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Wojciech Jaruzelski

Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (/ˈvɔɪɛx ˌjɑːrˈzɛlski/ VOY-chekh YAH-roo-ZEL-skee; Polish: [ˈvɔjt͡ɕɛx ˈvitɔlt jaruˈzɛlskʲi] ; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military general, 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 President was restored after 37 years. He was also the last commander-in-chief of the Polish People's Army, which in 1990 became the Polish Armed Forces.

Wojciech Jaruzelski
Jaruzelski in 1981
President of Poland
In office
19 July 1989 – 22 December 1990
Prime Minister
Preceded byOffice restored
Succeeded byLech Wałęsa
First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party
In office
18 October 1981 – 29 July 1989
Prime Minister
Preceded byStanisław Kania
Succeeded byMieczysław Rakowski
6th Chairman of the Council of State
In office
6 November 1985 – 19 July 1989
Prime Minister
  • Zbigniew Messner
  • Mieczysław Rakowski
Deputy
First Secretary
  • Himself
  • Mieczysław Rakowski
Preceded byHenryk Jabłoński
Succeeded byOffice abolished;
Himself as President
Prime Minister of Poland
In office
11 February 1981 – 6 November 1985
First Secretary
  • Stanisław Kania
  • Himself
Preceded byJózef Pińkowski
Succeeded byZbigniew Messner
Minister of National Defence
In office
11 April 1968 – 22 November 1983
Preceded byMarian Spychalski
Succeeded byFlorian Siwicki
Personal details
Born
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski

(1923-07-06)6 July 1923
Kurów, Poland
Died25 May 2014(2014-05-25) (aged 90)
Warsaw, Poland
Resting placePowązki Military Cemetery, Warsaw
Political party
Spouse
(m. 1961)
ChildrenMonika Jaruzelska
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
Branch/service
Years of service1943–1991
RankGeneral
Battles/wars

Born to Polish nobility in Kurów in eastern (then-central) Poland, Jaruzelski was deported with his family to Siberia by the NKVD after the invasion of Poland. Assigned to forced labour in the Siberian wilderness, he developed photokeratitis which forced him to wear protective sunglasses for the rest of his life. In 1943, Jaruzelski joined the newly created First Polish Army and fought alongside the Soviets against Nazi Germany in the Eastern Front, most notably in the liberation of Warsaw and in the Battle of Berlin. Following the Polish October and the expatriation of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky back to the Soviet Union, Jaruzelski became the chief political officer of the Polish People's Army and eventually Polish Minister of Defence in 1968.

Jaruzelski became the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party and leader of Poland after the brief one-year term of Stanisław Kania. Kania's predecessor, Edward Gierek, left Poland severely indebted by accepting loans from foreign creditors and the country's economy almost collapsed by the time Jaruzelski became head of state. As Poland headed towards insolvency, rationing was enforced due to shortages of basic goods, which only contributed to the tense social and political situation. The declining living and working conditions triggered anger among the masses and strengthened anti-communist sentiment; the Solidarity union was also gaining support which worried the Polish Central Committee and the Soviet Union that viewed Solidarity as a threat to the Warsaw Pact. Fearing a Soviet intervention similar to those in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968), Jaruzelski imposed martial law in Poland on 13 December 1981 to crush the anti-communist opposition. The military junta, curfew and travel restrictions lasted until 22 July 1983.

By the mid-1980s, censorship lost its importance and the authority of the United Workers' Party disintegrated, allowing more freedom of expression in Poland. During the revolutions of 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe, Jaruzelski supported the change of government for the benefit of the country and resigned after the Polish Round Table Agreement, which led to multi-party elections in Poland. He briefly served as President of Poland but exercised no real power and, in the 1990 Polish presidential election, Lech Wałęsa succeeded him as the first President elected in a popular vote.

Jaruzelski remains a controversial figure in Poland today; he was praised for allowing the peaceful transition into democracy. However, he was fiercely criticized by contemporaries for instigating martial law, during which thousands of opposition activists were imprisoned without definite charges, and other human rights violations.

Early life edit

Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski was born on 6 July 1923 in Kurów,[1] into a family of Polish gentry.[1][2] He was the son of Wanda (née Zaremba) and Władysław Mieczysław Jaruzelski, a Czech-educated agronomist and volunteered soldier who fought in the war against Soviet Russia in 1920[3][4] and was raised on the family estate near Wysokie (in the vicinity of Białystok).[5] From 1933 until September 1939, he was educated in a Catholic school in Warsaw where he received strict religious education.[3][1]

World War II commenced on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Germany, aided by the Soviet invasion of Poland sixteen days later. These resulted in the complete defeat of Poland by October and a partition between Soviet and German zones of control. Jaruzelski and his family fled to Lithuania to stay with some friends. However, a few months later, after Lithuania and the other Baltic states were forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union, Jaruzelski and his family were captured by the Red Army and designated for deportation to Siberia.[1][6]

In June 1941, they were stripped of their valuable possessions and deported. At the railway station, Jaruzelski was separated from his father, who was sent directly to a gulag. Jaruzelski and his mother were sent on a month-long journey to Biysk, Altai Krai. After that, Jaruzelski walked for 180 kilometres (110 mi) to Turochak where he was responsible for forest cleaning.[3][7] During his labour work, he was stricken with snow blindness, suffering permanent damage to his eyes as well as to his back.[2] His eye condition forced him to wear dark sunglasses most of the time for the rest of his life, which became his trademark.[6] Jaruzelski's father died on 4 June 1942 from dysentery; his mother and sister survived the war (she died in 1966).

Military career edit

 
Jaruzelski in 1968

Jaruzelski was selected by the Soviet authorities for enrollment into the Soviet Officer Training School.[1] During his time in the Kazakh Republic, Jaruzelski wanted to join the non-Soviet controlled Polish exile army led by Władysław Anders,[7] but in 1943,[8] by which time the Soviet Union was fighting in Europe against Germany in the Eastern Front, he joined the Polish army units being formed under Soviet command.[2] He served in this Soviet-controlled First Polish Army during the war.[1] He participated in the 1945 Soviet military takeover of Warsaw and the Battle of Berlin.[1] By the time the war ended that year, he had gained the rank of lieutenant.[2] He "further credited himself in Soviet eyes"[1] by engaging in combat against the non-Communist Polish Home Army, from 1945 to 1947.[1]

After the end of the war, Jaruzelski graduated from the Polish Higher Infantry School and then from the General Staff Academy.[8] He joined Poland's Communist party, the Polish United Workers' Party, in 1948[8] and became an informant for the Soviet supervised Main Directorate of Information of the Polish Army using the cover name Wolski.[9] In the initial post-war years, he was among those who fought the Polish anti-Communists ("cursed soldiers") in the Świętokrzyskie region. A BBC News profile of Jaruzelski states that his career "took off after the departure [from Poland] in 1956 of Polish-born Soviet Marshal, Konstantin Rokossovsky",[2] who had been Poland's Commander in Chief and Minister of Defence.[2] Jaruzelski was elected to be a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party[8][10] and became the Chief Political Officer of the Polish armed forces in 1960, its chief of staff in 1964; and Polish Minister of Defence in 1968,[2] succeeding in the latter post Marshal Marian Spychalski persecuted in the years 1948-1956, albeit without the rank.[11]

