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Martial law in Poland | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Economic Precipice And Gierek Reforms —
Martial law in Poland.
~8 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
In 1970, Edward Gierek took power as the head of state in Poland with a clear goal to transform the nation into the wealthiest communist country in Eastern Europe. He borrowed massive sums from Western creditors to fund heavy industry and modern infrastructure projects like the Warszawa Centralna railway station. Between 1971 and 1975, agricultural output rose by nearly 22% while industrial production grew at an annual rate of 10.5%. Over 1.8 million large-panel-system building flats were constructed to house the growing population, and the first fully operational highway linking Warsaw with industrial Silesia opened for traffic in 1976.
The strategy relied on exporting goods produced by new factories to pay off foreign debt. However, expenditures increased faster than revenues, and foreign creditors eventually refused further loans. By 1980, the national income had fallen by 6% compared to the previous year, dropping another 12% in 1981. The total debt reached over US$23 billion, which accounted for almost half of Poland's nominal GDP. Essential goods became heavily rationed starting in 1976 when sugar ration cards were introduced. Meat, dairy, processed food, confectionery, cocoa, coffee, rice, and tobacco followed suit.
Ordinary cigarettes became a form of currency on the black market due to constant shortages. Power outages became commonplace as the state exported coal needed for basic heating and power plants. In 1980, Gierek was dismissed from his office and expelled from the Polish United Workers' Party. A year later, Soviet authorities cut oil supply to Poland by 64% and gas by 47%. The situation deteriorated until Poland notified Club de Paris about its insolvency in 1981.
Secret Preparations For Martial Law
General Wojciech Jaruzelski ordered the Polish General Staff to update plans for nationwide martial law on the 22nd of October 1980 before he even assumed office as first secretary. By November 1980, the Ministry of Internal Affairs planned to facilitate thousands of oppositionists in state prisons and places of internment. On the 5th of December 1980, Stanisław Kania spoke at the Warsaw Pact Summit in Moscow about preparations relating to martial law. He presented a psychological-operational method involving strong propaganda against Solidarity and deploying secret services to infiltrate headquarters.
Jaruzelski was not fully satisfied with this plan and already prepared radical actions involving the army if it failed. In February 1981, the Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of the Internal Affairs carried out a training scenario to explore how martial law would be introduced. They agreed that martial law should be preceded by appropriate propaganda calling for support based on a pretext of bringing social stability. Over 25,000 posters announcing martial law were secretly printed in the Soviet Union and transported to Poland by airplane.
These posters were hidden in the large building housing the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The full extent of actions undertaken by Jaruzelski remained unknown even to some highest notables in the Central Committee or the Polish Sejm. In July 1981, Soviets increased military presence at Borne Sulinowo where Red Army units were stationed per Warsaw Pact agreement. Without notifying Polish authorities, they unexpectedly sent over 600 tanks to the base. A month later, commander-in-chief of the Warsaw Pact requested that Soviet military advisors be placed in the Polish General Staff.
The December 1981 Crackdown Operations
On the 12th of December 1981, shortly before midnight, the Polish Council of State gathered in Warsaw's Belweder Palace to approve nationwide martial law. Simultaneously, the Military Council of National Salvation was founded with members who were high-ranking generals or military officers in the Polish People's Army. These individuals later became known to the public as evil Crows due to the Polish name of the council. At precisely 00:00 on the 13th of December, the Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia began Operation Fir and arrested the first members of Solidarity.
Between 70,000 and 80,000 soldiers of the People's Army and 30,000 functionaries of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were deployed for action. Around 1,750 tanks, 1,900 armoured combat vehicles, 500 militarized transport units, 9,000 cars and several helicopter squadrons were in service. Twenty-five per cent of all units concentrated in Warsaw or surrounding localities. Preceding this operation was Action Azalea which began at around 22:30 on the 12th of December.
Per Action Azalea, secret services, paramilitary troops, the Militia, ZOMO and Border Protection Troops stormed 451 telecommunications exchange facilities. They cut telephone lines to prevent Solidarity from contacting branches in other cities to mobilize protesters. Radio and television stations were also besieged. Any volunteers wishing to assist in arrests were drafted into ORMO. Polish Radio offered information about martial law being imposed in a 06:00 broadcast while Telewizja Polska aired Jaruzelski's speech in a slightly modified version.
Violence At Wujek And Provincial Protests
Three days after restrictions were imposed, miners at the Wujek Coal Mine in Katowice began striking against the declaration of martial law by General Jaruzelski. Most workers at Wujek were allied with the Solidarity Movement since its leaders boycotted state industries. The forces used consisted of eight ZOMO squads supported by ORMO, seven water cannons, three regiments with infantry combat vehicles and one tank regiment. It was decided that the situation was far too serious for adopting principles of morality to deal with the miners.
The well-equipped ZOMO and army troops fired at protesters with a shoot-to-kill technique. Twenty-one were wounded, eight were killed on the spot and one died in hospital with the youngest victim being 19 years old. On the 16th of December 1981, a 30,000-strong demonstration was held in Gdańsk where clashes continued until the 17th of December. Over 324 individuals were injured as the Militia used firearms and machine guns when crowds approached the Polish United Workers' Party headquarters.
