Incumbents
Members of the government Prime Ministers of Poland - Józef Pińkowski (until February 11, 1981), Wojciech Jaruzelski (February 11, 1981 – November 6, 1985) First Secretaries of the Communist Party (PZPR) - Stanisław Kania (until October 18, 1981), Wojciech Jaruzelski (October 18, 1981 - July 29, 1989) Minister of National Defence - Wojciech Jaruzelski For members of the Polish Politburo, see Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
Other personalities Roman Catholic Primate of Poland - Stefan Wyszyński (until his death, May 28, 1981), Józef Glemp (September 12, 1981 – December 18, 2009), President of Polish government-in-exile - Edward Raczyński Prime Minister of Polish government-in-exile - Kazimierz Sabbat
Events
January January 2. In Rzeszów, individual peasants headed by Jan Kułaj, enter former office of Provincial Council of Trade Unions (WRZZ), occupying it in protest of unjust share of WRZZ's assets. January 5. Farmers, protesting in Ustrzyki Dolne, are reinforced with members of Solidarity, who come from different parts of the country. In Rzeszów, peasants join protesting workers of the WSK PZL Rzeszów, and together they occupy the Rail House. Farmers demand registration of Rural Solidarity. January 6. Protesting farmers in Ustrzyki Dolne create All-Polish Strike Committee of Rural Solidarity, with Jan Kułaj as chairman. January 7. In Gdańsk, the National Coordinating Commission (KKP) declares that upon the Jastrzębie-Zdrój Agreement, all Saturdays are work-free. Also, the KKP expresses its solidarity with peasants, protesting in Rzeszów and Ustrzyki Dolne. Tadeusz Mazowiecki becomes editor-in-chief of Tygodnik Solidarność. A decision is taken to close down the Skawina Aluminum Smelter, and to cease production of cellulose in a factory in Jelenia Góra. January 8. National Coordinating Commission urges the nation not to come to work on Saturday, January 10. The fire at Karlino (see Karlino oil eruption) is extinguished. January 10. First transport of oil from Karlino. January 11. Most of protesting farmers of Rural Solidarity move from Ustrzyki Dolne to their colleagues in Rzeszów. On the next day, those who stayed in Ustrzyki, are pacified by ZOMO. January 13. First Secretary of the Communist Party, Stanisław Kania, Prime Minister Józef Pińkowski and Minister of Defence Wojciech Jaruzelski meet in Warsaw with Marshall Viktor Kulikov and General Anatoly Gribkov. Kulikov tells Polish officials that they have to solve Polish problems by themselves, and appeals for their loyalty. January 15. Solidarity officials meet with Pope John Paul II in Vatican. January 21. Student sit-in begins in Łódź. The students demand registration of Independent Students' Union. On the same day, negotiations about work-free Saturdays begin in Warsaw. January 24. At the Katowice Steelworks, First All-Polish Congress of Trade Union Press begins, during which Solidarity Press Agency (AS) is created. January 26. Strike Committee in Jelenia Góra demands that government's recreation centers should be handed to the public. One-hour warning strike takes place in Bielsko-Biała. January 27. A general strike begins in Bielsko-Biała and other towns of the region. The agreement between the government and protesting people, which ends the strike, is signed on February 6. As a result, several high-ranking officials of local authorities and the party are removed from their posts. Te Deum of Krzysztof Penderecki, dedicated to Pope John Paul II. January 28. Lech Wałęsa and Bogdan Lis visit individual farmers, protesting in Ustrzyki Dolne and Rzeszów, to declare their support. January 30. General strike action begins in Jelenia Góra.
February February 1. A government commission comes to Rzeszów, to talk with protesting farmers. Negotiations are terminated on February 6, because the government does not want to accept the idea of a Rural Solidarity, consisting of individual farmers. February 2. In a homily in the Gniezno Cathedral, Primate Stefan Wyszyński supports the right of individual farmers to create their own trade unions. February 3. In Rzeszów, leaders of Rural Solidarity, together with officials of Solidarity, issue an appeal to the nation, asking Poles to support their efforts. February 6. Primate Wyszyński meets a delegation of farmers. General strike in Bielsko-Biała ends, after an agreement is signed between the government and the workers. February 8. 20,000 demonstrate in Bydgoszcz, demanding registration of Rural Solidarity. February 9. Ex Prime Minister Piotr Jaroszewicz is expelled from the Polish United Workers' Party. February 10. Provincial Court in Warsaw refuses to register Rural Solidarity, arguing that individual farmers are not entitled to create their own union. General strike in Jelenia Góra ends. February 11. Polish Sejm nominates General Wojciech Jaruzelski as Prime Minister. In his exposé on the next day, Jaruzelski appeals for “three months without strikes”. February 12. Temporary Presidium of Solidarity is created in Gdańsk, with Lech Wałęsa as chairman and the following members: Andrzej Gwiazda (Gdańsk), Ryszard Kalinowski (Elbląg), Zbigniew Bujak (Mazowsze), Tadeusz Jedynak (Jastrzębie-Zdrój), Jan Rulewski (Bydgoszcz), Andrzej Słowik (Łódź), and Stanisław Wądołowski (Szczecin), February 14. Lech Wałęsa talks with deputy Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Rakowski. February 18. A month-long student strike in Łódź ends, with an agreement, signed by both the government, and the students. February 19. In the morning, after 47 days of a protest, and several attempts to break it, the protest of individual farmers ends in Rzeszów, with an agreement, in which the government guaranteed, among others, their right to own the land. February 20. An agreement, similar to the one from Rzeszów, is signed in Ustrzyki Dolne, hence it is called the Rzeszów - Ustrzyki Agreement. February 21. General Wojciech Jaruzelski accepts the “war game”, and orders a document titled “About the state of preparation of the government to introduce martial law”. February 22. Solidarity Region of Upper Silesia and Zagłębie Dąbrowskie (Region Śląsko-Dąbrowski) is created, when regional offices from Bytom, Jastrzębie-Zdrój and Tychy join forces. February 23. In Moscow, Leonid Brezhnev states that Polish Communists can count on their Soviet friends. February 26. Polish Ministry of Internal Affairs creates a list of prisons, which will be used during the martial law.