 
Jaruzelski (right) with Fidel Castro (left) in Poland, May 1972

In August 1968, Jaruzelski, as the defence minister, ordered the 2nd Army under General Florian Siwicki (of the "LWP") to invade Czechoslovakia, resulting in military occupation of northern Czechoslovakia until 11 November 1968 when under his orders and agreements with the Soviet Union his Polish troops were withdrawn and replaced by the Soviet Army. In 1970, he was involved in the successful plot against Władysław Gomułka, which led to the appointment of Edward Gierek as General Secretary of the Polish United Workers Party. There is some question whether he took part in organising the brutal suppression of striking workers; or whether his orders to the Communist military led to massacres in the coastal cities of Gdańsk, Gdynia, Elbląg and Szczecin. As Minister of Defense, General Jaruzelski was ultimately responsible for 27,000 troops used against unarmed civilians.[12] He claims that he was circumvented, which is why he never apologised for his involvement.[12] Jaruzelski became a candidate member for the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party, the chief executive body of the party, obtaining full membership the following year.[1]

Leader of the Polish military government edit

 
Jaruzelski in a television studio, preparing to announce the imposition of martial law, 1981

On 11 February 1981, Jaruzelski was named Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister). On 18 October, Stanisław Kania was ousted as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party after a listening device recorded him criticising the Soviet leadership. Jaruzelski was elected his successor, becoming the only professional soldier to become the leader of a ruling European Communist party.[6][8]

A fortnight after taking power, Jaruzelski met with Solidarity head Lech Wałęsa and Catholic bishop Józef Glemp, and hinted that he wanted to bring the church and the union into a sort of coalition government. However, his intention was to crush Solidarity.[13] As early as September, while he was still merely prime minister, he met with his aides to find an excuse to impose martial law.[13] On 13 December, citing purported recordings of Solidarity leaders planning a coup, Jaruzelski organised his own coup by proclaiming martial law.[6] A Military Council of National Salvation was formed, with Jaruzelski as chairman. A BBC News profile of Jaruzelski contends that the establishment of martial law was "an attempt to suppress the Solidarity movement."[2]

According to Jaruzelski, martial law was necessary to avoid a Soviet invasion.[14] In a May 1992 interview with Der Spiegel, Jaruzelski said: "Given the strategic logic of the time, I probably would have acted the same way if I had been a Soviet general. At that time, Soviet political and strategic interests were threatened."[15] However, at a press conference in September 1997 Viktor Kulikov, former supreme commander of Warsaw Pact forces, denied that the Soviet Union had either threatened or intended to intervene.[16] According to Politburo minutes from 10 December 1981, Yuri Andropov stated "We do not intend to introduce troops into Poland. That is the proper position, and we must adhere to it until the end. I don't know how things will turn out in Poland, but even if Poland falls under the control of Solidarity, that's the way it will be."[17]

 
Jaruzelski meeting with Yuri Andropov in Moscow, 1982

Jaruzelski also claimed in 1997 that Washington had given him a "green light", stating that he had sent Eugeniusz Molczyk to confer with Vice-President George H. W. Bush, who had agreed with Molczyk that martial law was the lesser of two evils.[18] Whether this meeting with the American vice-president occurred is disputed. While it is erroneously cited,[clarification needed] Harvard historian Mark Kramer has pointed out that no documents support Jaruzelski's claim.[19]

Jaruzelski was chiefly responsible for the imposition of martial law in Poland on 13 December 1981 in an attempt to crush the pro-democracy movements, which included Solidarity, the first non-Communist trade union in Warsaw Pact history. Subsequent years saw his government and its internal security forces censor, persecute, and jail thousands of journalists and opposition activists without charge; few lost their lives in the first days of the introduction of martial law. The socio-economic crisis deepened even more than in the late 1970s and rationing of basic foods such as sugar, milk, and meat, as well as materials such as gasoline and consumer products, continued while the median income of the population fell by as much as 10 percent. During Jaruzelski's rule from 1981 to 1989, between 100,000 and 300,000 people left the country.[19]

 
Jaruzelski (second from right) with other communist leaders and members of the Warsaw Pact, Berlin, 1987

Historical evidence released under Russian President Boris Yeltsin indicates that the Soviet Union did not plan to invade Poland. In fact, Jaruzelski actually tried to persuade the Soviets to invade in order to support martial law, only to be sternly turned down. This left the Solidarity "problem" to be sorted out by the Polish government (see also Soviet reaction to the Polish crisis of 1980–1981). However, the exact plans of the Soviet Union at that time have never been determined. Jaruzelski, however, justified cracking down by alleging that the threat of Soviet intervention was quite likely had he not dealt with Solidarity internally. This question, as well as many other facts about Poland in the years 1945–1989, are presently under the investigation of government historians at the Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (IPN), whose publications reveal facts from the Communist-era archives. Additionally, there are numerous confirmations from Czech army officers of the time speaking of Operation Krkonoše, a plan for an armed invasion of Poland, because of which many units of the Czechoslovak People's Army were stationed on highest alert, ready for deployment within hours.[20]


10 December 1981, Yuri Andropov stated "We do not intend to introduce troops into Poland. That is the proper position, and we must adhere to it until the end. I don't know how things will turn out in Poland, but even if Poland falls under the control of Solidarity, that's the way it will be..[19]

Yuri Andropov had considered the idea of foreign intervention in Poland as futile, his belief was that the Poles were a nation of revolts during the 19th century and such atmosphere had weakened the Russian Rear and led to a Polish Legion marching in front of Napoleons troops..[20]

Polish Lancers of the Vistula Legion were the first unit to cross the Neman River, when the Grande Armée entered Russia and, as part of the Imperial Guard, the first unit to enter Moscow. They distinguished themselves in the Battle of Borodino and, under Prince Józef Poniatowski (who personally saved Napoleon's life), were one of the units that served as the rear guard during Napoleon's retreat.

In 1982, Jaruzelski helped reorganise the Front of National Unity, the organisation the Communists used to manage their satellite parties, as the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth.[19]

In 1985, Jaruzelski resigned as prime minister and defence minister and became the Chairman of the Polish Council of State, a post equivalent to that of the head of state of Poland. However, his power centered on and firmly entrenched in his coterie of "LWP" generals and lower ranks officers of the Polish Communist Army.[19] There were plans in the government circles to award him the rank of Marshal of Poland, ultimately abandoned largely due to his own negative attitude towards the proposal.

Presidency edit

 
Jaruzelski with Nicolae Ceaușescu

The policies of Mikhail Gorbachev stimulated political reform in Poland as well as in other communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe.[21]

From 6 February to 4 April 1989, negotiations were held between 13 working groups during 94 sessions of the roundtable talks. These negotiations "radically altered the shape "of the Polish government and society", and resulted in an agreement which stated that a great degree of political power would be given to a newly created bicameral legislature. It also restored a post of president to act as head of state and chief executive. Solidarity was also declared a legal organisation. During the ensuing partially-free elections, the Communists and their allies were allocated 65 percent of the seats in the Sejm. Solidarity won all the remaining elected seats, and 99 out of the 100 seats in the fully elected Senate were also won by Solidarity-backed candidates.[1] Amid such a crushing defeat, there were fears Jaruzelski would annul the results. However, he allowed them to stand.[22] Jaruzelski was elected by parliament to the position of president. He was the only candidate.

