Edward Gierek

Edward Gierek was a Polish communist politician who served as the de facto leader of the Polish People's Republic between 1970 and 1980. Gierek became First Secretary when Gomułka was removed from office after the 1970 Polish protests were violently suppressed on his authority. Gierek's first years were marked by improvements in living and working conditions with the construction of blocks of flats, growing industrialization, as well as the loosening of state censorship and openness to new Western ideas which turned Poland into the most liberal country of the Eastern Bloc. Gierek is fondly remembered for his patriotism and modernization policies despite dragging Poland into financial and economic decline; over 1.8 million flats were constructed to house the growing population, and he is also responsible for initiating the production of Fiat 126 in Poland and the erection of Warszawa Centralna railway station, the most modern European station at the time of its completion.[2] Numerous aphorisms and sayings were popularized under his term, in particular the ones referring to the food shortages were later promoted by Ronald Reagan.