Toraach
Banned
I wonder what caused that regimes in some soviet vassals in Europe were stable, and to contrary to them in Poland relativly unstable. When in other countries there were only a few popular revolts or unrest, which caused leadership changed. In contrary to that in Poland the history of the People's Republic is typically divided from one crisis to another. Well, not all period or unrests or such were in Poland particulary big and meaningful, and maybe in other countries they also happened, but I don't know about them, because my knowledge is focused on Poland. Changes in leadership during the last days of people's democracies aren't in my focus.
So:
1. Poland.
The first dictator was Bolesław Bierut, he was apointed by Stalin at the end of the War. You probably don't know but in Poland in years after the end of the 2WW was the war against the anti-communist underground. Bierut died in 1956 during the 20th congress of the CPSU. After him Edward Ochab became the party leader, but his position was weak one. In june 1956 was the popular revolt in Poznań, the army supressed. But in october 56, were great changes in Poland, so called the Polish October. In short that was similar to what happened in Hungary but wihout bloodshet, and peacefuly and succesfully. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_October In reality that was a great change, the regime from the totally brutal stalinist period became much more bearable and quickly evolved into a typical "people's democratic" reality of corruption and idleness. Władysław Gomułka "Comrade Wiesła" became the new dicator. By the way there were also student unrest in 1968, but they didn't change much in the country, and mostly were used to games between various fraction in the communist party.
His rule was ended in 1970 when after a popular revolt in port cities, which were caused by raising of the food prices, and ended suppressed by the army in bloodbath. Gomułka failed in the palace coup, and Edward Gierek became the new dictator. His decade is regarded as the best in a polish post-communist nostalgia. But in the second half of the 70s economy started to detoriate, and in 76 were new strikes after the food prices risings. Contrary to previous ones without the army intervention and deads. In 1980 a great strike wave and the creation of the Solidarity. Gierek was forced to resign and Stanisław Kania became the new general secretary of the party, after some time he took general Wojciech Jaruzelski as a primeminister, and shortly after Jaruzelski as a man which the Soviet Empire trusted more, exchanged Kania as a general secretary of the party. The Soviets regarded Kania as too soft, and Jaruzelski promised them swift execution of the Martial Law. Poland in 80s to the end of People's Republic was ruled by Jaruzelski.
2. German Democratic Republic.
The first leader of the SED was Wilhelm Pieck, but only to 1950, after this date he remained as the president, so insignificat position and Walter Ulbrith was the party leader to 1971. When he was overrun by Erich Honecker in the palace cup. There was also some guy at the very end, but he was insignificant. So most time this state was ruled by just two men. And even the Berlin uprising in 1953 didn't result in some change in leadership. One uprising and stability.
3. Czechoslovakia. First was Gotwalf, he died in 1953, later Novotny to 1968. After him in 68 Dubcek, this was the period of the instability and popular unrest which resulted in the prague spring, and later the "brotherly help" by the Warsaw Pack. After that Husak ruled to 87, when under some reformist pression of the Gorbachev era he as a brezhnievite dinosaur resigned, under him briefly was some unimportant guy. So relativly stability, and one big period of the big social instability in the middle.
4. Bulgaria. First was a stalinist dinosaur called Georgi Dimitrov, died in 48. After him was his brother in law Valko Chervenkov. He was the party leader to 54, when under destalinization-soviet pressure reseigned from the party post, but remained as the prime minister. The new party general secretary was Todor Zhivkov. After brief two years of "collective leadership", Zhivkov won and he ruled Bulgaria to the very end of the communist period. He was the longest rulling dictator in the Warsaw Packt. Very stable.
5. Hungary. The first dicator was Matyas Rakosi. After he was outed, because destalinization the new secretary of the party became Erno Gero, but he resigned under public pressure in october 1956. The new prime minister became Imre Nagy and the party leader Janos Kadar. Nagy was the face of the hungarian revolution and later was killed, Kadar changed sides and became newly apointed hungarian dictator by soviet blessing, and ruled Hungary nearly to the end of people's democracy. He resigned in 88. So one revolution and stability.
6. Romania. Before 1952 had been some kind of the collective leadership. The general secretary of the party was Gheorghe Gheorgiu-Dej to year 1965 with brief interegnum by Georghe Apostol in 1954-55. But Gheorgiu-Dej was the one and only dicator only after 1952. Apostol was his puppet, when he was forced by the Soviet into briefly adopting "collective leadership", but contrary to Chervenkov in Bulgaria, he was able to stay in power to his death in 1965. After his death the new dicator became Nikolae Ceausescu, to his very personal end... Also rather stable.
