Martial law in Poland
| Martial law in Poland | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Polish crisis of 1980–1981 and the Cold War | |||||||
 Polish T-55 tanks enter the town of Zbąszyń while moving east towards Poznań, 13 December 1981 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Supported by:  Soviet Union (Intelligence support and military equipment) |
Supported by:  Polish government-in-exile United States (Financial support) United Kingdom (Financial support) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Lech Wałęsa | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Initial strength:[1]
| 23,000 members of Solidarity, protesters, governmental defectors and other people armed mostly with small arms | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
| ||||||
Martial law in Poland (Polish: Stan wojenny w Polsce) happened from 13 December 1981 to 22 July 1983. The government of the Polish People's Republic used it to stop protests and control the country. It targeted the Solidarity movement and other groups.
Background
[change | change source]Poland had many problems in the 1970s. The government borrowed money but could not fix the economy. Food and other goods were limited. In 1980, workers started Solidarity, the first free trade union in the Communist Bloc. Protests grew. General Wojciech Jaruzelski became the leader. He wanted to end protests.[2][3]
Description
[change | change source]On 13 December 1981, Jaruzelski said martial law started. The Military Council of National Salvation (WRON) was created to lead the country. The army and police worked to stop protests.[4][5][3]
- People could not protest.
- A curfew was set.
- The government controlled the news and letters.
- Travel needed special permission.
- Thousands of people were put in jail.
Deaths
[change | change source]In total, almost 100 people died. Fewer protests happened in 1982. Martial law ended on 31 December 1982.[6][7][4]
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ "The Day Poland Stood Still: Memories from the Introduction of Martial Law". Culture.pl.
- ↑ Nelsson, Richard; Nelsson, compiled by Richard (2021-12-08). "Poland imposes martial law 'to avert anarchy' – archive, 1981". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Introduction of Martial Law in Poland". ENRS. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "42 lata temu wprowadzono w Polsce stan wojenny". www.pap.pl. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "43 years ago, tanks rolled out onto the streets. Poland marks the anniversary of 1981 martial law". TVN24. 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "13 grudnia – Dzień Pamięci Ofiar Stanu Wojennego". www.senat.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-12-13.
- ↑ "Śmiertelne ofiary stanu wojennego - Historia". www.polskieradio.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-12-13.
Other websites
[change | change source]