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Jaruzelski and Solidarity
| Article
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15156 |
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Section : |
EDITORIAL
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| Issue
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4 / 1989 |
851 Words |
| Author
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Morton A. Kaplan
Editor and Publisher |
In "Poland: on the Path to Reconciliation," in Current Issues this month, former Polish Ambassador Zdzislaw Rurarz discusses the tenuous negotiations that are proceeding between Solidarity and the Polish government. These talks may lead to the relegation of Solidarity. However, this process had to be forced on a resistant Communist Party by General Jaruzelski, who agreed to a number of onerous conditions that would be placed upon Solidarity--including its recognition of the Communist structure of government and the dominant role of the Communist Party--in order to obtain sufficient party support for the negotiations.
Solidarity's initial response is that this offer is sufficient for talks to begin, but that the conditions are subject to discussion. Moreover, Lech Walesa has stated that the union is prepared to collaborate with the government, but that it cannot keep the support of its members, particularly the younger ones, if it agrees to the conditions. Walesa promised to work to introduce pluralism in Poland by reducing the monopolistic control of the Communist Party.
These developments might make it appear that General Jaruzelski is adopting the same reformist role in Poland that Mikhail Gorbachev is playing in the Soviet Union. This, I believe, is an error. Jaruzelski is no reformer. He is a true supporter of the "dictatorship of the proletariat."
When the general declared martial law in 1981, there was no genuine danger of Soviet intervention. Moreover, the pretext for martial law--the radical measures taken by Solidarity--had been inspired by agents provocateurs. Even after the declaration of martial law, Jaruzelski could have
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