Jaruzelski was unsuccessful in convincing Lech Wałęsa to include Solidarity in a "grand coalition"[1] with the Communists. He resigned as first secretary of the PZPR on 29 July 1989.[1][23] Mieczysław Rakowski succeeded him as party leader.[23]

The Communists initially intended to give Solidarity a few token cabinet posts for the sake of appearances. However, Wałęsa persuaded the Communists' two allied parties, the United People's Party (ZSL) and the Alliance of Democrats (SD), to break their alliance with the PZPR.[24] Accepting that he would have to appoint a Solidarity member as prime minister, Jaruzelski then asked Wałęsa to select three candidates, one of whom he would ask to form a government. Ultimately, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, who had helped organise the roundtable talks, was selected as first non-Communist prime minister of an Eastern Bloc country in four decades.[25] Jaruzelski resigned as president in 1990.[1] He was succeeded by Wałęsa, who had won the presidential election on 9 December.[26]

On 31 January 1991, Jaruzelski retired from the army.[27]

After retirement edit

 
Jaruzelski in 2006

In October 1994, while attending a book-selling activity in Wroclaw, Jaruzelski was attacked by a male pensioner with a stone; his jaw was injured, requiring surgery. The attacker, who had been imprisoned during the martial law period, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and fined 2,000,000 złoty.[28]

In an interview in 2001, Jaruzelski said that he believed communism failed and that he was now a social democrat. He also announced his support for President Aleksander Kwaśniewski and Leszek Miller, later Prime Minister. Both Kwaśniewski and Miller were members of the Democratic Left Alliance, the social democratic party that included most of the remains of the PUWP.[7]

In May 2005, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a medal commemorating the 60th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany to Jaruzelski and other former leaders, including former Romanian King Michael I.[29] Czech President Václav Klaus criticised this step, saying that Jaruzelski was a symbol of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Jaruzelski said that he had apologised and that the decision on the August 1968 invasion had been a great "political and moral mistake".[30]

On 28 March 2006, Jaruzelski was awarded a Siberian Exiles Cross by Polish President Lech Kaczyński. However, after making this fact public, Kaczyński said that this was a mistake and blamed his staff for giving him a document containing 1,293 names without notifying him of Jaruzelski's inclusion. After this statement, Jaruzelski returned the cross.[31][32]

On 31 March 2006, the IPN charged Jaruzelski with committing communist crimes, mainly the creation of a criminal military organisation with the aim of carrying out criminal acts—mostly concerned with the illegal imprisonment of people. A second charge involved inciting state ministers to commit acts beyond their competence.[32] Jaruzelski evaded most court appearances, citing poor health. In December 2010, Jaruzelski suffered from severe pneumonia[33] and, in March 2011, he was diagnosed with lymphoma.[34]

Death edit

 
Jaruzelski's grave at Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw

Jaruzelski died on 25 May 2014 in a Warsaw hospital after suffering a stroke earlier that month.[35][36] He had reportedly requested last rites by a Catholic priest.[37][38] President Bronisław Komorowski, former Presidents Lech Wałęsa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, and hundreds of other Poles attended his funeral mass at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army in Warsaw on 30 May. Wałęsa and Komorowski, who were among the thousands imprisoned during the crackdown on Solidarity in 1981, both said that judgment against Jaruzelski "would be left to God".[38][39] Jaruzelski was cremated and buried with full military honours at Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw, near the grave of Bolesław Bierut, the first Communist leader of Poland after World War II.[40] The decision to bury Jaruzelski at Powązki, the burial place of Polish soldiers killed defending their country since the early 19th century, caused protests.[37]

Personal life edit

Jaruzelski married Barbara Halina Jaruzelska (1931–2017)[41] in 1961.[42] They had a daughter, Monika who was born on 11 August 1963. Monika has a son, Gustaw.

In 2014, his wife Barbara threatened to file for divorce, saying she had caught his nurse Dorota in a compromising position with him.[43][44]

Legacy edit

The BBC reported in 2001 that "for some Poles — particularly the Solidarity generation — he is little short of a traitor". However, opinion polls as of 15 May 2001 suggested that a majority of the Polish people were open to agreeing with his explanation that martial law was implemented to forestall a Soviet invasion.[2] Available documents indicate that Jaruzelski actually lobbied for Soviet intervention.[12] In interviews in Russian media (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, for example), he has been presented as the harbinger of Poland's democracy.[45]

Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulić described Jaruzelski as a "tragic believer in Communism who made a pact with the devil in good faith".[46]

Written works edit

Różnić się mądrze (English translation: To Differ Wisely; 1999).[8]

"Być może to ostatnie słowo (wyjaśnienia złożone przed Sądem)" (English translation: "It may be the last word (explanations given in the Court)"; 2008).

Honours and awards edit

Poland

  Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari
  Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta
  Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta – 5 November 1948
  Order of the Builders of People's Poland
  Order of the Banner of Work, 1st class
  Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class – 2 September 1945
  Cross of Valour (twice) – 24 June 1945, 14 January 1946
  Silver Cross of Merit – 20 July 1945
  Silver Medal "For Meritorious Field of Glory" (thrice) – 4 February 1945, 27 March 1945, 12 May 1945
  Medal "For Participation in the Fights in Defense of the People's Power"
  Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland – 1954
  Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland – 1974
  Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland – 1984
  Medal "For Oder, Neisse and the Baltic"
  Medal "For Warsaw 1939-1945"
  Medal "For Participation in the Battles for Berlin"
  Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945
  Gold Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland
  Silver Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland
  Bronze Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland
  Gold Medal of Merit for National Defence
  Silver Medal of Merit for National Defence
  Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence
  Medal of the National Education Commission
  Medal Pro Memoria – 2005
  Gold Badge of them. Janek Krasicki
  Polish State Millennium Badge

Soviet Union

  Order of Lenin (twice) – 1968 and 1983[47]
  Order of the October Revolution – 1973
  Order of the Red Banner – 1978
  Order of Friendship of Peoples – 1973
  Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" – 1969
  Medal "For the Liberation of Warsaw" – 1945
  Medal "For the Capture of Berlin" – 1945
  Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" - 1945
  Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" – 1965
  Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" – 1975
  Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" – 1985
  Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" – 1968
  Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" – 1978
  Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" – 1988
  Medal "For Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms" – 1979

Other countries

  Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) – 1967
  Order of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria) – 1983
  Medal of 30th Anniversary of the Bulgarian Armed Forces (Bulgaria) – 1974
  Order of José Martí (Cuba) – 1983
  Collar of the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia) – 1978
  Order of Klement Gottwald (Czechoslovakia) – 1983
  Order of the Red Banner (Czechoslovakia) – 1971
  Medal “For Strengthening Friendship in Arms”, Golden class (Czechoslovakia)
  Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland (Finland) – 1989
  Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur (France) – 1989
Order of Karl Marx (East Germany) – 1983
  Scharnhorst Order (East Germany) – 1975
  Grand Cross of Order of the Redeemer (Greece) – 1987
  Order of the Flag of the Republic of Hungary, 1st with diamonds (Hungary) – 1983
  Order of the Red Banner (Hungary) – 1977
  Medal of 60th Anniversary of the End of World War II (Israel) – 2005
  Knight Grand Cross with Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Italy) – 1989
  Order of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia) – 1977
  Order of the Red Banner (Mongolia) – 1983
  Order of the National Flag, 1st class (North Korea) – 1977[citation needed]
  Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (Portugal)
  Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic, 1st class (Romania) – 1983
  Gold Medal "Virtutea Ostăşească" (Romania) – 1971
  Medal of Zhukov (Russia) – 1996
  Jubilee Medal "50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (Russia) – 1995
  Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (Russia) – 2005
  Gold Star Order (Vietnam) – 1983

