Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Komitet Centralny Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej, KC PZPR) was the central ruling body of the
Polish United Workers' Party
The Polish United Workers' Party ( pl, Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza; ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other lega ...
, the dominant political party in the
People's Republic of Poland (1948-1990).
Functions
Members of the Committee convened about every four months. The Committee elected representatives to various bodies, among which the most important was the
Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party, which took actions between the conventions.
Leaders
By the year 1954 the head of the party was the Chair of the Central Committee. They ''de facto'' replaced the abolished position of the
President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...
:
* Secretary General
Bolesław Bierut
Bolesław Bierut (; 18 April 1892 – 12 March 1956) was a Polish communist activist and politician, leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1947 until 1956. He was President of the State National Council from 1944 to 1947, President of Po ...
(December 22, 1948 – March 12, 1956)
* First Secretary
Edward Ochab
Edward Ochab (; 16 August 1906 – 1 May 1989) was a Polish communist politician and top leader of Poland between March and October 1956.
As a member of the Communist Party of Poland from 1929, he was repeatedly imprisoned for his activities u ...
(March 20, 1956 – October 21, 1956)
* First Secretary
Władysław Gomułka
Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948. Following the Polish October he became leader again from 1956 to 1970. G ...
(October 21, 1956 - December 20, 1970)
* First Secretary
Edward Gierek
Edward Gierek (; 6 January 1913 – 29 July 2001) was a Polish Communist politician and ''de facto'' leader of Poland between 1970 and 1980. Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as First Secretary of the ruling Polish United Workers' Party (P ...
(December 20, 1970 – September 6, 1980)
* First Secretary
Stanisław Kania (September 6, 1980 – October 18, 1981)
* First Secretary
Wojciech Jaruzelski
Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military officer, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party b ...
(October 18, 1981 – July 29, 1989)
* First Secretary
Mieczysław Rakowski
Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski (; 1 December 1926 – 8 November 2008) was a Polish communist politician, historian and journalist who was Prime Minister of Poland from 1988 to 1989. He served as the seventh and final First Secretary of the Pol ...
(July 29, 1989 – January 29, 1990)
Seat
By 1990 the decision-making center was situated in a building erected by obligatory subscription in the years 1948–1952. The shares, called ″little bricks" (in Polish ''"cegiełka"'') with nominal values of 50-, 100-, and 500
zlotys, were distributed among the entire society. The building was officially called the Party's House, and was also known as the White House or the House of Sheep. Since 1991 the
Bank-Financial Center "New World" is located in this building. In 1991-2000 the
Warsaw Stock Exchange
The Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), pl, Giełda Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie, is a stock exchange in Warsaw, Poland. It has a market capitalization of PLN 1.05 trillion (EUR 232 billion; as of December 23, 2020).
The WSE is a member of the ...
had also its seat in this building.
From 1918 to 1931 a building with the seat of communication department was located in that place. Earlier – from the
November Uprising to 1918 – there was also the seat of the Clearing-House.
See also
*
Central Committee
Polish United Workers' Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central committees of communist parties
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