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Polish Crisis, 1980-1981 Clear All

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Eastern Europe

Poland

September 1980 crisis in Poland

1980-81 Polish Crisis

Leonid Brezhnev, 1974.

Brezhnev, Leonid Il'ich

1906- 1982

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Kania, Stanislaw

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Jaruzelski, W. (Wojciech)

1923- 2014

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Andropov, Yuri Vladimirovich

1914- 1984

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Soviet Union. Communist Party. Central Committee (CPSU CC). Politburo

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Soviet soldier taking a photograph of another soldier in Red Square, Moscow, 1959

Eastern Europe

Soviet Union

Soviet Foreign Policy

Ryszard Kukliński Collection

Andrei Gromyko at the UN, 1981

Gromyko, Andrei Andreevich

1909- 1989

The Palace of the Republic (Palast der Republik) in Berlin

Eastern Europe

East Germany

Warsaw Pact

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Eastern Europe

Czechoslovakia

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Eastern Europe

Hungary

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Leonid Brezhnev Collection

Photograph of Gorbachev-Bush summit at Malta, 1989

End of the Cold War

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Western Europe

Austria

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September 15, 1981	Report on the Imposition of Martial Law "Jack Strong" [Ryszard Kuklinski] reports that at a recent KOK session, no final decision was made about the imposition of martial law, though almost all participants were in support. A unified plan of command for the surprise introduction of martial law is discussed, as a secondary plan to be implemented after political means were unable to repress the counterrevolution.
November 26, 1980	Letter from Honecker to Brezhnev East German leader Erik Honecker writes to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev requesting that a meeting of the First Secretaries of the Communist Parties in the Warsaw Pact member states be convened to discuss the crisis in Poland. Honecker suggests that any delay in taking action agains the "reactionary forces" would result in the demise of communism in Poland.
April 23, 1981	CPSU CC Politburo Commission Report, 'On the Development of the Situation in Poland and Certain Steps on Our Part,' and CPSU CC-Approved Plan of'Measures to Assist the PZPR [Polish United Workers' Party]' Special Dossier to the CPSU CC discussing the weakening of the PZPR and the rise of Solidarity as an organized political force. Describes the leadership of Kania and Jaruzelski in the party and prescribes a method of politically weakening Solidarity by exposing and exploiting its fragments, including the extremist KOS-KOS, and stepping up propaganda that stresses the impending invasion of Soviet troops to suppress the uprising.
April 26, 1981	Report on the "Hopeless" Situation in Poland Letter from Kuklinski to his CIA contact indicating that the situation in Poland is militarily hopeless.
September 3, 1980	CPSU CC Politburo Report "On Theses for the discussion with representatives of the Polish leadership" Cable to the Polish leadership regarding the position of the Soviet leadership in regard to the agreements reached earlier in 1980 between the Polish Government and the Inter-Factory Strike Committee. The Soviet leadership expresses its concerns with the consequences of the agreements on the role of the Party in Polish society.
December 1980	Report Warning of Soviet intervention "Jack Strong" [Ryszard Kuklinski] shares an urgent message relating contents of a secret Soviet meeting that outlined plans to bring USSR, East German, and Czechoslovak forces into Poland.
December 1, 1981	The Anoshkin Notebook on the Polish Crisis Notebook of General Victor Anoshkin, aide of Marshal Victor Kulikov. Anoshkin kept records of Kulikov’s meetings, phone calls, and conversations in Poland in December 1981.
December 5, 1980	Werner Krolikowski, "Comment on the Report of the PB to the 13th Plenum of the SED CC, which was prepared and submitted by Günther Mittag," handwritten, [excerpt] Excerpt of set of notes written by Werner Krolikowski; includes his fourth point, which discusses the effects of the changes taking place in Poland; addresses socialist development in Poland and counterrevolution.
November 25, 1980	Record of a Meeting between CPCz CC General Secretary Gustáv Husák and HSWP CC First Secretary János Kádár in Bratislava, (excerpt from Kádár) Excerpts from a discussion between Czechoslovak leader Husak and Hungarian leader Kadar on the situation in Poland. Janos Kadar suggests that the source of the crisis rests with mistakes made by the Polish leadership regarding economic policies. However, he still supports Polish leader Gierek, and believes that he should not have been removed from his position of responsibility.
December 13, 1981	Stenographic transcript of the meeting of the Consultative Political Committee of the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party This is an extensive meeting dealing with the situation unfolding in Poland following Jarulzelski’s declaration of martial law in December 1981.