Polish United Workers' Party

The Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP; in Polish, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, PZPR), was a Polish communist party. It was the governing political party in communist-ruled People's Republic of Poland from its creation (through a fusion of the communist Polish Workers' Party and the left wing of the Polish Socialist Party) in December 1948 until the regime's electoral defeat in 1989.

It was allied with two minor parties - Stronnictwo Demokratyczne and Zjednoczone Stronnictwo Ludowe, and a few semi-independent Catholic political organizations like Stowarzyszenie Pax, which had limited rights to run candidates for elections.

In January 1990 the party reconstituted itself as the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (Socjaldemokracja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, SdRP), since April 1999 the principal constituent of the Democratic Left Alliance (Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej, SLD).

The PUWP's leaders (called first secretaries) were:

Bolesław Bierut (1948 - 1956)
Edward Ochab (March - October 1956)
Władysław Gomułka (1956 - 1970)
Edward Gierek (1970 - 1980)
Stanisław Kania (1980 - 1981)
Wojciech Jaruzelski (1981 - 1989)
Mieczysław Rakowski (1989 - 1990)

[edit] See also


	First Secretaries of the Central Committee of the PUWP
	Bolesław Bierut • Edward Ochab • Władysław Gomułka • Edward Gierek • Stanisław Kania • Wojciech Jaruzelski • Mieczysław Rakowski