Modern myths and legends about communist past in Poland

As far as I know, people did sometimes used to joke about the name. If there was a dearth of jokes however, that was probably because Poles knew that Skodas (crap though they were) were much better (or far less bad) than Polski-Fiat.

I don't think you can even register maluchy anymore... I was under the impression that the government wasn't allowing new registrations to phase them out because they're so unsafe..

At least the Polonez is somewhat safer. My cousin had one before he upgraded to a Corvette - quite a big jump. At the time (late 90's) he was one of only 3 people in Poland to apparently own a Corvette. Was probably the nicest car around especially in a **** hole like Walbrzych of all places.

Yes, I always wondered where one of my neighbours got his Fiat Mirafiori car from. :):)

But you omitted some groups: e.g. my classmate`s parents were dentists and they bought a brand new Polonez in late 1970s. An owner of a car service near my house drove another Mirafiori. And so on.


Cheap but with rich equipment - e.,g it had a rev counter, not so obvious in compact cars then.

Yes, my elder sister had a Skoda 125 in early 1980s and they sold it after a year coz the rust damage and mechanical repairs cost them a fortune. That was a wedding present from my parents.


I made it only as a boy. Later it disappeared.


Of course, you can register anything as a vintage car. Then you get yellow plates.

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As I remember, they had steering problems.


That was often why people bought them. A typical FSO Polonez driver in the UK would be a university lecturer or public administrator, not looking for a car as a status symbol. not wanting to get into debt, but wanting something big enough for passengers and reasonably economical on fuel.

Plus thick steel. One of my former school mates refused to buy foreign cars for a few years in 1990s, he only bought Polonezes one after another, claiming they were the safest cars available.

Ladas (and the earlier Polski-Fiats, though they were rarer) used to be built like tanks. They were popular with elderly drivers who appreciated coming off better in a minor accident.

hahaha exactly. Of course, it wasn`t intentional. Accidentally, the technological backwardness of communist steel plants contributed to better safety in cars..

I don"t see the grille. Looks like all-electric car.

The hood with the grill is in the rear.

Poland was first?

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Actually, it wasn`t Poland`s. Communists didn`t have such car stylists and designers. It was an Italian design. Communists later filled it with the engine and other components from old FIAT 125 and so Polonez was born. A hybrid of old and new.

Does system which existed in Poland more than 30 years ago really requires such an exotic name as "communism" or it can easily fit under definition of a "monopolistic governmental capitalism"?

That is an oxymoron if I ever saw one

It wasn`t capitalism coz most industry was owned by the state. There were some private enterprises, and veg and fruit market were largely in private hands, but 95% of economy was controlled by the state.

State capitalism is an economic system in which the state undertakes business and commercial economic activity (i.e. for-profit) and where the means of production are organized and managed as state-owned enterprises.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism

In my understanding a "communism" is something utopic, which never existed yet. Some hypothetical system under which "everyone contributes according to abilities and receives a share of a total product according to her needs".

Yes, but you are talking in theory now while I thought we were talking about a real system which was/is popular and widespread. So, communist Poland wasn`t a capitalist country neither in theory nor in practice, whether state or nonstate.

Some people might think that being communist, Poland was deprived of the contact with Western culture. No, communists yielded in to the society`s expectations and demands and imported a lot of productions. I remember we could watch major Western films at the cinema when I was a boy and later on.
Some of their titles sounded so exciting!!!

THREE DAYS OF CONDOR!
POLICE PYTHON 357
THREE WOMEN
WALKING TALL translated as With High Forehead

You forgot "Planet of the Apes".

Yes! I did coz it sounded so natural to me! This planet will be ruled by apes like me one day and it is so obvious I am not going to waste time on it.
While those other titles I mentioned sounded so exciting. CONDOR!! PYTHON! 3 WOMEN!

well, I saw the first Star Wars movie in Polish cinema when I was like 7 or 8 in the early 80's

This means you watched Episode V The Empire Strikes Back coz the first SW film, episode 4, appeared on Polish cinema screens on March 30, 1979, two years behind its world premiere.

of course, pawian, 'cause you know better what I saw and when :P

i lived in a small place and films were reaching it much later than the cities - i live in an even smaller place, now; and I don't go to the movies and don't watch that much TV - but I love watching internet movie critics who lambaste the recent streak of garbage that pretend to be movies issued by the big entertainment corporations in the name of Diversity Equity and Inclusivity

yes, I heard about it - objazdowe kino - travelling cinema - but I thought it applied to post war times, like 1940s or 50s, when cinema buildings were still ruined. Sorry. :):):)


On most occassions, I do. Sorry. I can`t help it. :(:(:( :):):)):

no it wasn't a "objazdowe kino" - it was a permanent establishment alright - there were thousands of such places in Poland - the vast majority are gone now (including the one in the village I lived) - now focus: there were probably like a couple of dozen physical copies of movies in circulation around the country and thousands of those small town/gmina village cinemas - do your math

Yes, coz people prefered to see films in main cities where cinemas had higher standards.


And that was the regular occurence in most cases of Western films - they were imported some time after the original release, even a few years.
E.g, Blues Brothers was made in 1980 but I watched it with my girlfriend in 1983. Gremlins from 1984 was shown in Poland in 1987.
Why so???

Because they were already cheaper.

Yes, exactly. Communists never had enough money. Better late than never, though. Common Soviet Russians were deprived of the contact with Western culture and the only "Western" films they saw came from Poland and other block countries.

Gumi, I thought about what you said. If we weren`t so conflicted like now, I mean me as a decent ape which worries about Poland`s future in today`s world and you, a blind rightist who worries only about the future of your fave PiS rightist party and your own situation coz they don`t rule anymore, I would admit you were right coz now I can recall the problems with too few copies of Western films allowed by communists for circulation.

But as you are what you are and in result our relationship is as it is, I won`t say anything and won`t admit you were right. Sorry. :(:(:(
Turn to your rightist buddies to cheer you up after this setback. HA!!!!

Amasing you alluded to that superb war movie. Coz I was going to mention it as a certain record holder.


In case of Dirty Dozen, a few lasted about 10 years. I remember watching it in the cinema in late 1970s while it had been made in late 1960s.