Edward Gierek

Edward Gierek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɛdvart ˈɡʲɛrɛk]; 6 January 1913 – 29 July 2001) was a Polish communist politician who served as the de facto leader of the Polish People's Republic between 1970 and 1980. Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as the First Secretary of the ruling Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). Gierek came from a coal mining family and grew up in France from a young age, becoming active in the French communist movement and the Polish community in France. Gierek was deported to the Second Polish Republic for his communist advocacy in 1934 but moved to Belgium and was active in the Belgian Resistance during World War II. Gierek returned to Poland in 1948 and attended in the founding of the PZPR as a representative of Silesia, being appointed to the Sejm in 1952, the Central Committee of the PZPR under Bolesław Bierut in 1956, and the Politburo of the PZPR in 1959. Gierek was known for his openness and public speaking, emerging as one of the most respected and progressive politicians in Poland whilst becoming a strong opponent to Gomułka. Gierek became First Secretary when Gomułka was removed from office after the 1970 Polish protests were violently suppressed on his authority. Gierek's first years were marked by improvements in living and working conditions with the construction of blocks of flats, growing industrialization, as well as the loosening of state censorship and openness to new Western ideas which turned Poland into the most liberal country of…