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Post by Jaga on Feb 20, 2008 23:03:14 GMT -7
Poland's last communist-era leader, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, is reported in serious condition in a Warsaw hospital for treatment of pneumonia and other medical complications. Western and Polish news reports say the 84-year-old general was hospitalized last week. The general remains a divisive figure in Poland for his 1981 imposition of martial law in efforts to suppress the Solidarity labor movement, the first government-recognized independent trade union in a communist-ruled country. Scores of people were killed in the crackdown, while tens of thousands of other Solidarity activists were arrested. Last April, prosecutors formally charged General Jaruzelski with "communist crimes" for the martial law declaration, which authorities said violated Polish law. The general has said he declared martial law to avoid the potential for a bloodbath that was expected see his current picture: www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-19-voa53.cfm |
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Post by hollister on Feb 21, 2008 6:48:04 GMT -7
Do you think that if Jaruzelski had not declared martial law there would have been the bloodbath he feared?
Or do you think he used this as an after action justification?
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Post by Jaga on Feb 21, 2008 10:29:23 GMT -7
Holly,
after all these years I am not sure that Polish democracy of 80-es would survive even without a martial law. Solidarity was still not prepared to rule, people were demanding unreasonable compensations and were working less and less hours.
Democracy was uncontrolled, everybody had its own opinion, Solidarity congress was a disaster where procedural steps took so much time... that there was no time for discussion.
I believe that people and Solicarity needed a time to mature after a shock.
Did you notice that almost in all communistic countries after turnover of communism and a couole of years of anti-comunistic rules, the communists were back in power fo some time? Since they knew how to run things, not perfectly but still good enough...
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Post by hollister on Feb 21, 2008 11:33:23 GMT -7
Holly, after all these years I am not sure that Polish democracy of 80-es would survive even without a martial law. Solidarity was still not prepared to rule, people were demanding unreasonable compensations and were working less and less hours. Democracy was uncontrolled, everybody had its own opinion, Solidarity congress was a disaster where procedural steps took so much time... that there was no time for discussion. I believe that people and Solicarity needed a time to mature after a shock. Did you notice that almost in all communistic countries after turnover of communism and a couole of years of anti-comunistic rules, the communists were back in power fo some time? Since they knew how to run things, not perfectly but still good enough... So you are saying that martial law gave the Solidarity Movement time to mature and learn how to actually run a country? I guess you could say it is the difference between theory and reality, right? Do you think that in hindsight the Communists should have given Solidarity what they wanted and let them fail? |
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Post by Jaga on Feb 21, 2008 15:23:26 GMT -7
Do you think that in hindsight the Communists should have given Solidarity what they wanted and let them fail? No, this is a scary thought. We were living there in this time in Poland! You know what would happen if the economy would fails completely, nobody would work, nobody would coordinate anything? I remember one evening when we were worrying that we would not have bread the next day. I do not want to go through this again. Sorry, but bread is more important than freedom. |
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