Provisional Government of National Unity
TheProvisional Government of National Unity(Polish:Tymczasowy Rząd Jedności Narodowej,TRJN) was apuppet governmentformed by the decree of theState National Council(Krajowa Rada Narodowa,KRN) on 28 June 1945 as a result of reshuffling theSoviet-backedProvisional Government of the Republic of Polandestablished by thePolish Workers' Party(Polska Partia Robotnicza,PPR) through inclusion of politicians from the close political sphere ofStanisław Mikołajczyk,the former prime minister of thePolish government-in-exilebased inLondon.Inclusion of the latter group provided an excuse for the Western allies to approve tacitly thefait accompliof Poland becoming part of the Soviet sphere of influence, and to legitimise the Warsaw government while withdrawing their recognition of thePolish government-in-exile.
Background[edit]
Edward Osóbka-Morawski
and PPR General Secretary
Władysław Gomułka
Stanisław Mikołajczyk
When Poland was conquered byGermanyin 1939, a new government-in-exile was established inParis(and moved to London after 1940Nazi invasion of France). The government-in-exile was recognized by the British government, and controlled the main Polish resistance force, theArmia Krajowa(Home Army).
In 1943, thePPRand some other left-wing resistance groups formed the KRN as a national government of Poland, in rivalry to the exile government. In July 1944, the KRN proclaimed thePolish Committee of National Liberation(the "Lublin Committee" orPKWN) in territory liberated from Germany by the Soviet Army. The exile government denounced this, but was powerless to interfere, especially after theArmia Krajowawas largely destroyed in the 1944Warsaw Uprising.
Poland was not covered by thePercentages Agreement.Despite renaming thePKWNinto theProvisional Government of the Republic of Poland(RTRP), Stalin promised during theYalta Conferencein February 1945 free elections in Poland, thus contradicting his prior stated position. By that time, Soviet forces had overrun nearly all of Poland, giving them and the KRN effective control. The US and Britain tacitly accepted this at Yalta, in return forStalin's promise of free elections in Poland. The exile government was dependent on the support of theBritishandAmericangovernments, which did not grasp communist intentions and pressured the exile government to cooperate with the KRN. The Polish exile government still tried to hold out, but was ignored. A group includingStanisław Mikołajczyk,Prime Minister in 1943-1944, broke with the rest of the exiles and began seeking a deal with thecommunists.
Establishment[edit]
The TRJN was a result of negotiations held inMoscowfrom 17 June to 21 June 1945, between the PPR (Polish communists), the Soviet Union, and Mikołajczyk, who had created thePolish People's Party(Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe,PSL) as the political vehicle for his participation. The PSL was a centrist organization and continuation of the prewar Polishagrarianmovement. The pre-warPeople's Partyalso supported Mikołajczyk.
The TRJN government was composed of:
- Prime Minister:Edward Osóbka-Morawski(Polish Socialist Party)
- Deputy Prime Minister, Minister ofRegained Territories:Władysław Gomułka(PPR)
- Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Reform: Stanisław Mikołajczyk (PSL)
The entire government was composed of:
- PPR: 7 ministers
- Socialist Party:6 ministers
- People's Party: 3 ministers
- PSL: 3 ministers
- Democratic Party:2 ministers
The exile government did not recognize the TRJN.[1]
Subsequent events[edit]
On 21 June, GeneralLeopold Okulicki,former Commander of thePolish Home Armywas sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in Moscow for the alleged sabotage against the Soviet Army. Ten other Poles were given similar sentences in theTrial of the Sixteen.On 24 December 1946, Okulicki died inButyrka prison.
The TRJN was already bound by the "Treaty of Friendship, Mutual Help, and Cooperation" with the USSR which the Provisional Government had signed on 21 April. Which established friendly relations with the Soviet Union and cemented Poland as part of the Eastern Bloc.
On 5 July 1945, the TRJN was recognized by the United States. It was soon also recognized by the other major Allies, France and the United Kingdom. It was not recognized by theVatican.
On 6 July, while the Polish government-in-exile maintained its existence, both the United States and the United Kingdom formally withdrew the recognition of it.
On 10 July, Osóbka-Morawski announced theexpulsion of all Germans from Poland.
From 17 July to 2 August, a delegation from the TRJN attended the 1945Potsdam Conference.
On 16 August, a Soviet-Polish border agreement was signed in Moscow. Before the end of August, Poland agreed to cede theeastern provincesto the Soviet Union and officially recognized the eastern border based on a slightly modifiedCurzon line.
On 16 October, delegates of the TRJN signed theUnited Nations Charterand Poland became a member of theUnited Nations.
The 'free and fair' elections promised by the TRJN were postponed until the communists were sure they could control the election process. In the meantime, they increased repressions of opposition members, who were bribed, threatened, delegalised, or even murdered. In the words of Gomułka, the goal of the communists was to be the "hegemonof the nation "and nothing would stop them. On 30 June 1946, they tested their control during the3xTAKreferendum, falsifying the results and claiming 68% support.
Two great reforms carried out by TRJN were the nationalization decree and theThree-Year Plan(of 1947–49), both issued in 1946. The nationalization decree gave the government control over every enterprise which employed more than 50 people; by the end of the year, 90% of the country's industry was controlled by the government.
Notes of Stalin's Speech during a Reception at the Kremlin on 23 June 1944[edit]
"Mr. Zurawski is right to say that blood is being shed between thePolishandRussian people.For centuries, Poland and Russia were at war with each other, and only Germany benefited. The Poles occupiedMoscowtwice - the Russians abandoned them. In the past, Poles had many reasons to hateRussia.Russia is more responsible for the centuries-long relationship between Poland and Russia because it is stronger than Poland. OldTsarist Russiaand its people carried out a policy of repression against the Poles. Russia needs new people to change the policies of Tsarist Russia. "[2]
Dissolution[edit]
 |
The communists dominatedthe Polish legislative elections of January 1947.The new parliament (Sejm Ustawodawczy) replaced the KRN; it named a new government headed byJózef Cyrankiewicz.On 19 January 1947, TRJN was dissolved and passed its prerogatives as the government of Poland to the new government.
See also[edit]
- Polish Committee of National Liberation(Polish:Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego;PKWN) - 1944 and 1945
- Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland(Polish:Rząd Tymczasowy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej;RTRP) - 1945
- Polish People's Party (1945–49)
- Polish People's Republic(Polish:Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa;PRL) - 1944 to 1952 (unofficially), 1952 to 1989 (officially)
- People's Army of Poland(Polish:Ludowe Wojsko Polskie;LWP)
- Polish government-in-exile
References[edit]
- ^Peter StachuraThe Poles in Britain 1940-2000ISBN0-7146-8444-9Page 7
- ^during a Reception at the Kremlin, Notes of Stalin's Speech (23 June 1944)."Notes of Stalin's Speech during a Reception at the Kremlin on 23 June 1944".
Further reading[edit]
- Davies, Norman,1982 and several reprints.God's Playground.2 vols. New York: Columbia Univ. Press.ISBN0-231-05353-3andISBN0-231-05351-7
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- Aftermath of World War II in Poland
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