Factors that Triggered the Collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989 - Coursework Example

Topic: of Lecturer: presentation: Introduction Communism is a system that is characterized by equal distribution of wealth amongst the people. All people are seen to be equal, and the system lacks private ownership of property. All property is usually under the control and ownership of the state. These formed the basis communism in the Soviet Union. The system banned all opposition parties that did not share the ideals of communism. Those that supported the system were allowed. The communist party was the center of power, exercising suppression on civil liberties and freedom of the press through censorship and propaganda. The economy, politics, cultural and social lives were controlled by the state, which did not allow the establishment of free enterprise. Agriculture was conducted collectively. The system was fully totalitarian with the state controlling all aspects of life. The regime used propaganda to pressurize the people to accepting the policies concerning social issues such as marriage and child bearing. Under communism, it was not easy to divorce, and abortion was illegal. This was not welcome for to the people since they were denied a chance to make their own choice concerning private life. Social education in schools was controlled by the regime in order to ensure that the information that was offered in schools was in line with the communist policies regarding social life. Fees in the upper classes had been designed to reduce the number of children who could go for higher education since only some parents could afford it. The government ensured that important information about it was kept away from the public (Ka-Loc Chan K pp. 66-71). Factors that Led to the Collapse of Communism in Poland in 1989 One of the major factors that led to the collapse of communism in Poland was the method which the regime used to govern. Intimidation and force were the common ways that were used on the people, and therefore communism could never get support from the majority. This was a political failure that caused the decline. This is because generally, a political party that lacks public support is politically weak. The failure was amplified by the fact that communism adopted an undemocratic ways of acquiring power and continued using them to enhance its stay in power. The labor strike of 1980 formed the beginning of anti-communism in Poland. This was facilitated by the formation of the trade union whose members were drawn the anti-communist leftists and from the Roman Catholic Church, as some of the members of the Solidarity (The Daily News - September 1981). The union became strong due to the support by rebellious intellectuals who usually organized peaceful resistance as. The union eventually turned out to be a powerful opposition against communism. It was successful in spreading its ideologies all over Poland triggering an upsurge in the number of unions that cropped up and opposed communism. The union which was regarded as Solidarity Program was a major threat to communism and its domination of societal and community institutions, as well as specialized organizations. Its members rose to more than 8 million in the second year. This was a substantial part of the population since it comprised of 25% of the country’s population (Jacqueline Hayden 2006 pp. 71-75). Political instability and economic decline were significant factors that weakened communism in Poland. State control of the market prices hindered revival of the economy. On the other hand, failure of the state to control market prices could cause another strike. Soviet intervention threatened public support for political reforms. The Gross National Product declined by 20% in 1981 triggering corruption in the public, shortage of houses and lack of enough food. This caused social unrest in the country. The country was faced by a severe economic crisis and the government tried many ways of bringing economic recovery. This included gathering foreign currency, reforms in the enterprises sector where by private investment was allowed. With time, the country started drifting from the communist type economy. The economic failure in Poland made workers to earn insufficient salaries. Most of their harvests were confiscated by Bolshevik. With people earning little and no harvest for their stores, the economy of the country was headed for collapse. Due to the negligence and destruction of the countryside, a severe draught hit the country. This caused the public to oppose the policies of communists (Wesele G 1981 p. 12). The government could not avoid accepting some extent of cooperation with the opposition. The regime was faced with regular financial and social problems. The public was rising against the government, and Solidarity became more powerful with a greater support from the public. The communist party weakened due to loss of most of the members thereby reducing its dominance. In 1989, Mikhail Gorbachev facilitated reforms through his policies. He refused to acknowledge the threat of the Soviet Union intervention in case of abandonment of communism. The policy change and the support of Ronald Regan who was the then president of the United States in opposition to military invasion by the Soviet Union helped to eliminate possibility of a Soviet military attack due to reforms that did not favor communism. This led to further weakening of the system in Poland (Katyn M. 1990 p. 9) The Gierek era contributed to the collapse of communism in Poland since there was high level of borrowing from the West in order to support the declining economy. Failure of the West to offer credit to Poland was a major issue for the country since it had to export all that it could to cope with its needs. Western currencies were used to purchase goods because the local currency had deteriorated. The U.S dollar was the currency that was mainly used for transactions especially for people who worked outside Poland. There was an upsurge of black market and therefore the economy suffered further collapse. The communist government mainly focused o n the production of arms at the expense of the consumer goods industry. It mainly concentrated on ideas of athletics and space technology. Production of essential consumer goods, general infrastructure as well as environmental matters was largely