Stanisław Kania
Stanisław Kania
A party leader who lost power while seeking compromise
In October 1981, the Central Committee removed Kania and elected Wojciech Jaruzelski as First Secretary.
Stanisław Kania was a leader of the Polish United Workers' Party who tried to manage the widening breach between party control and social demands. After the strikes of August 1980 and the rise of Solidarity, he pursued dialogue with the union and the Catholic Church, while distrust within the party and the economic crisis narrowed the room for compromise. Under pressure from the Soviet leadership, he left the post of First Secretary in October 1981, succeeded by Wojciech Jaruzelski. Tried over responsibility for the introduction of martial law, he was acquitted in 2012.
Career timeline
- 1945Joined the Polish Workers' Party
- 1948Delegate to the founding congress of the Polish United Workers' Party
- 1968–1971Head of the PZPR Central Committee Administrative Department
- 1971–1980Secretary of the PZPR Central Committee
- 1975–1981Member of the PZPR Politburo
- 1980–1981First Secretary of the PZPR Central Committee
- 1982–1985Member of the Polish Council of State