In Kraków, thousands marched on streets demanding an end to martial law. On the 14th of August 1982, during Bloody Saturday, the most brutal pacification occurred in Kwidzyn internment camp. For five hours riot police beat prisoners with some receiving 50 blows from batons reflected on their backs. Eighty prisoners were severely beaten while 20 were taken to hospital and 3 were crippled. In Lubin, a rally of 2,000 people was surrounded by Militia armed with AK-47 assault rifles after they sang the national anthem.
Censorship And Civil Liberty Restrictions
From the very beginning in December 1981, a strict curfew was imposed from 19:00 until 6 in the morning. The time of curfew was later adjusted to 22:00 until 06:00. Night walks or escapades were forbidden while street patrols became commonplace. The WRON Military Council sealed off the country's borders and closed all airports. Road access to main cities was restricted with special permission passes issued for individuals in extraordinary cases.
Telephone lines were disconnected while mail was subjected to renewed postal censorship. All independent political organizations were criminalized and lessons in schools and universities temporarily suspended. The government imposed a six-day workweek while mass media, public services, healthcare services, power stations, coal mines, seaports, railway stations and most key factories were placed under military management. Employees had to follow military orders or face court martial.
As part of the crackdown, media and educational institutions underwent verification which tested each employee's attitude towards the regime. Thousands of journalists, teachers and professors were banned from their professions as a result. Military courts were established to bypass the normal court system to imprison those spreading fake news. Civilian phone lines were routinely tapped and monitored by government agents.
International Sanctions And Solidarity Support
After the Wujek Coal Mine incident on the 23rd of December 1981, the United States imposed economic sanctions against Poland. In 1982, the United States suspended most favored nation trade status until 1987 and vetoed Poland's application for membership in the International Monetary Fund. On the 30th of January 1982, the first anniversary of martial law introduction was declared Day of Solidarity with Poland by American President Ronald Reagan.
Television stations in many countries broadcast a joint program entitled Let Poland be Poland alongside radio stations Voice of America, Radio Liberty and Radio France Internationale. The Central Intelligence Agency transferred around $2 million yearly in cash to Solidarity for a total of $10 million over five years. There were no direct links between CIA and Solidarność since all money was channeled through third parties.
CIA officers were barred from meeting Solidarity leaders while contacts with activists were weaker than those of AFL, CIO which raised $300,000 from members. The U.S. Congress authorized National Endowment for Democracy to promote democracy and allocated $10 million to Solidarity. Henry Hyde stated that USA provided supplies and technical assistance including clandestine newspapers, broadcasting, propaganda, money, organizational help and advice.
Post-Communism Legal Reckoning And Legacy
After the fall of Communism in Poland in 1989, members of a parliamentary commission determined that martial law had been imposed in clear violation of the country's constitution. The constitution had authorized the executive to declare martial law only between parliamentary sessions when other times decisions were to be taken by Sejm. However, Sejm had been in session at time when martial law was instituted.
In 1992 the Sejm declared the 1981 imposition of martial law to be unlawful and unconstitutional. Jaruzelski argued that army crackdown rescued Poland from possibly disastrous military intervention of Soviet Union, East Germany and other Warsaw Pact countries. In an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter in 1995, Jaruzelski said he received formal letter from Soviet politburo on the 21st of November 1981 demanding not one step back from socialism.
Archive documents from 2009 hinted that in conversation with Viktor Kulikov, Jaruzelski begged for Soviet intervention as domestic control deteriorated. He responded by claiming document was just another falsification and denied all charges. Even after martial law lifted, restrictions remained in place for several years reducing civil liberties drastically. Economic consequences included major price rises which resulted in fall in real wages leading to even more rationing of basic products.
When was martial law officially declared in Poland?
Martial law was officially declared on the 13th of December 1981 at precisely 00:00. The Polish Council of State approved nationwide martial law shortly before midnight on the 12th of December 1981.
Who ordered the implementation of martial law in Poland?
General Wojciech Jaruzelski ordered the Polish General Staff to update plans for nationwide martial law on the 22nd of October 1980. He assumed office as first secretary and later founded the Military Council of National Salvation with high-ranking generals.
What happened during the Wujek Coal Mine strike in 1981?
Miners at the Wujek Coal Mine in Katowice began striking against the declaration of martial law by General Jaruzelski three days after restrictions were imposed. ZOMO squads and army troops fired at protesters using a shoot-to-kill technique, resulting in eight deaths and twenty-one injuries.
How did the United States respond to martial law in Poland?
The United States imposed economic sanctions against Poland after the Wujek Coal Mine incident on the 23rd of December 1981. American President Ronald Reagan declared the first anniversary of martial law introduction as Day of Solidarity with Poland on the 30th of January 1982.
Was martial law legal under the Polish constitution?
Martial law was imposed in clear violation of the country's constitution according to a parliamentary commission established after the fall of Communism in 1989. The Sejm declared the 1981 imposition of martial law to be unlawful and unconstitutional in 1992 because the Sejm had been in session when it was instituted.