed. The proportions between the growth of production of means of production and production of means of consumption were violated. The situation was complicated by crop failures and unresolved social problems, such as housing. The lack of a clear concept of long-term socio-economic development of the country had a particularly negative impact. Reforms were undertaken in a hurry and in fits and starts, without forming a complete and internally coherent system. The social costs of economic development were too high, which limited the possibilities for improving the financial situation of the population.

The leadership of that time did not take any actions that would guarantee the harmonious development of socialist construction at a level higher than that achieved in previous years. It tried to solve complex economic and political problems by administrative methods, without involving the party, the working class, or the people. The accumulation of difficulties and mistakes in socio-economic policy became the basis of the conflict at the end of 1970 ^.41 The immediate cause of the December events in the cities of the Baltic coast was the increase in prices for basic foodstuffs on December 12, 1970. The leadership of that time failed to draw proper conclusions from the manifestations of popular discontent, seeing in the workers ' speeches only the activities of anti-social, hostile and counter-revolutionary elements. A direct manifestation of this position was the emphasis on the use of force. Only on December 19, a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the PORP was held to make the necessary political and personal decisions.

The seventh Plenum of the Central Committee of the PORP, held on December 20, 1970, changed the composition of the Politburo, electing E. Gerek as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the party, and soon P. Yaroshevich was appointed head of the government. After the regular elections to the Sejm, G. Jablonski became Chairman of the State Council a year later. The political solution to the crisis was made possible by the correct position of the majority of party members and the working class. By quickly correcting the mistakes of the previous leadership, the party regained the confidence of the working people. A regular system of meetings of the Politburo and the Government was introduced, and systematic information was provided on the issues that were the subject of their discussion and on the decisions taken. The management team focused on solving the most urgent social and economic problems. As a rule, a system of consultations with the working groups of large enterprises on the most significant issues was introduced. On January 9, 1971, the Council of Ministers decided to freeze the prices of food products ⁴² for two years, and later extended its effect. Modernization of the economy - industry, communications and agriculture-became the main line of activity ^.43

The new leadership gained credibility and support among the population, which was primarily reflected in the increased labor enthusiasm. The self-sacrifice and discipline of the working class, the peasantry, the intelligentsia, and the youth, and their participation in the national discussion concerning the acceleration of the pace of building socialism to its developed form, proved the unity of the population around the party's program. The new political situation was characterized by a multi-sided activation of workers, peasants, and intellectuals in political and public life. More attention was paid to young people. Became for-

⁴¹ "Polski ruch robotniczy". Warszawa. 1974.

⁴² "Polityka zywnosciowa PRL". Warszawa. 1975.

⁴³ Z. Adamowski, J. Lewandowski. Rolnictwo polskie w dwudziestopigeioleciu. Warszawa. 1970.

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progress in the further implementation of school reform, improvement of the structure of education, and deepening of the socialist content of education and upbringing is noticeable ^.44

On December 6-11, 1971, the sixth Congress of the PORP was held. Focusing on the problems of socio-economic development of the country, the Congress fully confirmed the thesis that the main goal of economic management under socialism is to systematically improve the material living conditions of the working people. In accordance with this principle, the congress specified the tasks of economic development for 1971-1975, provided for a significant increase in consumption in all regions, and laid the foundation for the country's dynamic development. A number of tasks contained in this program went beyond the then five-year plan. The main directive was the concept of dynamic economic policy. The Congress adopted a decision "For further socialist development of the People's Republic of Poland".

* * *

The history of the Polish People's Republic occupies an important place in the history of the Polish people and the Polish State, which dates back more than a thousand years. On the whole, it seems to be the historical stage when a radical turn took place in the destinies of the people, because new prospects were opened up - prospects for building a developed socialist society. The Polish people have achieved great success. The previous backwardness was overcome. Level of socio-economic development-

⁴⁴ W. Gora. Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa 1944 - 1974. Warszawa. 1974.

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the development of the country and the political integration of the population around socialist ideals and goals make it possible to create new and ever greater values for the benefit of every Pole, the entire people and state. The leading force that guides the life of the people is the Polish United Workers ' Party. At its congresses, the results are discussed and the further direction of development is determined. This strategy sets in motion new reserves of social energy and initiative, expands and deepens the material and ideological and moral motives of people's socialist activity ^.45

The demographic changes, the steady growth of national income, and the development of industry and agriculture in the NDP were outlined quite briefly above. To illustrate these achievements, the attached table provides some data on the socio-economic development of Poland in 1946-1972. ⁴⁶ (See the table on page 32).

⁴⁵ "Dzieje Polski". Warszawa. 1975, str. 889.

⁴⁶ "Rocznik statystyczny. 1976". Warszawa. 1976.

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