March March 3–4. Polish delegation visits Moscow. General Jaruzelski informs his hosts about preparations for the martial law, assuring them that with Soviet cooperation, he is determined to protect Poland from “counterrevolution”. March 8. A demonstration takes place at Warsaw University, to commemorate the 1968 Polish political crisis. In Poznań, Congress of Rural Solidarity begins. March 9. Lech Wałęsa and Marian Jurczyk meet with deputy prime minister Mieczysław Rakowski, and discuss conflicts in several locations of the country (Łódź, Radom, Nowy Sącz, Suwałki). March 16. Manoeuvres of the Warsaw Pact armies, Soyuz’81, begin in Poland. In Bydgoszcz, Rural Solidarity activists begin a sit-in of provincial office of the United People's Party. They demand legalization of the union, and the protest is backed by the Bydgoszcz branch of Solidarity. March 19. Some 1,300 officers of Communist Police come to Bydgoszcz. In the evening of that day, Bydgoszcz events take place. March 20–21. Solidarity presidium convenes in Gdańsk, announcing readiness for a general, nationwide strike, in protest of the Bydgoszcz events. March 21. A two-hour general strike takes place in Bydgoszcz. Strike readiness is announced by students of the Independent Students’ Association. Communist propaganda begins an attack on Jan Rulewski. March 22. Negotiations between the government and Solidarity leaders take place in Warsaw. Primate Stefan Wyszyński appeals for patience and calm. March 23. A decision to carry out a nationwide warning strike is taken by Solidarity in Bydgoszcz. A National Strike Committee with eleven members is selected. It is headed by Lech Wałęsa, and its members are: Zbigniew Bujak, Andrzej Cierniewski, Lech Dymarski, Krzysztof Gotowski, Andrzej Gwiazda, Marian Jurczyk, Ryszard Kalinowski, Antoni Kopczewski, Bogdan Lis, Andrzej Słowik. Solidarity press gives instructions on how to behave in case of an armed intervention of the Soviets. Unknown perpetrators set fire to the apartment of Feliks Gołębiewski, local Solidarity activist from Białystok. March 24. Soyuz’81 manoeuvres are prolonged for unlimited time. March 26. Prime minister Wojciech Jaruzelski meets with Primate Wyszyński. March 27. A four-hour warning strike takes place in Poland. March 28. Negotiations between Solidarity and the government continue. Lech Wałęsa and other Solidarity leaders meet with Primate Wyszyński. March 30. Andrzej Gwiazda announces on national TV that the negotiations end with an agreement and a joint announcement. March 31. The Politburo of Polish Communist Party expresses its displeasure at the agreement. Some Solidarity leaders also criticize the agreement, saying that too many concessions were granted to the government.
April April 1. The government introduces ration stamps (see rationing) for meats and sausages (ration stamps for sugar had been in existence since 1976). Local office of Polish TV in Rzeszów is opened. April 2. Leaders of Rural Solidarity meet with Primate Wyszyński. April 2–6. First council of Independent Students’ Association takes place in Kraków. April 3. As U.S. intelligence reports, Soviet troops stationed in the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and East Germany began to concentrate along Polish borders. Soviet airplanes, without notifying Polish authorities, carried equipment and soldiers from Czechoslovakia to Poland, their pilots disobeying Polish ground control crews. Government commission comes to Bydgoszcz for talks with protesting farmers. Convention of Independent Students' Union ends in Kraków. First issue of Tygodnik Solidarność is published. April 7. Soyuz’81 manoeuvres end. April 10. National Coordinating Commission names Janusz Onyszkiewicz spokesman. April 14. The network of Solidarity branches of the key factories of Poland is created in Gdańsk (see The network). April 15. Democratic activists of the Communist Party (the so-called horizontal movement) gather in Toruń. Representing 204 Party organizations from across the country, they demand, among others, creation of a document, which reveals the actual situation of the Party and of Poland. April 17. Farmers’ protest in Bydgoszcz ends. In an agreement, the government pledges to legalize Rural Solidarity by May 10. April 19. Committee of Defence of the Country announces that during the planned martial law, additional 47,200 officers will be uniformed. April 22. The government introduces ration stamps for butter, flour, rice and kasha (buckwheat). April 27. Fourteen people die in a fire of Kaskada restaurant in Szczecin.
May May 6. A riot begins at Wronki Prison, initiating a wave of strikes, riots and hunger strikes at 109 prisons across the country. Inmates demand better living conditions, better pay for their work and respect for their rights as citizens. May 7–8. Violent street fights in Otwock (the so-called Otwock Events), during which angry crowd wants to lynch two police officers. Riots end after Adam Michnik, Zbigniew Romaszewski, and other Solidarity leaders pledge for order. May 10–16. A delegation of Solidarity visits Japan. May 12. Warsaw Provincial Court officially registers the Rural Solidarity. May 16–17. First All-Polish Exhibition of Independent Publications takes place at Warsaw University of Technology. In several Polish cities, White Marches are organized. Participants, dressed in white, pray for the health of Pope John Paul II (see Pope John Paul II assassination attempt).