Martial law in Poland (Polish: Stan wojenny) refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983 when the government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life in an attempt to crush the political opposition against the Communist rule in the country. Tens of thousands of people were arrested without charge and as many as 100 were killed.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial_law_in_Poland
I remember that day like it was today - my father tried to watch TV - instead of the regular program, General Jaruzelski delivered the speech on national TV and polish radio was playing only classical music that day. What a shocking Sunday that was for Polish people.
Nothing strange, communists would never gave up their power if they would not be sure of security guarantees. They have many agents among so called democratic opposition.
That's what seems to be the historic truth. East Germans also offered "help" within Poland. You know, the people who knoced down the Wall when the foundations were already demolished :)
IPN finally discovered what many knew long time ago. Jaruzelski is the one to blame for Marial Law without any excuses. Even in TVN they talked in such mood. Few years more, Jaruzel and his pals pass away and this version will be even in schoolbooks.
Vladimir Bukovsky, "Moskiewski Proces: Dysydent w archiwach Kremla"
hmmm. i surely recall russian soldiers in the summer prior all over the rr stations, bus terminals, airports and the like. maybe they had no intent but they were already posturing.
believe you me, i am not a fan of jar by any stretch of imagination.
To my knowledge, the most eager ones were the East Germans. They were enthusiastic to offer their troops to help destroy the freedom movement in Poland. Russians were smart enough to see the offer as, politically and historically, the most stupid thing since Hitler's attack on the USSR and rejected the offer.
Soviet forces though were indeed considered. Of all the countries witnessing the muscle flexing China was the one which, unoficially and in the back rooms of diplomacy, but nevertheless warned the USSR against using their own forces. I don't know what exactly the warning contained and what leverage it had. All I know is that before and on Dec. 13th Jaruzelski was unaware of the Chinese position.
In January 1982 our Russian friends sent to us trucks with vinyl Ded Moroz (Santa). For Polish kids. Next time I prefere Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) pleaseees !
PS. Moscow offer for X-mass: Visit of Ded Moroz with Snegurochka 100 $ Snegurochka only 250 $
This time represents the clear example of government weakness, both PPR and USSR. All these people riots may be perfectly cured by case-shot. You should have a gut to use it, but it is unavoidable. I hardly could imagine such situation in times of Nicolas I who examplary showed the healing power of this remedy almost two centuries ago.
Please forgive me if it appears I'm beating a dead horse but I can't restrain myself. All evening long I'm watching archival films and listening to eyewitness accounts from that time in December, 1981. A time that I know from personal experience. Now, for me, it's a distant memory but for many, many Poles, apparently, it still haunts them. They remain angry. I can't help but think about South Africa's "Truth and Reconcilliation" effort and how Poland would benefit from something similar.
Maybe these are the words of a sentimental fool- maybe not. All I know is that this "stan wojeny" thing is cancerous and needs to be excised. Why hasn't that happened? Is it too early? Unimportant?
Lack of leadership?......This really vexes me; I'm not quite sure why :(
That's rubbish, Soviets WERE asked by Jaruzelski but refused to get openly involved. I'm sad to see somebody repeating Jar's defence in a parrot fashion.
That's rubbish, Soviets WERE asked by Jaruzelski but refused to get openly involved.
Which explains why Czech army officers (despite not having warm feelings for Jaruzelski, after he ordered Polish troops to make the most recent Polish invasion of Czechoslovakia) say that they were issued for fuel and ammo for an invasion of Poland.
Operation Krkonose is already well known. Unfortunately some people, such as you, are very simply not interested in truth which does not fit their view of what really happened.
So you have no interest in the truth; how surprising.
Stop lying, I have an interesst in the truth, (didn't I say that you should get it to Gazeta Wyborcza so that it could get published and maybe discussed?)
It just won't change a fact that that swine was working for the party and not for Poland. Letting an invasion in would mean disfavor for the government, unless it took a radical position and de-communized itself.
Another day left largely ignored by Poles. Odd!
Hardly surprising I don't care much for that guy, nor should anyone
Er, I think that you might find an invasion of Poland by the combined forces of the Warsaw pact would have been more than a little damaging to the country. Especially as Poles would have probably not taken the smart approach the Czechs displayed when invaded by overwhelming force (whether that force be Polish and Nazi or Polish and Soviet).
let us not forget about this traitor role of bringing the soviet occupation during and after ww2. he as a scout during ww2 made contact with polish population and wrote detail reports about who is AK soldier or other organization, his reports most likely lead to people send to Siberia or prison and dead.
Merged: Czesław Kiszczak, Mr Poland Martial Law, is dead
Czesław Kiszczak, a life-long operative of Poland's Soviet-installed regime, has died of natural causes, his widow reported on Thursday. A two-year suspended sentence for his role in masterminding martial law went into effect earlier this year after his appeal had been rejected. From his earliest days he was a loyal reimist and enemy of the Polish nation and was engaged in fabricating lies about Polish freedom-fighters who had voluntarily returned from the West after the war. He concocted fake biographies for them claiming they were "imperialist spies". Michnik, who reviled a true Polish patriot Col. Kukliński, called Kiszczak "a man of honour" which says loads about both those gents (ie Michnik and Kiszczak).
