The leader of Poland, an outstanding politician, an interesting person Wojciech Jaruzelski lived a long and very eventful life. In his life there were successes, failures, victories and a lot of events that are important not only for the whole people, but also for the world as a whole. To ask who Wojciech Jaruzelski is for the Poles and wait for a definite answer is unreasonable. His work was too diverse to get an unambiguous assessment. Moreover, today the inhabitants of the country cannot adequately assess its significance for Poland, many accuse him of all sins. But his life deserves a more detailed study.
Family and childhood
On July 6, 1923, in the Polish town of Kuruwe, the son of Wojciech Jaruzelski was born into the family of a local nobleman, a large landowner. The family had rather ancient roots, in the 15-16th centuries the ancestors of Jaruzelsky were among the carriers of the Slepovron coat of arms. Wojciech’s great-grandfather participated in the famous Polish uprising in the name of the restoration of the Commonwealth within the old borders. The rebels were defeated in 1863, and Jaruzelsky’s grandfather was exiled to Siberia. The family later returned to Poland, but, surprisingly, family history tended to repeat itself.
Wojciech spent his childhood on a Polish estate, when he was 5 years old, he had a younger sister Teresa. The boy was sent to an elite Catholic gymnasium at the age of 6, but in 1939 the family moved to Lithuania, and this became an unfortunate choice. The young man did not have time to graduate from high school.
Deportation
In 1939, Lithuania as a result of an agreement between the USSR and Nazi Germany withdrew to the Soviet Union as a result of a non-aggression agreement. But during the German invasion of Poland, the Soviet government decided to hedge and sent a large number of Polish nobles (as unreliable) from the Baltic republics to Siberia.
Wojciech Jaruzelski and his relatives came to Altai. The head of the family was sent to a camp in the Altai Territory, and my mother and two children went to the settlement in the taiga Turochak, where Wojciech worked in a logging business. Living conditions were impossibly difficult; Jaruzelsky earned "snow blindness" there. But, according to his recollections, the locals treated deportees very well. Wojciech learned the Russian language and changed his attitude towards the Russian people. He was brought up in anti-Russian traditions, and when he arrived in Altai, he met many very sincere people who tried to make life easier for the exiles.
Elder Jaruzelsky could not stand the hard work and soon died, Wojciech buried him, wrapping him in the newspaper Pravda instead of a shroud. Soon, her mother died. The sister was sent to an orphanage, and the future President of Poland - to work in Karaganda. There he had to work at the mine, where he suffered a back injury, which made itself felt throughout his subsequent life.
The Second World War
In 1943, Wojciech Jaruzelski voluntarily joined the army, in the Polish infantry division Kosciuszko. He was trained at the Ryazan Infantry School and went to the front with the rank of lieutenant. He began with the platoon commander and by 1945 became an assistant chief of staff for intelligence. Jaruzelski took part in the battles to liberate Warsaw, fought in the Baltic, Vistula, Oder, Elbe. For courage, he received several military awards, including the most honorable order in Poland - Military Valor (Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari).
Party life
After the war, Wojciech Jaruzelski remained at home. Since 1945, he has been participating in the struggle of the underground organization “Freedom and Independence”, the main purpose of which was the struggle against the Soviet regime and occupation and the withdrawal of Red Army troops from Poland. The organization interacted with the Ukrainian rebel army, with Western countries and the CIA and was actively suppressed by the official authorities of Poland with the support of the USSR. In 1947, Jaruzelski joined the Communist Party, which a year later became known as the Polish United Workers' Party. He decided that his vocation was military service, and entered the Higher Infantry School, then graduated with honors from the Academy of the General Staff.
Career path
After the Academy, Jaruzelsky quickly goes uphill. First, he holds the position of teacher in the infantry school, then quickly becomes the Head of the Department of Military Educational Institutions of the country, for three years he commands the mechanized division, then he heads the Main Political Administration of Poland. In 1962, he was appointed deputy minister of defense, and after 6 years he became minister. On his account, in this position he participated in such a controversial action as the entry of troops of the Warsaw Pact countries, and, in fact, Soviet forces, into Czechoslovakia.
In the 70s, Minister Jaruzelski used force against public outrage several times. First, he gave the command to suppress the unrest caused by rising food prices. He was accused of being shot at by demonstrators in Gdansk in 1970.
Jaruzelsky was always a pro-Soviet statesman, and this helped him move up. The party career of Wojciech is also developing successfully. In 1970, Jaruzelsky was a candidate member of the Politburo, and since 1971, a member of the Politburo of the PUWP. In 1981, he headed the Council of Ministers of the Polish People’s Republic, however, in this position he lasted only a few months.
At the helm of Poland
In October 1981, Wojciech Jaruzelski became the second person in the country, he headed the Central Committee of the Party of Poland. When he became party leader, social tension grew in the country. This was greatly facilitated by the activities of the Solidarity Alliance, which called for getting rid of the protectorate of the USSR. In response to this, the Soviet Union was only pulling up troops to the Polish borders, which caused new rounds of indignation. In this situation, the head of Poland was most afraid of sending troops into his country, and therefore decided to impose martial law, which lasted 2 years. The state began the persecution and arrests of resistance activists.
