Provisional Government of National Unity
Encyclopedia
The Provisional Government of National Unity (Polish: Tymczasowy Rząd Jedności Narodowej or TRJN) was a government formed by a decree of the State National Council
(Krajowa Rada Narodowa) on 28 June 1945. It was created as a coalition government between Polish Communists and the Polish government-in-exile. This was the agreement reached by the Western Allies
and the Soviet Union
during the Yalta Conference
.
The TRJN was a result of the negotiations held in Moscow
between the Polish Communists, the Soviet Union, and Stanisław Mikołajczyk's faction from 17 June to 21 June. The Polish government-in-exile didn't recognize the TRJN
. Only a few members, like the former Prime Minister of Poland Stanisław Mikołajczyk decided to trust the Soviets and enter into negotiations with them, only to be betrayed later.
In fact, the Communists had little intention of giving any opposition any real power, or carrying out the promised 'free and fair' elections. The members of the opposition that received any positions were kept in check by their deputies and staff, always loyal to the communists, so they had little real power.
On 21 June, General Leopold Okulicki
, former Commander of the Polish Home Army was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in Moscow for the alleged sabotage against the Soviet Army. Ten other Poles were given similar sentences in the staged Trial of the Sixteen
. On 24 December 1946, Okulicki died in Butyrka prison.
The TRJN was already bound by the Treaty of Friendship, Mutual Help and Cooperation signed by its predecessor, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland, on 21 April. This treaty formed the basis for Soviet interference in Poland's internal politics for the next 40 years.
The TRJN government was composed of:
The entire government was composed of:
On 5 July 1945, the TRJN was recognized by the USA. It was soon recognized by other Allies (France
, United Kingdom
). It was not recognized by the Vatican
.
On 6 July, while the Polish government-in-exile maintained its existence, both the United States and the United Kingdom formally withdrew recognition of it.
On 10 July, Osóbka-Morawski announced the expulsion of all Germans from Poland.
From 17 July to 2 August, a delegation from the TRJN attended the 1945 Potsdam Conference
.
On 16 August, a Soviet-Polish border agreement was signed in Moscow. Before the end of August, Poland agreed to cede eastern provinces to the Soviet Union and officially recognizing an eastern border based on a slightly modified Curzon line
.
On 16 October, delegates of the TRJN signed the United Nations Charter
and Poland became a member of the United Nations
.
The 'free and fair' elections promised by the TRJN were postponed until the Communists were sure they could obtain a majority. In the meantime, they increased repressions of opposition, trying to bribe, threaten, delegalise or even murder members of the opposition. In words of Gomułka, the goal of the communists was to be the hegemon of the nation and nothing would stop them. On 30 June 1946 , they tested their control during the 3xTAK referendums, which they managed to falsify enough to claim 68% of support.
Two great reforms carried out by TRJN were the nationalization
decree and Three Year Plan (of 1947-1949), both created in 1946. The nationalization decree gave the government control over every enterprise which employed more than 50 people; by the end of the year, 90% of the country's industry was controlled by the communists.
TRJN was dissolved and passed its prerogatives as the government of Poland after the staged Polish legislative elections, 1947 on 19 January to the new government, headed by Józef Cyrankiewicz
and nominated by the new parliament, Sejm Ustawodawczy (1947-1952), which replaced the KRN.
State National Council
Krajowa Rada Narodowa in Polish was a parliament-like political body formed in the late stages of the Second World War in the Soviet Union, as part of the formation of a new Communist Polish government...
(Krajowa Rada Narodowa) on 28 June 1945. It was created as a coalition government between Polish Communists and the Polish government-in-exile. This was the agreement reached by the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
.
The TRJN was a result of the negotiations held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
between the Polish Communists, the Soviet Union, and Stanisław Mikołajczyk's faction from 17 June to 21 June. The Polish government-in-exile didn't recognize the TRJN
. Only a few members, like the former Prime Minister of Poland Stanisław Mikołajczyk decided to trust the Soviets and enter into negotiations with them, only to be betrayed later.
In fact, the Communists had little intention of giving any opposition any real power, or carrying out the promised 'free and fair' elections. The members of the opposition that received any positions were kept in check by their deputies and staff, always loyal to the communists, so they had little real power.
Leopold Okulicki
General Leopold Okulicki was a General of the Polish Army and the last commander of the anti-German underground Home Army during World War II. He was murdered after the war by the Soviet NKVD....
, former Commander of the Polish Home Army was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in Moscow for the alleged sabotage against the Soviet Army. Ten other Poles were given similar sentences in the staged Trial of the Sixteen
Trial of the Sixteen
The Trial of the Sixteen was a staged trial of 16 leaders of the Polish Underground State held by the Soviet Union in Moscow in 1945.-History:Some accounts say approaches were made in February with others saying March 1945...
