In 1981 - when Wojciech Jaruzelski decided to introduce martial law - no one conducted any credible surveys or polls. However, all the data at our disposal leads to a clear conclusion on this matter.
A freshly published book by Michał Ogorek - a well-known columnist, satirist, but also an expert in recent history - sheds light on a fact that many Poles prefer not to remember.
The publication is entitled "Sto lat! How we have honored leaders in the last century ” . It is a review of national myths and propaganda visions with which a small group of politicians and dictators were covered.
In the author's opinion, throughout the 20th century, we had a total of nine figures on the Vistula River, surrounded - "usually periodically and temporarily" - with worship and veneration. The list includes Józef Piłsudski, Edward Śmigły-Rydz, Lech Wałęsa ... But there is also a figure that may surprise you from the perspective of years: Wojciech Jaruzelski .
"The justification went to the Poles"
The last leader of the People's Republic of Poland, associated with declining murder, repressions falling on "Solidarity" and empty shelves in shops, in the 1980s was created not only as a beloved leader, but even as a savior of the nation. Importantly, this propaganda project was an undisputed success.
Wojciech Jaruzelski during a TV speech on the introduction of martial law.
Michał Ogorek's reflection on this matter is witty, but also based on a sober judgment of bygone reality. On the pages of the book "Happy birthday!" writes:
Jaruzelski had the ambition to introduce martial law perfectly prepared. This was largely successful and even made him proud that a Pole can do it. Each time he was deprived of this merit - for example by ascribing Soviet inspiration - he was infuriated.
The interpretation that martial law saved the country was in force from the very beginning. First, however, it was said that he had saved the country from Poles who wanted to destroy it. With time, Jaruzelski started pointing to the Soviet intervention as an opponent, which he was supposed to prevent under martial law.
To sum it up, he saved the country from everyone at once.
The author emphasizes that "the justification of martial law went to the Poles", and the decision of the first secretary was even considered a "patriotic act". Importantly - this is not his private opinion. The words of Michał Ogorek are confirmed by hard data.
Buy Michał Ogórek's book at a discount on empik.com.
Poles under martial law
Exactly ten years after the introduction of martial law - when the memory of it was still fresh - Poles were asked for the first time what they actually thought in this matter. It was 1991, there was a democratic elation related to the political transformation, and Wojciech Jaruzelski had just stepped back into the shadows, unable to ignore the overwhelming election success of "Solidarity".
Apparently, there were circumstances that were fully conducive to criticizing the overthrown system and its leader. And yet, in the matter of martial law, Poles were not inclined to such criticism at all.
In the first days of December 1991, pollsters from the state-owned Public Opinion Research Center (OBOP) interviewed a total of 851 people. As reported in a later published report:
Respondents were asked whether they thought the decision to introduce martial law was justified or not. We were interested in how the respondents assessed this decision in December 1981, and how now - in retrospect.
Meeting of the Military Council of National Salvation chaired by General Wojciech Jaruzelski. December 14, 1981.
How was martial law assessed at the time of its introduction?
38% of respondents said that the decision of "Crow" immediately met with their support . Of these, 13% considered it hot in mid-December 1981 as "fully justified", and 25% - as "fairly well-founded".
The number of those who then opposed the direction taken by the authorities was slightly, but still smaller . A total of 37% of respondents stated that they considered the imposition of martial law to be "unjustified", of which only 19% were absolutely sure in this matter.
Others interviewed either did not have an opinion on the subject, or - decided that in 1981 they were too young to judge the political reality.
And how from the perspective of a decade?
While in 1981 the number of opponents and supporters of martial law was similar, the situation changed completely in the following years. Jaruzelski's arguments settled in the minds of Poles for good.
Notice of the State Council on the introduction of martial law.
In December 1991, from the perspective of a decade, as many as 53% of respondents believed the decision to introduce martial law was the right one. Only 35% were of the opposite opinion. Even many of the most die-hard critics of the December 13 events changed their minds. The percentage of people convinced that the decision was "completely unjustified" fell to just 16%.
The respondents were even more unanimous on specific issues. As many as 72% claimed that martial law "saved Poland from armed intervention by the Soviet Union". 62% believed that Jaruzelski's decision "saved Poland from civil war".
As many as 53% also said that martial law "was an attempt to save the economy from strikes and anarchy." Slightly less, 48%, was of the opinion that the decision of December 13 "brought peace to the country and gave the country a greater sense of security". Only 42% were of the opposite opinion.
However, while Poles agreed with the political arguments of the first secretary, they also had no illusions about his personal intentions. 80% of respondents admitted that martial law "allowed high-ranking people to maintain power."
Chart included in the OBOP report from 1996
On the other hand, the vast majority of respondents was against any punishment of the perpetrators of martial law. According to 28% "these people saved Poland from even greater evil, for which they deserve respect" . In turn, 32% believed that Jaruzelski and his assistants should be condemned, but not punished by a court. Only 19% of those polled were in favor of bringing the removed leader to trial.
In 1991, as many as 37% of respondents also claimed that democratic authorities should also have the right to introduce martial law, if the internal situation required it in the future.
Position unchanged
Opinions expressed in 1991 did not change much over the following years, or even decades.
In 1996 - from the perspective of fifteen years - 51% of respondents supported the decision to introduce martial law, and 35% were against it.
In the latest survey, conducted by Kantar Public in November 2016, in connection with the 35th anniversary of martial law, 43% of respondents said that Jaruzelski's decision was justified. Only 28% of the respondents expressed the opposite opinion.
Are you interested in this text? Its author also runs the "Wielka Historia" channel on YouTube.
Buy with a discount on empik.com