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  33. ^ "Wojciech Jaruzelski 'admitted to hospital with pneumonia'". Telegraph. 29 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  34. ^ Herald, Catholic. "Do not judge Jaruzelski, say Polish archbishops". CatholicHerald.co.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  35. ^ Poland's last Communist leader Wojciech Jaruzelski dies. 25 May 2014, BBC News.
  36. ^ Poland's Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski dies at 90. Warsaw, Poland (AP), 25 May 2014.
  37. ^ a b "Prayers, protests at Polish general's funeral - US News". usnews.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  38. ^ a b Poland's Walesa kneels in prayer at funeral mass for former foe Jaruzelski | Reuters. 30 May 2014
  39. ^ "Walesa: 'I will leave God to judge Jaruzelski'". scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  40. ^ Three presidents to attend Jaruzelski funeral - National. 30 May 2014, TheNews.pl
  41. ^ "Zmarła Barbara Jaruzelska, żona Wojciecha Jaruzelskiego - Wiadomości". onet.pl. 5 June 2017. Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  42. ^ Hella Pick (25 May 2014), "General Wojciech Jaruzelski obituary", The Guardian, retrieved 29 October 2014
  43. ^ Gover, Dominic (10 February 2014). "Poland's Last Soviet-Era Dictator, aged 90, Seduces his Nurse". International Business Times. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  44. ^ "Wife of former Polish dictator seeking divorce over his affair with nurse: report". New York Daily News. 11 February 2014.
  45. ^ "Войцех Ярузельский: Начал менять взгляды на Россию, находясь в депортации в Сибири". Российская газета (in Russian). 16 July 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  46. ^ Vanessa Gera (25 May 2014), Poland's last Communist leader, Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, dies at age 90, The Associated Press, retrieved 28 May 2014
  47. ^ "Jaruzelski gets highest Soviet prize". Reading Eagle. Moscow. AP. 5 July 1983. Retrieved 7 September 2013.

Bibliography edit

  • Berger, Manfred E. Jaruzelski: Traitor or Patriot? London: Hutchinson, 1990. ISBN 0091744660
  • Berger, Manfred E., and Zbigniew Bauer. Jaruzelski. Kraków: Oficyna Cracovia, 1991. ISBN 8385104216
  • Labedz, Leopold. Poland Under Jaruzelski: A Comprehensive Sourcebook on Poland During and After Martial Law. New York: Scribner, 1984. ISBN 0684181169
  • Pelinka, Anton. Politics of the Lesser Evil: Leadership, Democracy, & Jaruzelski's Poland. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1999. ISBN 1560003677
  • Swidlicki, Andrzej. Political Trials in Poland, 1981–1986. London: Croom Helm, 1988. ISBN 0709944446
  • Weschler, Lawrence. The Passion of Poland, from Solidarity Through the State of War. New York: Pantheon Books, 1982. ISBN 0394722868
  • Yanshun, Liu [zh], "Jaruzelski, the Shaker of Polish History" Beijing, Shijiezhishi, 2016 ISBN 9787501252299

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Jaruzelski: Selected Speeches
  • Marek Jan Chodakiewicz (12 December 2006), The Jaruzelski Case: The Ascent of Agent 'Wolski' 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine, World Politics Review
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Poland
11 February 1981 – 6 November 1985
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Council of State
6 November 1985 – 19 July 1989
Succeeded by
Office abolished
Preceded by
Office restored
Bolesław Bierut (in Poland)
Kazimierz Sabbat (in Exile)
President of Poland
19 July 1989 – 22 December 1990
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party
18 October 1981 – 29 July 1989
Succeeded by

