Polish People's Republic Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Republic of Poland (1944–52)
Rzeczpospolita Polska

Polish People's Republic (1952–89)

Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa

1944–1989

Flag (1944–80)

Coat of arms

Anthem: Mazurek Dąbrowskiego
Poland Is Not Yet Lost

Location of the People's Republic of Poland in Europe.

Status

Satellite state of the Soviet Union
Member of the Warsaw Pact

Capital

Warsaw
Lublin (1944–45)
Łódź (1945–48)

Common languages

Polish

Government

Marxist–Leninist single-party state (after 1952)

Head of State

• President
1944–1952

Bolesław Bierut (first)

• 1989

Wojciech Jaruzelski (last)

• Chairman of the Council of State
1952–1964

Aleksander Zawadzki (first)

Prime Minister

• 1944–1947

Edward Osóbka-Morawski (first)

• 1989

Tadeusz Mazowiecki (last)

Historical era

World War II, Cold War

• Provisional government

1944

• Workers' Party established

December 16–21, 1948

• Constitution

July 22, 1952

• Democracy restored

December 30 1989

Area

1990

312,685 km² (120,728 sq mi)

Population

• 1946

23930000

• 1990

37970155

Currency

Polish złoty

ISO 3166 code

Preceded by

Succeeded by

	Nazi Germany
	General Government
	Soviet Union

Poland

Polish People's Republic was an official name of Poland since 1952 until 1989.

History of People Republic of Poland
Images for kids
See also

History of People Republic of Poland

Origin of the name

In Bierut's project of Constitution was formulation "People Republic of Poland". It was on the Stalinist model. Amendments in the draft made Joseph Stalin.

Fight with the Catholic Church

Polish government tolerated religion beliefs, but in 1950, when Minister for Religious Affairs, Antoni Bida accused Polish Church about hostility to the state, conflict began, and was continued to the collapse of People Republic of Poland and the communism in Poland in 1989.

Poznań Uprishing

In June 1956 was workers strinke, finished the death of 75 people.

Polish October - "Odwilż gomułkowska"

In October 19, 1956 to Poland arrived leaders of Communistic Party of Sovietic Union. There was a political breakthrough.

Images for kids

Poland's fate was heavily discussed at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Joseph Stalin, whose Red Army occupied the entire country, presented several alternatives which granted Poland industrialized territories in the west whilst the Red Army simultaneously permanently annexed Polish territories in the east, resulting in Poland losing over 20% of its pre-war borders. Stalin then imposed upon Poland a puppet communist government following the war, forcibly bringing the nation into the Soviet sphere of influence.
Border changes of Poland after World War II. The eastern territories (Kresy) were annexed by the Soviets. The western territories, referred to as the "Recovered Territories", were granted as war reparations. Despite the western lands being more industrialized, Poland lost 77,035 km2 (29,743 sq mi) and major cities like Lviv and Vilnius.
Queues waiting to enter grocery stores in Warsaw and other Polish cities and towns were typical in the late 1980s. The availability of food and goods varied at times, and the most sought after basic item was toilet paper.
The new Warszawa Centralna railway station in Warsaw had automatic doors and escalators. It was a flagship project during the 1970s economic boom and was dubbed the most modern station in Europe at the time of its completion in 1975.
Lech Wałęsa co-founded and headed the Solidarity movement which toppled Communism. He later became the President of Poland.
The 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard Strike and subsequent Summer 1981 Hunger Demonstrations were instrumental in strengthening the Solidarity movement's influence.
An abandoned State Agricultural Farm in south-eastern Poland. State farms were a form of collective farming created in 1949.
Łódź was Poland's largest city after the destruction of Warsaw during World War II. It was also a major industrial centre in Europe and served as the temporary capital due to its economic significance in the 1940s.
Female textile workers in a state-run factory, Łódź, 1950s
Supersam Warsaw, the first self-serve shopping centre in Poland, 1969
Pewex, a chain of hard currency stores which sold unobtainable Western goods and items
Ration cards for sugar, 1977
Bar mleczny, a former milk bar in Gdynia. These canteens offered value meals to citizens throughout Communist Poland.
Trybuna Ludu (People's Tribune) was a government-sponsored newspaper and propaganda outlet
Andrzej Wajda was a key figure in Polish cinematography during and after the fall of communism
Allegory of communist censorship, Poland, 1989. Newspapers visible are from all Eastern Bloc countries including East Germany, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia
The 237-meter Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, constructed in 1955. At the time of its completion it was one of the tallest buildings in Europe
Smyk Department Store, 1960s
Polish university students during lecture, 1964
One of many schools constructed in central Warsaw in the 1960s
Jerzy Popiełuszko was a Roman Catholic priest who supported the anti-communist opposition. He was murdered by the Security Services "SB" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
A typical socialist apartment building in Warsaw representing the style of functionalism, built due to the ever-growing population and high birth rate at the time
Konstantin Rokossovsky, pictured in a Polish uniform, was Marshal of the Soviet Union and Marshal of Poland until being deposed during the Polish October in 1956.
Poland's old and new borders, 1945