ABSTRACT
Until 1990 when the transition towards market orientation began, the Polish economy had been to a large extent closed as regards to its ties with the external environment. Development processes occurring in Poland after World War II bore many signs of autarchy. Economic cooperation with foreign countries outside the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) was very limited and unsatisfactorily used to accelerate the economic growth and increase economic effectiveness. Potential advantages from the international division of labor were not used properly. Poland's share in the world exports and imports was very low. The structure of foreign trade was distorted. The exports of Poland and other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to the OECD were much below the level determined by economic factors, while the exports to the CMEA countries were much higher.