wojciech, jaruzelski, wojciech, witold, jaruzelski, ɔɪ, ɑː, chekh, skee, polish, ˈvɔjt, ɕɛx, ˈvitɔlt, jaruˈzɛlskʲi, july, 1923, 2014, polish, military, general, politician, facto, leader, polish, people, republic, from, 1981, until, 1989, first, secretary, pol. Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski ˈ v ɔɪ tʃ ɛ x ˌ j ɑː r uː ˈ z ɛ l s k i VOY chekh YAH roo ZEL skee Polish ˈvɔjt ɕɛx ˈvitɔlt jaruˈzɛlskʲi 6 July 1923 25 May 2014 was a Polish military general 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 President was restored after 37 years He was also the last commander in chief of the Polish People s Army which in 1990 became the Polish Armed Forces GeneralWojciech JaruzelskiJaruzelski in 1981President of PolandIn office 19 July 1989 22 December 1990Prime MinisterMieczyslaw Rakowski Czeslaw Kiszczak Tadeusz MazowieckiPreceded byOffice restoredSucceeded byLech WalesaFirst Secretary of the Polish United Workers PartyIn office 18 October 1981 29 July 1989Prime MinisterHimself Zbigniew Messner Mieczyslaw RakowskiPreceded byStanislaw KaniaSucceeded byMieczyslaw Rakowski6th Chairman of the Council of StateIn office 6 November 1985 19 July 1989Prime MinisterZbigniew Messner Mieczyslaw RakowskiDeputyTadeusz Witold Mlynczak pl Tadeusz Szelachowski Zenon Komender pl Kazimierz BarcikowskiFirst SecretaryHimself Mieczyslaw RakowskiPreceded byHenryk JablonskiSucceeded byOffice abolished Himself as PresidentPrime Minister of PolandIn office 11 February 1981 6 November 1985First SecretaryStanislaw Kania HimselfPreceded byJozef PinkowskiSucceeded byZbigniew MessnerMinister of National DefenceIn office 11 April 1968 22 November 1983Preceded byMarian SpychalskiSucceeded byFlorian SiwickiPersonal detailsBornWojciech Witold Jaruzelski 1923 07 06 6 July 1923Kurow PolandDied25 May 2014 2014 05 25 aged 90 Warsaw PolandResting placePowazki Military Cemetery WarsawPolitical partyPPR 1944 1948 PZPR 1948 1990 Independent from 1990 SpouseBarbara Jaruzelska m 1961 wbr ChildrenMonika JaruzelskaSignatureMilitary serviceAllegiancePolish People s Republic Republic of PolandBranch servicePolish People s Army Polish Armed ForcesYears of service1943 1991RankGeneralBattles warsWorld War II Battle of BerlinBorn to Polish nobility in Kurow in eastern then central Poland Jaruzelski was deported with his family to Siberia by the NKVD after the invasion of Poland Assigned to forced labour in the Siberian wilderness he developed photokeratitis which forced him to wear protective sunglasses for the rest of his life In 1943 Jaruzelski joined the newly created First Polish Army and fought alongside the Soviets against Nazi Germany in the Eastern Front most notably in the liberation of Warsaw and in the Battle of Berlin Following the Polish October and the expatriation of Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky back to the Soviet Union Jaruzelski became the chief political officer of the Polish People s Army and eventually Polish Minister of Defence in 1968 Jaruzelski became the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers Party and leader of Poland after the brief one year term of Stanislaw Kania Kania s predecessor Edward Gierek left Poland severely indebted by accepting loans from foreign creditors and the country s economy almost collapsed by the time Jaruzelski became head of state As Poland headed towards insolvency rationing was enforced due to shortages of basic goods which only contributed to the tense social and political situation The declining living and working conditions triggered anger among the masses and strengthened anti communist sentiment the Solidarity union was also gaining support which worried the Polish Central Committee and the Soviet Union that viewed Solidarity as a threat to the Warsaw Pact Fearing a Soviet intervention similar to those in Hungary 1956 and Czechoslovakia 1968 Jaruzelski imposed martial law in Poland on 13 December 1981 to crush the anti communist opposition The military junta curfew and travel restrictions lasted until 22 July 1983 By the mid 1980s censorship lost its importance and the authority of the United Workers Party disintegrated allowing more freedom of expression in Poland During the revolutions of 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe Jaruzelski supported the change of government for the benefit of the country and resigned after the Polish Round Table Agreement which led to multi party elections in Poland He briefly served as President of Poland but exercised no real power and in the 1990 Polish presidential election Lech Walesa succeeded him as the first President elected in a popular vote Jaruzelski remains a controversial figure in Poland today he was praised for allowing the peaceful transition into democracy However he was fiercely criticized by contemporaries for instigating martial law during which thousands of opposition activists were imprisoned without definite charges and other human rights violations Contents 1 Early life 2 Military career 3 Leader of the Polish military government 4 Presidency 5 After retirement 6 Death 7 Personal life 8 Legacy 9 Written works 10 Honours and awards 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 External linksEarly life editWojciech Witold Jaruzelski was born on 6 July 1923 in Kurow 1 into a family of Polish gentry 1 2 He was the son of Wanda nee Zaremba and Wladyslaw Mieczyslaw Jaruzelski a Czech educated agronomist and volunteered soldier who fought in the war against Soviet Russia in 1920 3 4 and was raised on the family estate near Wysokie in the vicinity of Bialystok 5 From 1933 until September 1939 he was educated in a Catholic school in Warsaw where he received strict religious education 3 1 World War II commenced on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Germany aided by the Soviet invasion of Poland sixteen days later These resulted in the complete defeat of Poland by October and a partition between Soviet and German zones of control Jaruzelski and his family fled to Lithuania to stay with some friends However a few months later after Lithuania and the other Baltic states were forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union Jaruzelski and his family were captured by the Red Army and designated for deportation to Siberia 1 6 In June 1941 they were stripped of their valuable possessions and deported At the railway station Jaruzelski was separated from his father who was sent directly to a gulag Jaruzelski and his mother were sent on a month long journey to Biysk Altai Krai After that Jaruzelski walked for 180 kilometres 110 mi to Turochak where he was responsible for forest cleaning 3 7 During his labour work he was stricken with snow blindness suffering permanent damage to his eyes as well as to his back 2 His eye condition forced him to wear dark sunglasses most of the time for the rest of his life which became his trademark 6 Jaruzelski s father died on 4 June 1942 from dysentery his mother and sister survived the war she died in 1966 Military career editSee also Anti Zionist purge in the Polish Army nbsp Jaruzelski in 1968Jaruzelski was selected by the Soviet authorities for enrollment into the Soviet Officer Training School 1 During his time in the Kazakh Republic Jaruzelski wanted to join the non Soviet controlled Polish exile army led by Wladyslaw Anders 7 but in 1943 8 by which time the Soviet Union was fighting in Europe against Germany in the Eastern Front he joined the Polish army units being formed under Soviet command 2 He served in this Soviet controlled First Polish Army during the war 1 He participated in the 1945 Soviet military takeover of Warsaw and the Battle of Berlin 1 By the time the war ended that year he had gained the rank of lieutenant 2 He further credited himself in Soviet eyes 1 by engaging in combat against the non Communist Polish Home Army from 1945 to 1947 1 After the end of the war Jaruzelski graduated from the Polish Higher Infantry School and then from the General Staff Academy 8 He joined Poland s Communist party the Polish United Workers Party in 1948 8 and became an informant for the Soviet supervised Main Directorate of Information of the Polish Army using the cover name Wolski 9 In the initial post war years he was among those who fought the Polish anti Communists cursed soldiers in the Swietokrzyskie region A BBC News profile of Jaruzelski states that his career took off after the departure from Poland in 1956 of Polish born Soviet Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky 2 who had been Poland s Commander in Chief and Minister of Defence 2 Jaruzelski was elected to be a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party 8 10 and became the Chief Political Officer of the Polish armed forces in 1960 its