alternatehistory.com

Polish post-war governments


Stanisław Mikołajczyk
(July 18, 1901 - December 13, 1966)

Prime Minister of the Polish goverment in exile
(July 14, 1943 - February 9, 1945)

Chairman of the Polish Provisional Government
(February 9, 1945 - March 14, 1946)

Prime Minister of Poland
(March 14, 1946 - March 18, 1954)
Achievements:

  • Imposition of the Polish occupational zone in Germany. (1945)
  • Acquisition of East Prussia, Pomerania and Silesia. (1945)
  • Securing war reparations payment for Poland from Germany. (1946)
  • Membership in the United Nations. (1946)
  • Creation of national, compulsory education system. (1946)
    • 8 years of basic education.
    • 5 years of high technical education/4 years of high school/3 years of basix technical education.
    • 3,5/5/9 years of Technical University/University.
  • Creation of national healthcare system - it was hampered by lack of funds and overall destruction of Polish nation following the World War II - but it had slowly been expanded by successive governments of 1950s and 1960s. (1946)
  • Land Reform - 2 million hectares are divided and distributed to farmers. (1946-1951)
  • Participation in the European Recovery Program. (1947)
  • Membership in NATO. (1949)
  • Economic plans drafted by the Central Bureau of Planning and enacted by Mikołajczyk:
    • I Four-Years' Plan (1947-1950)
      • Rise of Gross National Income by 76% (OTL 53%).
    • II Four-Years' Plan (1951-1954)
      • Increase in a foreign trade.
      • Acceleration of urbanization.
      • Rise of industrial output (mainly in a light industry).
  • Creation of Warsaw Metro. (1953)

Elections:

  • Presidential:
    • 1946
      • Tomasz Arciszewski - Polish Socialist Party (coalition with Polish People's Party) (31%) (61%)
      • Jędrzej Giertych - National Party (26%) (39%)
      • Stanisław Michałowski - Democratic Party (22%)
      • Władysław Gomułka - Polish Workers' Party - (11%)
      • Bolesław Piasecki - National Radical Camp (10%)
    • 1951
      • Tomasz Arciszewski - Polish Socialist Party (coalition with Polish People's Party) (44%) (55%)
      • Stanisław Michałowski - Democratic Party (31%) (45%)
      • Jędrzej Giertych - National Party (12%)
      • Władysław Gomułka - Polish Workers' Party - (7%)
      • Bolesław Piasecki - National Radical Camp (6%)
  • Parliamentarian:
    • 1946
      • Senate (total seats: 100):
        • Polish Socialist Party - 28 seats
        • National Party - 27 seats
        • Polish People's Party - 23 seats
        • Democratic Party - 22 seats
      • Sejm (total seats: 480):
        • Polish Socialist Party - 123 seats
        • Polish People's Party - 118 seats
        • Democratic Party - 91 seats
        • National Party - 86 seats
        • Polish Workers' Party - 29 seats
        • National Radical Camp - 16 seats
        • Labour Party - 6 seats
        • Catholic Club - 5 seats
        • Silesian Party - 4 seats
        • Union for Economic Reconstruction - 1 seat
        • Centre Party - 1 seat
    • 1950
      • Senate (total seats: 100):
        • Polish Socialist Party - 40 seats
        • Democratic Party - 25 seats
        • Polish People's Party - 23 seats
        • National Party - 12 seats
      • Sejm (total seats: 500):
        • Polish Socialist Party - 133 seats
        • Polish People's Party - 118 seats
        • Democratic Party - 91 seats
        • National Party - 51 seats
        • Home Army Association - 37 seats
        • Polish Workers' Party - 26 seats
        • National Radical Camp - 19 seats
        • Labour Party - 12 seats
        • Catholic Club - 5 seats
        • Silesian Party - 4 seats
        • Centre Party - 3 seats
        • Union for Economic Reconstruction - 1 seat
        • Agrarian Union for Poland - 1 seats



Józef Cyrankiewicz
(April 23, 1911 - January 20, 1989)

Prime Minister of Poland
(March 18, 1954 - March 17, 1958)
Achievements:

  • Development of Polish coal and steel industry.
  • Formation of Central European Economic Assistance Union with Czechoslovakia and Hungary. (1956)
  • Normalization of relationships with the Soviet Union (1957)
  • III Four-Years' Plan (1955-1958):
    • Expansion of coal and steel production.
    • Expansion of state-funded higher education:
      • Thaddeus Kosciuszko's University of Technology in Krakow. (1955)
      • Poznan University of Technology. (1955)
      • Częstochowa University of Technology. (1956)
      • Kielce University of Technology. (1958)
      • Rzeszów University of Technology (1958)
    • Development of civillian nuclear technology.
      • Polish-American project to build three atomic power plants in Poland.

Elections:

  • Presidential:
    • 1956
      • Józef Haller - Independent/Home Army Association - 29% (53%)
      • Zygmunt Zaremba - Polish Socialist Party - 25% (47%)
      • Stefan Ignar - United People's Party - 21%
      • Jan Wende - Democratic Party - 20%
      • Jędrzej Giertych - National Party - 5%
  • Parliamentarian:
    • Senate (100 seats):
      • Polish Socialist Party - 40 seats
      • Democratic Party - 23 seats
      • Home Army Association - 17 seats
      • Polish People's Party - 11 seats
      • United People's Party - 9 seats
    • Sejm (500 seats):
      • Polish Socialist Party - 128 seats
      • Democratic Party - 89 seats
      • Home Army Association - 54 seats
      • Polish People's Party - 51 seats
      • United People's Party - 49 seats
      • National Party - 48 seats
      • National Radical Camp - 22 seats
      • Polish Socialist Party (Democratic Revolution) - 21 seats
      • Polish Workers' Party - 19 seats
      • Labour Party - 14 seats
      • Christian Union - 5 seats
      • Silesian Party - 3 seats
      • Union for Economic Reconstruction - 2 seats
      • Centre Party - 2 seats
      • Neutrality Alliance - 1 seats
      • Self-Defence Forces - 1 seat
      • Union of Economical Freedom - 1 seat
      • Ruling coalition: Polish Socialist Party, Home Army Association, Polish People's Party, Labour Party, Silesian Party, Self-Defence Forces (Total: 251 seats)

Top