. On 24 December 1946, Okulicki died in Butyrka prison.
The TRJN was already bound by the Treaty of Friendship, Mutual Help and Cooperation signed by its predecessor, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland, on 21 April. This treaty formed the basis for Soviet interference in Poland's internal politics for the next 40 years.
The TRJN government was composed of:
- Prime Minister: Edward Osóbka-MorawskiEdward Osóbka-MorawskiEdward Osóbka-Morawski was a Polish activist in PPS before World War II, and after the Soviet takover of Poland, Chairman of the Communist interim government called the Polish Committee of National Liberation formed in Lublin with Stalin's approval and backing.In October 1944, Osóbka-Morawski...
(Polska Partia Socjalistyczna) - Deputy Prome Minister, Minister of Regained Territories: Władysław Gomułka (Polska Partia Robotnicza)
- Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Agricultural Reform: Stanisław Mikołajczyk (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe)
The entire government was composed of:
- PPRPolish Workers' PartyThe Polish Workers' Party was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland, and merged with the Polish Socialist Party in 1948 to form the Polish United Workers' Party.-History:...
: 7 people - PPSPolish Socialist PartyThe Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
: 6 people - Stronnictwo LudoweStronnictwo LudoweThe People's Party was a Polish political party, active from 1931 in the Second Polish Republic. An agrarian populist party, its power base was composed mostly from peasants....
: 3 people - PSL: 3 people
- Stronnictwo Demokratyczne: 2 people
On 5 July 1945, the TRJN was recognized by the USA. It was soon recognized by other Allies (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
). It was not recognized by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
.
On 6 July, while the Polish government-in-exile maintained its existence, both the United States and the United Kingdom formally withdrew recognition of it.
On 10 July, Osóbka-Morawski announced the expulsion of all Germans from Poland.
From 17 July to 2 August, a delegation from the TRJN attended the 1945 Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
.
On 16 August, a Soviet-Polish border agreement was signed in Moscow. Before the end of August, Poland agreed to cede eastern provinces to the Soviet Union and officially recognizing an eastern border based on a slightly modified Curzon line
Curzon Line
The Curzon Line was put forward by the Allied Supreme Council after World War I as a demarcation line between the Second Polish Republic and Bolshevik Russia and was supposed to serve as the basis for a future border. In the wake of World War I, which catalysed the Russian Revolution of 1917, the...
.
On 16 October, delegates of the TRJN signed the United Nations Charter
United Nations Charter
The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the international organization called the United Nations. It was signed at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, United States, on 26 June 1945, by 50 of the 51 original member countries...
and Poland became a member of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
The 'free and fair' elections promised by the TRJN were postponed until the Communists were sure they could obtain a majority. In the meantime, they increased repressions of opposition, trying to bribe, threaten, delegalise or even murder members of the opposition. In words of Gomułka, the goal of the communists was to be the hegemon of the nation and nothing would stop them. On 30 June 1946 , they tested their control during the 3xTAK referendums, which they managed to falsify enough to claim 68% of support.
Two great reforms carried out by TRJN were the nationalization
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
decree and Three Year Plan (of 1947-1949), both created in 1946. The nationalization decree gave the government control over every enterprise which employed more than 50 people; by the end of the year, 90% of the country's industry was controlled by the communists.
TRJN was dissolved and passed its prerogatives as the government of Poland after the staged Polish legislative elections, 1947 on 19 January to the new government, headed by Józef Cyrankiewicz
Józef Cyrankiewicz
Józef Cyrankiewicz was a Polish Socialist, after 1948 Communist political figure. He served as premier of the People's Republic of Poland between 1947 and 1952, and again between 1954 and 1970...
and nominated by the new parliament, Sejm Ustawodawczy (1947-1952), which replaced the KRN.
See also
- Polish Committee of National LiberationPolish Committee of National LiberationThe Polish Committee of National Liberation , also known as the Lublin Committee, was a provisional government of Poland, officially proclaimed 21 July 1944 in Chełm under the direction of State National Council in opposition to the Polish government in exile...
(Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego or PKWN) - 1944/45 - Provisional Government of the Republic of Poland (Rząd Tymczasowy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej or RTRP) - 1945
- People's Republic of PolandPeople's Republic of PolandThe People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
(Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa or PRL) - 1944/52 (unofficial), 1952/89 (official) - Peoples' Troops of Poland (Ludowe Wojsko Polskie or LWP)
- Polish government-in-exile