Poland Flashcards
pro-agrarian parties definition
many Eastern European states had political parties that focused on representing the interests of the farming communities; the redistribution of land was a political priority for such parties
what became Stalin’s instrument of political control for Stalin while the Polish government was existing in exile in London?
the pro-Stalin Lublin Government which was established in Poland
what partly facilitated this process?
the agreements at Yalta
what did Stalin fail to conform to as far as Poland was concerned?
the full range of Yalta agreements
how was Stalin able to preserve the role of the Lublin Government?
by agreeing to free elections at Yalta
what was formed in Poland in June 1945?
the Provisional Government of National Unity
what did the Provisional Government of National Unity contain?
parties from both ends of the political spectrum - became typical of Stalin’s pluralist approach
what tactics did Stalin use in implementing communist regimes?
appearing to allow free multi-party elections but with a clear intent to ensure that the result he wanted would eventually emerge
what was the current majority political party in Poland at the time?
the Peasant Party, led by Stanislaw Mikolajczyk
how did the communists weaken the Peasant Party?
by strengthening their own links with the Polish socialists
what happened in January 1947?
the two groups merged and the communists became the dominant group within the merger
what was the problem for Stalin with the Polish communists?
some Polish communists weren’t fully pro-Moscow
who was famously not pro-Moscow?
Polish Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Gomulka
what did Gomulka declare?
that because Poles had fought for their own liberation, they should have the right to determine their own future
what did Gomulka oppose to?
Soviet policies, which he felt were irrelevant to Poland