abandoned. The public could not support the regime due to the general disappointment that came as a result of lack of essential commodities. The economic and political future of communism declined. People became desperate especially in the late 1980s (Peter Cipkowski pp. 89-92). Capitalism was viewed to be far much better compared to the conditions that the people were living in. Coupons were re-introduced in Poland because of the adverse impact of lack of consumer goods. On the other hand, martial law which was introduced with a view of maintaining law and order was a source of disappointment to the people. Only a few members of the public benefited from the communist parties that pretended to be representative of the people. Industrial facilities were not matching with modern technology and therefore production was of low value. There was loss of skilled labor due to emigration in search of better pay in the West (Kryzyzacy R. 1990 p.6) The reforms that were initiated by Golberchev made the system of governance even weaker. He was known to be a major reformer who assumed power in 1985. He discarded the "Brezhnev Doctrine", which was a policy of the Soviet Union of forceful intervention towards, any threat to the communist rule. This intervention could be military depending on its intensity. Golberchev turned to encouragement of the leaders of the communist party to work towards gaining popularity and support in order to enhance their rule. This is what led the communist leaders in Poland to engage in the round table talks with the Solidarity. The talks culminated in the solidarity being allowed to participate in the elections. The government entered in to negotiations with leaders of the Solidarity which led to major reforms in 1989 which resulted in to a change in the system of governance, whereby the president was to become the chief executive. The Solidarity could not be allowed to participate in free elections since this could be a threat to the communist rule. At the end of the elections, Solidarity emerged victorious garnering all the seats that the regime had allowed them to present candidates (Neier, Aryeh 2003 pp. 111-116). Most of the candidates from the communist party did not gather enough votes that were mandatory in order to acquire the seats that had been reserved for them. The legitimacy of the communist regime became questionable after the election defeat. The public viewed the Solidarity as a movement that could liberate them from the communist oppression. It was associated with national independence, with members numbering more than ten million. It was accepted in social as well as political circles. Simple community organizations emerged as a result from the encouragement by the Solidarity. The organizational structure of the Solidarity was strong such that it allowed the engagement of poles in politics beyond the channels that were controlled by the state. This facilitated the laying of the civil society foundation. The martial law did not intimidate the solidarity who survived underground due to the collective resistance of the community and their desire for liberation. The relaxed stance of the communists to allow round table talks was an indicator of the weaknesses that the regime was faced with (Thomas H. 1988 p. 16). The communist party suffered a great loss since even the two other parties that were its main supporters lost confidence in it and broke off from it. The communist party could not get the post of prime minister since the one who had been proposed for the seat could not attract the desired support. This made it clear that the prime minister had to come from the Solidarity. After the formation of the non-communist government in which the head of state was a communist while the prime minister was from the Solidarity, there were major economic reforms which changed the market system of Poland in to a market economy. This was a clear indication for a transition from the rule of the communist party. The elections that followed in 1990 marked the end of communism in Poland when President Walesa was sworn in (Jackson, John E; Jacek Klich, Krystyna Poznanska pp. 78-81). Conclusion The round table political negotiations between the Solidarity and the communist leaders marked the beginning of the collapse of the communist system of governance in Poland. Change was desired and it was inevitable due to the rising demand among the citizens. From the round table talks, the Solidarity was declared legal and it was also allowed to participate in elections. From the elections, the ability of the communists to govern declined. National liberation was the major driving force for the Solidarity. Communism had largely suppressed social aspirations of the people, and this was the major driving force for public emancipation. The round table talks were a move by the communists to ensure that they continued dominating the political sphere of Poland. However, they emerged the losers after legalizing the Solidarity which was capable of acquiring public support. A chance to participate in the elections was a golden opportunity for the party to enter in to genuine politics that facilitated the desired reforms. After the end of communism in 1989, the Solidarity focused on economic reforms rather than retribution. Bibliography 1. Jackson, John E; Jacek Klich, Krystyna Poznanska. The Political Economy of Polands Transition: New Firms and Reform Governments. Cambridge University Press, 2005. 2. Jacqueline Hayden. The Collapse of Communist Power in Poland: Strategic Misperceptions and Unanticipated Outcomes, Routledge, 2006 3. Ka-Loc Chan K. Idealism versus Realism in Institutional Choice: Explaining Electoral Reforms in Poland, Volume 24, Number 3, Routledge, 2001. 4. Katyn M. “Polish Communists Start Forming New Party.” The Washington Post;  January 28, 1990. 5. Kryzyzacy R. “Communist Sprinter Group to Start New Party.” The Boston Globe, Jan. 28, 1990. Neier, Aryeh. Taking Liberties: Four Decades in the Struggle for Rights. Public Affairs, 2003. 6. Peter Cipkowski. Revolution in Eastern Europe: Understanding the Collapse of Communism in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania and the Soviet Union, John Wiley & Sons, 1991 7. Thomas H. “Turmoil, Panic, even a New Party.” The Economist (US),  May 14, 1988. 8. Wesele G. “The Politics and Popular Culture.” The Daily News, September 1981. Read More