Background To Crisis: Policy And Politics In Gierek's Poland

The 1970s in Poland were marked by rapid social, economic, and political change that included the phenomenal expansion of Polish industry, the growth of economic ties with the West, food shortages, and substantial domestic unrest. The Polish government was faced with a large number of problems--foreign as well as domestic--that to date have not been amenable to lasting solutions. Efforts to solve one problem often have merely exacerbated difficulties in other areas. The authors of this volume examine many of the policy-related developments in Poland during Gierek's regime, from his accession to power in late 1970 to his dismissal in 1980. The book begins with an overview of Poland's recent political evolution and concludes with an analysis of the nation's status at the end of the 1970s. The chapters describe political participation and integration, the role of various groups in the Polish political process, and major policy issues facing the Polish government.

Table of Contents:
Preface -- Addendum to the Preface -- Introduction -- Policy and Politics in Gierek's Poland -- The Party, Institutions, Participation, and the Policy Process -- The Sejm as Symbol: Recent Polish Attitudes Toward Political Participation -- Subnational Policy in Poland: The Dilemma of Vertical Versus Horizontal Integration -- Recruitment Policy, Elite Integration, and Political Stability in People's Poland -- Group Activity and Attitudes: Their Impact on Policy -- Polish Student Attitudes and Ideological Policy -- Polish Journalists in the Policy-Making Process -- Citizen, Voluntary Associations, and the Policy Process -- The Polish Military and the Policy Process -- Church and State in Gierek's Poland -- Issues in Economic and Foreign Policy -- Victim or Villain: Polish Agriculture Since 1970 -- Growth, Reform, and Inflation: Problems and Policies -- Policy Alternatives in Polish Foreign Economic Relations -- Poland, the Socialist Community, and East-West Relations -- Conclusion -- Poland Enters the Eighties

About the Author :
Maurice D. Simon is an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has been conducting research on the attitudes of Polish youth and political change in Poland. Roger E. Kanet is a professor of political science and a member of the Russian and East European Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. He is author or editor of numerous publications on the foreign policies of the Soviet Union and East European countries. All of the contributors to this volume lived in or visited Poland during the 1970s.