Cover: The Power Struggle in the Polish Communist Leadership : The March Events--End of an Era.

The Power Struggle in the Polish Communist Leadership : The March Events--End of an Era.

by A. Ross Johnson

Purchase Print Copy

 FormatList Price Price
Add to Cart Paperback26 pages $20.00 $16.00 20% Web Discount

An examination of internal Party maneuvering in 1968-1969. Gomulka's domination of opposed factions in the Polish United Workers Party (PUWP) was severely challenged before and after the student protest of March 8, 1968, by the hard-liners--led by the Partisans. Their bid for power was characterized by anti-Semitism, anti-intellectualism, and criticism of the existing regime. Gomulka's adroitness in outmaneuvering his opponents, combined with the PUWP's organizational structure favoring the continuation in power of the Party leader and the effect of the Czechoslovakian invasion, resulted in successful reconsolidation of his authority by the November Congress. Paradoxically, his domination of the Party was ended; a new group of young "pragmatists" has emerged who are turning to the task of modernizing Polish society. 26 pp.

This report is part of the RAND Corporation Paper series. The paper was a product of the RAND Corporation from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.