Polish People's Republic

Poland, 1944–1989. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Polish People's Republic was a unitary communist state established after the Red Army's takeover of Polish territory from German occupation. Communist control was strengthened through electoral fraud in the 1946 Polish people's referendum and the 1947 Polish parliamentary election. The Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) became the dominant political faction in a one-party state, but the country had more liberal policies than other socialist states due to its strategic location in the Cold War and internal opposition. The Polish People's Republic was dissolved following the Revolutions of 1989 and the 1990 Polish presidential election.

Seat of power: Warsaw

Rulers

Edward Ochab

Chairman of the Council of State, 1964–1968

He was a Polish communist politician and top leader of Poland between March and October. General Ochab was deputy minister of defence and led the political branch of the Armed Forces.

Portrait of Edward Ochab: unknown-anonymous, Public domain, file

Marian Spychalski

Chairman of the Council of State, 1968–1970

He held several key political posts during the PRL era, most notably; Chairman of the Council of State, mayor of Warsaw and Defence Minister.

Portrait of Marian Spychalski: Zbyszko Siemaszko, Public domain, file

Józef Cyrankiewicz

Chairman of the Council of State, 1970–1972

He served as premier of the Polish People's Republic between 1947 and 1952, and again for 16 years between 1954 and 1970. He also served as Chairman of the Polish Council of State from 1970 to 1972.

Portrait of Józef Cyrankiewicz: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Culture

With a total height of 237 metres, it is the second tallest building in both Warsaw and Poland.
The Palace houses various public and cultural institutions, including theatres, museums, universities, a cinema, a concert hall, a public swimming pool, and the offices of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The building was originally known as the Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science. During the period of destalinization, the dedication to Stalin was revoked.
The Ministry of Public Security (UB) and later the Security Service (SB) were the chief intelligence agencies that acted as the secret police.

Picture

Inspired by Polish historical architecture and American art deco high-rise buildings, the Palace of Culture and Science was designed by Soviet architect Lev Rudnev in the spirit of the "Seven Sisters".

Image: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.