Wojciech Jaruzelski

Wojciech Jaruzelski was a Polish military officer and communist politician who led Poland from 1981 to 1989 and served as its president from 1989 to 1990.

Martial law in Poland: A period of military rule in Poland imposed on 13 December 1981 and lifted in 1983. Jaruzelski declared it in an effort to suppress Solidarity and preserve communist rule.
Polish-Soviet War: The 1919–1921 conflict between Poland and Soviet Russia over borders and regional power. Jaruzelski was born into a family whose political fortunes were affected by this earlier conflict.
Lech Wałęsa: A Polish electrician, trade union leader, and politician who co-founded Solidarity and became president of Poland. Wałęsa led the opposition movement Jaruzelski confronted and later negotiated with.
Polish transition to democracy: The process by which Poland moved from communist rule to democratic government in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jaruzelski presided over the opening negotiations and institutional changes that began this transition.
Solidarity: A Polish trade union and social movement founded in 1980 that challenged communist rule. Its mass organizing brought Jaruzelski’s government into conflict with workers and opposition leaders.
Soviet deportations from Poland: The forced removal of Polish citizens by Soviet authorities, especially during the Second World War. Jaruzelski and his family were deported to Siberia after the Soviet occupation of eastern Poland.
Mieczysław Rakowski: A Polish communist politician who served as prime minister from 1988 to 1989 and led the ruling party afterward. Rakowski worked with Jaruzelski during the regime’s final reform efforts.
1981 Polish protests: Strikes and demonstrations in Poland during the political confrontation between the communist government and Solidarity. Martial law sought to end the unrest and strikes that challenged Jaruzelski’s government.
Polish Round Table Agreement: The 1989 agreement between Poland’s communist government and opposition that established political reforms and partially free elections. Jaruzelski’s government negotiated this transition with Solidarity representatives.
Polish People's Army: The Soviet-backed Polish military force formed during the Second World War and retained after the war. Jaruzelski entered its ranks during the war and rose through its officer corps.

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Tadeusz MazowieckiRelated: Jaruzelski appointed Mazowiecki prime minister after the 1989 political breakthrough.