chief of staff in 1964 and Polish Minister of Defence in 1968 2 succeeding in the latter post Marshal Marian Spychalski persecuted in the years 1948 1956 albeit without the rank 11 nbsp Jaruzelski right with Fidel Castro left in Poland May 1972In August 1968 Jaruzelski as the defence minister ordered the 2nd Army under General Florian Siwicki of the LWP to invade Czechoslovakia resulting in military occupation of northern Czechoslovakia until 11 November 1968 when under his orders and agreements with the Soviet Union his Polish troops were withdrawn and replaced by the Soviet Army In 1970 he was involved in the successful plot against Wladyslaw Gomulka which led to the appointment of Edward Gierek as General Secretary of the Polish United Workers Party There is some question whether he took part in organising the brutal suppression of striking workers or whether his orders to the Communist military led to massacres in the coastal cities of Gdansk Gdynia Elblag and Szczecin As Minister of Defense General Jaruzelski was ultimately responsible for 27 000 troops used against unarmed civilians 12 He claims that he was circumvented which is why he never apologised for his involvement 12 Jaruzelski became a candidate member for the Politburo of the Polish United Workers Party the chief executive body of the party obtaining full membership the following year 1 Leader of the Polish military government edit nbsp Jaruzelski in a television studio preparing to announce the imposition of martial law 1981On 11 February 1981 Jaruzelski was named Chairman of the Council of Ministers Prime Minister On 18 October Stanislaw Kania was ousted as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party after a listening device recorded him criticising the Soviet leadership Jaruzelski was elected his successor becoming the only professional soldier to become the leader of a ruling European Communist party 6 8 A fortnight after taking power Jaruzelski met with Solidarity head Lech Walesa and Catholic bishop Jozef Glemp and hinted that he wanted to bring the church and the union into a sort of coalition government However his intention was to crush Solidarity 13 As early as September while he was still merely prime minister he met with his aides to find an excuse to impose martial law 13 On 13 December citing purported recordings of Solidarity leaders planning a coup Jaruzelski organised his own coup by proclaiming martial law 6 A Military Council of National Salvation was formed with Jaruzelski as chairman A BBC News profile of Jaruzelski contends that the establishment of martial law was an attempt to suppress the Solidarity movement 2 According to Jaruzelski martial law was necessary to avoid a Soviet invasion 14 In a May 1992 interview with Der Spiegel Jaruzelski said Given the strategic logic of the time I probably would have acted the same way if I had been a Soviet general At that time Soviet political and strategic interests were threatened 15 However at a press conference in September 1997 Viktor Kulikov former supreme commander of Warsaw Pact forces denied that the Soviet Union had either threatened or intended to intervene 16 According to Politburo minutes from 10 December 1981 Yuri Andropov stated We do not intend to introduce troops into Poland That is the proper position and we must adhere to it until the end I don t know how things will turn out in Poland but even if Poland falls under the control of Solidarity that s the way it will be 17 nbsp Jaruzelski meeting with Yuri Andropov in Moscow 1982Jaruzelski also claimed in 1997 that Washington had given him a green light stating that he had sent Eugeniusz Molczyk to confer with Vice President George H W Bush who had agreed with Molczyk that martial law was the lesser of two evils 18 Whether this meeting with the American vice president occurred is disputed While it is erroneously cited clarification needed Harvard historian Mark Kramer has pointed out that no documents support Jaruzelski s claim 19 Jaruzelski was chiefly responsible for the imposition of martial law in Poland on 13 December 1981 in an attempt to crush the pro democracy movements which included Solidarity the first non Communist trade union in Warsaw Pact history Subsequent years saw his government and its internal security forces censor persecute and jail thousands of journalists and opposition activists without charge few lost their lives in the first days of the introduction of martial law The socio economic crisis deepened even more than in the late 1970s and rationing of basic foods such as sugar milk and meat as well as materials such as gasoline and consumer products continued while the median income of the population fell by as much as 10 percent During Jaruzelski s rule from 1981 to 1989 between 100 000 and 300 000 people left the country 19 nbsp Jaruzelski second from right with other communist leaders and members of the Warsaw Pact Berlin 1987Historical evidence released under Russian President Boris Yeltsin indicates that the Soviet Union did not plan to invade Poland In fact Jaruzelski actually tried to persuade the Soviets to invade in order to support martial law only to be sternly turned down This left the Solidarity problem to be sorted out by the Polish government see also Soviet reaction to the Polish crisis of 1980 1981 However the exact plans of the Soviet Union at that time have never been determined Jaruzelski however justified cracking down by alleging that the threat of Soviet intervention was quite likely had he not dealt with Solidarity internally This question as well as many other facts about Poland in the years 1945 1989 are presently under the investigation of government historians at the Instytut Pamieci Narodowej IPN whose publications reveal facts from the Communist era archives Additionally there are numerous confirmations from Czech army officers of the time speaking of Operation Krkonose a plan for an armed invasion of Poland because of which many units of the Czechoslovak People s Army were stationed on highest alert ready for deployment within hours 20 10 December 1981 Yuri Andropov stated We do not intend to introduce troops into Poland That is the proper position and we must adhere to it until the end I don t know how things will turn out in Poland but even if Poland falls under the control of Solidarity that s the way it will be 19 Yuri Andropov had considered the idea of foreign intervention in Poland as futile his belief was that the Poles were a nation of revolts during the 19th century and such atmosphere had weakened the Russian Rear and led to a Polish Legion marching in front of Napoleons troops 20 Polish Lancers of the Vistula Legion were the first unit to cross the Neman River when the Grande Armee entered Russia and as part of the Imperial Guard the first unit to enter Moscow They distinguished themselves in the Battle of Borodino and under Prince Jozef Poniatowski who personally saved Napoleon s life were one of the units that served as the rear guard during Napoleon s retreat In 1982 Jaruzelski helped reorganise the Front of National Unity the organisation the Communists used to manage their satellite parties as the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth 19 In 1985 Jaruzelski resigned as prime minister and defence minister and became the Chairman of the Polish Council of State a post equivalent to that of the head of state of Poland However his power centered on and firmly entrenched in his coterie of LWP generals and lower ranks officers of the Polish Communist Army 19 There were plans in the government circles to award him the rank of Marshal of Poland ultimately abandoned largely due to his own negative attitude towards the proposal Presidency edit nbsp Jaruzelski with Nicolae CeaușescuThe policies of Mikhail Gorbachev stimulated political reform in Poland as well as in other communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe 21 From 6 February to 4 April 1989 negotiations were held between 13 working groups during 94 sessions of the roundtable talks These negotiations radically altered the shape of the Polish government and society and resulted in an agreement which stated that a great degree of political power would be given to a newly created bicameral legislature It also restored a post of president to act as head of state and chief executive Solidarity was also declared a legal organisation During the ensuing partially free elections the Communists and their allies were allocated 65 percent of the seats in the Sejm Solidarity won all the remaining elected seats and 99 out of the 100 seats in the fully elected Senate were also won by Solidarity backed candidates 1 Amid such a crushing defeat there were fears Jaruzelski would annul