In 1985, Jaruzelsky became the head of the Council of State, i.e., the most important person in the country. For two years he tried to overcome indignation, but they only grew. Moreover, this confrontation led to economic consequences, a crisis began in Poland, and this only increased social tensions. Wojciech Jaruzelski decided to negotiate with members of Solidarity, he was the only leader from the socialist countries. camps that took a similar step. He made a number of concessions, which the protesters demanded, but this did not resolve the conflict. The country at that time was in a difficult situation, it had a large external debt to the USSR and Western countries, the economy fell into disrepair as a result of planned management, and the discontent of ordinary citizens with the hardships of life grew. And “Solidarity” led by Lech Walesa begins to present not only economic, but also political demands.
Jaruzelsky believed that the introduction of Soviet troops had extremely negative consequences not only for his country, but for the world as a whole, so he tried to negotiate with the protesters. Poland for the USSR was a very important country, geographically and politically, so the Soviet troops were ready to enter it to maintain their regime, and this, according to the head of Poland, was fraught not only with local, but also with world war.
“Wojciech Jaruzelski and the Cold War” is another topic for future research by historians and political scientists, but it is clear that he did not want such an outcome, and therefore tried to find a peaceful solution. But the negotiations did not lead to proper results, and he had to agree to hold democratic elections.
In 1989, elections were held in the Sejm and for the presidency with the only candidate - Jaruzelsky. For a year he was President of the NDP, but he could no longer solve the problems of Poland. In 1990, his era ended, he agreed to hold democratic elections and did not take part in them. He stood at the helm for 9 years, during his time there were many difficulties that he tried to eliminate in different ways, but for most Poles he became the “face” of the hated regime.
Life after power
A lot of sharp points are described by the biography of Jaruzelsk Wojciech, but after his resignation, his life changed dramatically: there was nothing left of great activity and responsibility. Days flowed peacefully and calmly. Lech Walesa, unlike his “colleagues” from other former socialist countries, did not pursue the former leader of Poland, although the population really wanted to. Jaruzelsky has withdrawn from active public life. But his person did not give rest to the Poles, several parties tried to hold him accountable for the victims of the suppression of resistance. And in 2007, nevertheless, the court began the case of war crimes of Jaruzelsky and eight of his associates. The trial was very long, and in 2011 the court decided to dismiss the case against the former head of Poland due to his state of health.
Ranks and awards
During his long life, Jaruzelsk Wojciech Witold received a large number of awards. He was most proud of his military merits: the Order of Military Valor, the two Crosses of the Brave, the Order of the “Grunwald Cross”. In addition, he was awarded a considerable number of awards of the USSR and other countries of the socialist camp.
In 2006, he was awarded the Order of the “Cross of the Exiled, ” upon receipt of which Jaruzelsky said he was glad that President Lech Kaczynski was able to overcome his prejudice towards the past. This caused a great resonance in society. To this, the president replied that he simply did not see the name of Jaruzelsky in the list of recipients when he signed the decree. And the offended Wojciech returned the award.
Jaruzelsky rose to the rank of army general; he did not give himself any honorary titles or medals during his reign.
Personal life
Wojciech Jaruzelski, whose personal life was always interested in Poles, did not give any reason for gossip and scandals. Since 1960, he was married to Barbara Jaruzelskaya, the couple had a daughter, Monika, and a grandson. Everything in his family seemed to be just perfect. But in 2014, a scandal erupted. The 84-year-old wife accused the 90-year-old Jaruzelsky of having a hospital caregiver and intended to file for divorce. He stated that he would not agree to a divorce. The development of the scandal did not happen due to the death of the ex-president.
Death and memory
May 25, 2014 Wojciech Jaruzelski, whose photo appeared in all the media in the world, died. Before that, he had another stroke, and the doctors could no longer cope with its consequences. The president was buried with military honors, the ceremony was attended by former Polish presidents Lech Walesa and Alexander Kwasniewski. Polish soldiers were buried in the Necropolis of Jaruzelski, which caused discontent among many Poles. In memory of compatriots, Wojciech Jaruzelski remains almost a dictator, but in fact he tried to find a balance between external influence and internal contradictions in the country. Today, gradually comes the realization that Poland and Jaruzelski are lucky that he did not allow the establishment of harsh pro-Soviet pressure on the state.
Quotes
Wojciech Jaruzelski always spoke with great warmth about Russia. He was not a supporter of the Soviet regime, he was not an ardent defender of communism, but he always treated Russian people with warmth. He said that "deportation to Altai changed his attitude towards the Russians." Wojciech Jaruzelski, quotes from whose speeches are still found in political texts today, said that "the decision to impose martial law will remain on his conscience until the end of his days." He was fully aware of the severity of his actions. “I do not get tired of apologizing for what was wrong, ” said Jaruzelsky.