So:
1. Poland.
The first dictator was Bolesław Bierut, he was apointed by Stalin at the end of the War. You probably don't know but in Poland in years after the end of the 2WW was the war against the anti-communist underground. Bierut died in 1956 during the 20th congress of the CPSU. After him Edward Ochab became the party leader, but his position was weak one. In june 1956 was the popular revolt in Poznań, the army supressed. But in october 56, were great changes in Poland, so called the Polish October. In short that was similar to what happened in Hungary but wihout bloodshet, and peacefuly and succesfully. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_October In reality that was a great change, the regime from the totally brutal stalinist period became much more bearable and quickly evolved into a typical "people's democratic" reality of corruption and idleness. Władysław Gomułka "Comrade Wiesła" became the new dicator. By the way there were also student unrest in 1968, but they didn't change much in the country, and mostly were used to games between various fraction in the communist party.
His rule was ended in 1970 when after a popular revolt in port cities, which were caused by raising of the food prices, and ended suppressed by the army in bloodbath. Gomułka failed in the palace coup, and Edward Gierek became the new dictator. His decade is regarded as the best in a polish post-communist nostalgia. But in the second half of the 70s economy started to detoriate, and in 76 were new strikes after the food prices risings. Contrary to previous ones without the army intervention and deads. In 1980 a great strike wave and the creation of the Solidarity. Gierek was forced to resign and Stanisław Kania became the new general secretary of the party, after some time he took general Wojciech Jaruzelski as a primeminister, and shortly after Jaruzelski as a man which the Soviet Empire trusted more, exchanged Kania as a general secretary of the party. The Soviets regarded Kania as too soft, and Jaruzelski promised them swift execution of the Martial Law. Poland in 80s to the end of People's Republic was ruled by Jaruzelski.
2. German Democratic Republic.
The first leader of the SED was Wilhelm Pieck, but only to 1950, after this date he remained as the president, so insignificat position and Walter Ulbrith was the party leader to 1971. When he was overrun by Erich Honecker in the palace cup. There was also some guy at the very end, but he was insignificant. So most time this state was ruled by just two men. And even the Berlin uprising in 1953 didn't result in some change in leadership. One uprising and stability.
3. Czechoslovakia. First was Gotwalf, he died in 1953, later Novotny to 1968. After him in 68 Dubcek, this was the period of the instability and popular unrest which resulted in the prague spring, and later the "brotherly help" by the Warsaw Pack. After that Husak ruled to 87, when under some reformist pression of the Gorbachev era he as a brezhnievite dinosaur resigned, under him briefly was some unimportant guy. So relativly stability, and one big period of the big social instability in the middle.
4. Bulgaria. First was a stalinist dinosaur called Georgi Dimitrov, died in 48. After him was his brother in law Valko Chervenkov. He was the party leader to 54, when under destalinization-soviet pressure reseigned from the party post, but remained as the prime minister. The new party general secretary was Todor Zhivkov. After brief two years of "collective leadership", Zhivkov won and he ruled Bulgaria to the very end of the communist period. He was the longest rulling dictator in the Warsaw Packt. Very stable.
5. Hungary. The first dicator was Matyas Rakosi. After he was outed, because destalinization the new secretary of the party became Erno Gero, but he resigned under public pressure in october 1956. The new prime minister became Imre Nagy and the party leader Janos Kadar. Nagy was the face of the hungarian revolution and later was killed, Kadar changed sides and became newly apointed hungarian dictator by soviet blessing, and ruled Hungary nearly to the end of people's democracy. He resigned in 88. So one revolution and stability.
6. Romania. Before 1952 had been some kind of the collective leadership. The general secretary of the party was Gheorghe Gheorgiu-Dej to year 1965 with brief interegnum by Georghe Apostol in 1954-55. But Gheorgiu-Dej was the one and only dicator only after 1952. Apostol was his puppet, when he was forced by the Soviet into briefly adopting "collective leadership", but contrary to Chervenkov in Bulgaria, he was able to stay in power to his death in 1965. After his death the new dicator became Nikolae Ceausescu, to his very personal end... Also rather stable.