ABSTRACT

Pacification of the country was the number-one objective of the martial law. Martial law was meant to allow the government to deal with the economic disaster more effectively, particularly by suspending the right to strike and by giving the government enough power to impose higher consumer prices as a necessary first step toward rebuilding the domestic market. Composed by a group of senior military commanders and presided over by General Jaruzelski, the council functioned as coordinator and executor of the martial law. In the public perception of Poland's situation after martial law, there was a striking contrast between the assessment of the economic situation and that of the political one. One of the key aspects of the political situation was the relationship between the government and the Roman Catholic Church. The political changes of the martial law period included attempts to consolidate the existing political parties and other political structures, and to give them a new life.