the results However he allowed them to stand 22 Jaruzelski was elected by parliament to the position of president He was the only candidate Jaruzelski was unsuccessful in convincing Lech Walesa to include Solidarity in a grand coalition 1 with the Communists He resigned as first secretary of the PZPR on 29 July 1989 1 23 Mieczyslaw Rakowski succeeded him as party leader 23 The Communists initially intended to give Solidarity a few token cabinet posts for the sake of appearances However Walesa persuaded the Communists two allied parties the United People s Party ZSL and the Alliance of Democrats SD to break their alliance with the PZPR 24 Accepting that he would have to appoint a Solidarity member as prime minister Jaruzelski then asked Walesa to select three candidates one of whom he would ask to form a government Ultimately Tadeusz Mazowiecki who had helped organise the roundtable talks was selected as first non Communist prime minister of an Eastern Bloc country in four decades 25 Jaruzelski resigned as president in 1990 1 He was succeeded by Walesa who had won the presidential election on 9 December 26 On 31 January 1991 Jaruzelski retired from the army 27 After retirement edit nbsp Jaruzelski in 2006In October 1994 while attending a book selling activity in Wroclaw Jaruzelski was attacked by a male pensioner with a stone his jaw was injured requiring surgery The attacker who had been imprisoned during the martial law period was sentenced to two years imprisonment and fined 2 000 000 zloty 28 In an interview in 2001 Jaruzelski said that he believed communism failed and that he was now a social democrat He also announced his support for President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Leszek Miller later Prime Minister Both Kwasniewski and Miller were members of the Democratic Left Alliance the social democratic party that included most of the remains of the PUWP 7 In May 2005 Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a medal commemorating the 60th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany to Jaruzelski and other former leaders including former Romanian King Michael I 29 Czech President Vaclav Klaus criticised this step saying that Jaruzelski was a symbol of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 Jaruzelski said that he had apologised and that the decision on the August 1968 invasion had been a great political and moral mistake 30 On 28 March 2006 Jaruzelski was awarded a Siberian Exiles Cross by Polish President Lech Kaczynski However after making this fact public Kaczynski said that this was a mistake and blamed his staff for giving him a document containing 1 293 names without notifying him of Jaruzelski s inclusion After this statement Jaruzelski returned the cross 31 32 On 31 March 2006 the IPN charged Jaruzelski with committing communist crimes mainly the creation of a criminal military organisation with the aim of carrying out criminal acts mostly concerned with the illegal imprisonment of people A second charge involved inciting state ministers to commit acts beyond their competence 32 Jaruzelski evaded most court appearances citing poor health In December 2010 Jaruzelski suffered from severe pneumonia 33 and in March 2011 he was diagnosed with lymphoma 34 Death edit nbsp Jaruzelski s grave at Powazki Military Cemetery in WarsawJaruzelski died on 25 May 2014 in a Warsaw hospital after suffering a stroke earlier that month 35 36 He had reportedly requested last rites by a Catholic priest 37 38 President Bronislaw Komorowski former Presidents Lech Walesa and Aleksander Kwasniewski and hundreds of other Poles attended his funeral mass at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army in Warsaw on 30 May Walesa and Komorowski who were among the thousands imprisoned during the crackdown on Solidarity in 1981 both said that judgment against Jaruzelski would be left to God 38 39 Jaruzelski was cremated and buried with full military honours at Powazki Military Cemetery in Warsaw near the grave of Boleslaw Bierut the first Communist leader of Poland after World War II 40 The decision to bury Jaruzelski at Powazki the burial place of Polish soldiers killed defending their country since the early 19th century caused protests 37 Personal life editJaruzelski married Barbara Halina Jaruzelska 1931 2017 41 in 1961 42 They had a daughter Monika who was born on 11 August 1963 Monika has a son Gustaw In 2014 his wife Barbara threatened to file for divorce saying she had caught his nurse Dorota in a compromising position with him 43 44 Legacy editThe BBC reported in 2001 that for some Poles particularly the Solidarity generation he is little short of a traitor However opinion polls as of 15 May 2001 suggested that a majority of the Polish people were open to agreeing with his explanation that martial law was implemented to forestall a Soviet invasion 2 Available documents indicate that Jaruzelski actually lobbied for Soviet intervention 12 In interviews in Russian media Rossiyskaya Gazeta for example he has been presented as the harbinger of Poland s democracy 45 Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulic described Jaruzelski as a tragic believer in Communism who made a pact with the devil in good faith 46 Written works editRoznic sie madrze English translation To Differ Wisely 1999 8 Byc moze to ostatnie slowo wyjasnienia zlozone przed Sadem English translation It may be the last word explanations given in the Court 2008 Honours and awards editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Wojciech Jaruzelski news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Poland nbsp Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari nbsp Officer s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta nbsp Knight s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta 5 November 1948 nbsp Order of the Builders of People s Poland nbsp Order of the Banner of Work 1st class nbsp Order of the Cross of Grunwald 3rd class 2 September 1945 nbsp Cross of Valour twice 24 June 1945 14 January 1946 nbsp Silver Cross of Merit 20 July 1945 nbsp Silver Medal For Meritorious Field of Glory thrice 4 February 1945 27 March 1945 12 May 1945 nbsp Medal For Participation in the Fights in Defense of the People s Power nbsp Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People s Poland 1954 nbsp Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People s Poland 1974 nbsp Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People s Poland 1984 nbsp Medal For Oder Neisse and the Baltic nbsp Medal For Warsaw 1939 1945 nbsp Medal For Participation in the Battles for Berlin nbsp Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 nbsp Gold Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland nbsp Silver Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland nbsp Bronze Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland nbsp Gold Medal of Merit for National Defence nbsp Silver Medal of Merit for National Defence nbsp Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence nbsp Medal of the National Education Commission nbsp Medal Pro Memoria 2005 nbsp Gold Badge of them Janek Krasicki nbsp Polish State Millennium BadgeSoviet Union nbsp Order of Lenin twice 1968 and 1983 47 nbsp Order of the October Revolution 1973 nbsp Order of the Red Banner 1978 nbsp Order of Friendship of Peoples 1973 nbsp Jubilee Medal In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin 1969 nbsp Medal For the Liberation of Warsaw 1945 nbsp Medal For the Capture of Berlin 1945 nbsp Medal For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 1945 nbsp Jubilee Medal Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 1965 nbsp Jubilee Medal Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 1975 nbsp Jubilee Medal Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 1985 nbsp Jubilee Medal 50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR 1968 nbsp Jubilee Medal 60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR 1978 nbsp Jubilee Medal 70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR 1988 nbsp Medal For Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms 1979Other countries nbsp Commander of the Order of the Crown Belgium 1967 nbsp Order of Georgi Dimitrov Bulgaria 1983 nbsp Medal of 30th Anniversary of the Bulgarian Armed Forces Bulgaria 1974 nbsp Order of Jose Marti Cuba 1983 nbsp Collar of the Order of the White Lion Czechoslovakia 1978 nbsp Order of Klement Gottwald Czechoslovakia 1983 nbsp Order of the Red Banner Czechoslovakia 1971 nbsp Medal For Strengthening Friendship in Arms Golden class Czechoslovakia nbsp Grand Cross of the White Rose of Finland Finland 1989 nbsp Grand Cross of the Legion d Honneur France 1989Order of Karl Marx East Germany 