"General Wojciech Jaruzelski, the Minister of Defence since 1968 and thus a major Warsaw Pact figure, became Prime Minister in February 1981 and First Secretary of the Polish Communist Party in October 1981. Jaruzelski had taken part in operations against anti-Communist resistance fighters in the late 1940s, had led Poland’s contribution to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and had been in command when Polish troops shot striking shipyard workers in 1970. Jaruzelski claimed he had opposed the last operation and he sought a peaceful settlement with Solidarity, but serious economic problems continued to create discontent in Poland and to lead to criticism of the government. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union pressed Jaruzelski to come out in defence of Communism. This pressure indicated that any meaningful change in the Soviet bloc would have to come from Moscow, and thus underlined the subsequent importance of Gorbachev’s stance."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
PrisonersPresidents of PolandMilitary leaders from PolandCatholics from PolandPrime Ministers of Poland
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Jeremy Black, The Cold War: A Military History (2015)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wojciech_Jaruzelski
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military officer, politician and de facto leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party between 1981 and 1989, making him the last leader of the Polish People's Republic. Jaruzelski served as Prime Minister from 1981 to 1985, the Chairman of the Council of State from 1985 to 1989 and briefly as President of Poland from 1989 to 1990, when the office of
30 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Wojciech Jaruzelski →
Related Quotes
"The introduction of martial law was the most dramatic decision I had ever taken. And life had treated me harshly. I e…"
"I had to face up to many a dangers, often looking death in the face. Later, in the decades which ensued, I often had …"
"The most important thing is to hit the bull's-eye at the historically most appropriate moment. Which is why all oppor…"
"I am saying this to avoid any suspicion that I want to defend, at no matter what price, the decisions I took. Martial…"
"Were it not for the declaration of martial law, the substantiation of that announcement in mid-winter would have sign…"
"A politician has to bear the weight of decisions whose effects are often enormous. And those decisions have to be tak…"
"The absence of a decision could result in an impetuous, dangerous development of a situation which has got out of any…"
"Citizens of the Polish People’s Republic. I turn to you today as a soldier and as the head of the Polish Government. …"
"The nation has come to the end of its psychological endurance. Many people are beginning to despair. Now it is not da…"
"Poland is not situated in a territorial vacuum on some uninhabited island. Indeed, the opposite is true. It lies in t…"