1983 nbsp Scharnhorst Order East Germany 1975 nbsp Grand Cross of Order of the Redeemer Greece 1987 nbsp Order of the Flag of the Republic of Hungary 1st with diamonds Hungary 1983 nbsp Order of the Red Banner Hungary 1977 nbsp Medal of 60th Anniversary of the End of World War II Israel 2005 nbsp Knight Grand Cross with Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Italy 1989 nbsp Order of Sukhbaatar Mongolia 1977 nbsp Order of the Red Banner Mongolia 1983 nbsp Order of the National Flag 1st class North Korea 1977 citation needed nbsp Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry Portugal nbsp Order of the Star of the Romanian People s Republic 1st class Romania 1983 nbsp Gold Medal Virtutea Ostăsească Romania 1971 nbsp Medal of Zhukov Russia 1996 nbsp Jubilee Medal 50 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 Russia 1995 nbsp Jubilee Medal 60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941 1945 Russia 2005 nbsp Gold Star Order Vietnam 1983References edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Profile Gen Wojciech Jaruzelski Cable Network News CNN Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 24 November 2008 a b c d e f g h i Repa Jan 16 May 2001 Profile Poland s last Communist leader British Broadcasting Corporation BBC News Retrieved 26 November 2008 a b c Liu Yanshun 1 July 2016 Jaruzelski the Shaker of Polish History in Chinese 1 ed Beijing China Shijiezhishi pp 14 15 ISBN 9787501252299 Jaruzelski Wojciech Maxwell Robert 3 November 2006 Jaruzelski prime minister of Poland selected speeches Wojciech Jaruzelski Robert Maxwell Pergamon Press ISBN 9780080333663 Retrieved 28 May 2014 Chodakiewicz Marek Jan 12 December 2006 The Jaruzelski Case The Ascent of Agent Wolski World Politics Review a b c d Sebetsyen Victor 2009 Revolution 1989 The Fall of the Soviet Empire New York City Pantheon Books ISBN 978 0 375 42532 5 a b c Green Peter S 27 May 2001 An Aging Ex Dictator Who Refuses To Recant The New York Times p 2 Retrieved 29 November 2008 a b c d e f Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Retrieved 24 November 2008 The Jaruzelski Case The Ascent of Agent Wolski www worldpoliticsreview com Archived from the original on 11 November 2007 Retrieved 1 April 2018 Profile Poland s last communist leader 16 May 2001 The Struggle in the Polish Leadership and the Revolt of the ApparatArchived 27 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine a b c Szporer Michael General Wojciech Jaruzelski Global Museum on Communism Archived from the original on 9 October 2011 a b Poland marks Communist crackdown BBC News 13 December 2006 Suraska Wisla 1 April 1998 How the Soviet Union Disappeared An Essay on the Causes of Dissolution Duke University Press p 69 Retrieved 1 April 2018 via Internet Archive jaruzelski 1981 december WRON andropov Das war psychische Folter Der Spiegel 11 May 1992 Malcolm Byrne New Evidence on the Polish Crisis 1980 1981 Cold War International History Project Bulletin 11 Winter 1998 p 4 Minutes of CPSU CC Politburo 10 December 1981 Document No 21 p 165 Jane Perlez Warsaw Journal Old Cold War Enemies Exhume One Battlefield The New York Times 11 November 1997 p 14 a b c d e CIA Historical Review Program 24 October 1997 The Warsaw Pact 1955 1991 Treaty of Friendship Cooperation and Mutual Assistance PDF file direct download 12 2 MB Soviet East European Military Relations in Historical Perspective Sources and Reassessments The Historical Collections Division HCD of the Office of Information Management Services p 18 Archived PDF from the original on 24 November 2013 a b Petr Klan Kdyz disident ujede Aktualne cz 16 September 2008 Retrieved 1 April 2018 Sanford George 1984 The Polish Communist Leadership and the Onset of the State of War Soviet Studies 36 4 494 512 doi 10 1080 09668138408411551 ISSN 0038 5859 JSTOR 151930 Sarotte Mary Elise 7 October 2014 The Collapse The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall New York City Basic Books p 23 ISBN 9780465064946 a b Butturini Paula 30 July 1989 Solidarity Foe Is New Polish Party Chief Chicago Tribune Warsaw Retrieved 14 July 2013 Piotr Wrobel Rebuilding Democracy in Poland 1989 2004 in M B B Biskupski James S Pula Piotr J Wrobel 25 May 2010 The Origins of Modern Polish Democracy Ohio University Press pp 273 275 ISBN 978 0 8214 1892 5 Retrieved 4 June 2011 Martin Douglas 28 October 2013 Tadeusz Mazowiecki Ex Premier of Poland Dies at 86 The New York Times A Biographical Note Lech Walesa Institute Archived from the original on 14 June 2009 Stanislaw Ciosek Gen Jaruzelski to wielki Polak Powinnismy byc mu wdzieczni Wiadomosci onet pl 25 May 2014 Retrieved 28 May 2014 Liu Yanshun 1 July 2016 Jaruzelski the Shaker of Polish History in Chinese 1 ed Beijing China Shijiezhishi p 354 ISBN 9787501252299 Putin gives medal to Poland s communist era strongman AFP Find Articles at BNET com 1 May 2008 Archived from the original on 1 May 2008 Retrieved 1 April 2018 Former Polish President Apologizes for 1968 Soviet Led Invasion of Cz mosnews com 17 January 2004 Archived from the original on 17 January 2004 Retrieved 1 April 2018 Wyborcza pl wyborcza pl Retrieved 1 April 2018 a b Gwardianie generala Wiadomosci onet pl 26 July 2013 Retrieved 28 May 2014 Wojciech Jaruzelski admitted to hospital with pneumonia Telegraph 29 December 2010 Archived from the original on 12 January 2022 Retrieved 28 May 2014 Herald Catholic Do not judge Jaruzelski say Polish archbishops CatholicHerald co uk Retrieved 28 May 2014 Poland s last Communist leader Wojciech Jaruzelski dies 25 May 2014 BBC News Poland s Gen Wojciech Jaruzelski dies at 90 Warsaw Poland AP 25 May 2014 a b Prayers protests at Polish general s funeral US News usnews com Retrieved 1 April 2018 a b Poland s Walesa kneels in prayer at funeral mass for former foe Jaruzelski Reuters 30 May 2014 Walesa I will leave God to judge Jaruzelski scotsman com Retrieved 1 April 2018 Three presidents to attend Jaruzelski funeral National 30 May 2014 TheNews pl Zmarla Barbara Jaruzelska zona Wojciecha Jaruzelskiego Wiadomosci onet pl 5 June 2017 Archived from the original on 5 June 2017 Retrieved 1 April 2018 Hella Pick 25 May 2014 General Wojciech Jaruzelski obituary The Guardian retrieved 29 October 2014 Gover Dominic 10 February 2014 Poland s Last Soviet Era Dictator aged 90 Seduces his Nurse International Business Times Retrieved 18 April 2020 Wife of former Polish dictator seeking divorce over his affair with nurse report New York Daily News 11 February 2014 Vojceh Yaruzelskij Nachal menyat vzglyady na Rossiyu nahodyas v deportacii v Sibiri Rossijskaya gazeta in Russian 16 July 2008 Retrieved 14 September 2021 Vanessa Gera 25 May 2014 Poland s last Communist leader Gen Wojciech Jaruzelski dies at age 90 The Associated Press retrieved 28 May 2014 Jaruzelski gets highest Soviet prize Reading Eagle Moscow AP 5 July 1983 Retrieved 7 September 2013 Bibliography editBerger Manfred E Jaruzelski Traitor or Patriot London Hutchinson 1990 ISBN 0091744660 Berger Manfred E and Zbigniew Bauer Jaruzelski Krakow Oficyna Cracovia 1991 ISBN 8385104216 Labedz Leopold Poland Under Jaruzelski A Comprehensive Sourcebook on Poland During and After Martial Law New York Scribner 1984 ISBN 0684181169 Pelinka Anton Politics of the Lesser Evil Leadership Democracy amp Jaruzelski s Poland New Brunswick NJ Transaction Publishers 1999 ISBN 1560003677 Swidlicki Andrzej Political Trials in Poland 1981 1986 London Croom Helm 1988 ISBN 0709944446 Weschler Lawrence The Passion of Poland from Solidarity Through the State of War New York Pantheon Books 1982 ISBN 0394722868 Yanshun Liu zh Jaruzelski the Shaker of Polish History Beijing Shijiezhishi 2016 ISBN 9787501252299External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wojciech Jaruzelski nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Wojciech Jaruzelski Official website Jaruzelski Selected Speeches Marek Jan Chodakiewicz 12 December 2006 The Jaruzelski Case The Ascent of Agent Wolski Archived 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine World Politics ReviewPolitical officesPreceded byJozef Pinkowski Prime Minister of Poland11 February 1981 6 November 1985 Succeeded byZbigniew MessnerPreceded byHenryk Jablonski Chairman of the Council of State6 November 1985 19 July 1989 Succeeded byOffice abolishedPreceded byOffice restoredBoleslaw Bierut in Poland Kazimierz Sabbat in Exile President of Poland19 July 1989 22 December 1990 Succeeded byLech WalesaParty political officesPreceded byStanislaw Kania First Secretary of the Polish United Workers Party18 October 1981 29 July 1989 Succeeded byMieczyslaw Rakowski Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wojciech Jaruzelski amp 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