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What would you say is the reason for the propaganda going on there? Were people not satisfied with the Polish socialist government or is it that the bourgeoisie took over the media and decided to propagandize heavily to ensure they stay in power?
The element of dissatisfaction with the socialist government was definitely very strong, the revisionists made many mistakes, starting with “destalinisation” and bureocratisation of state and party, though they did delivered what socialism promised. They made colossal mistake in the 60’s and 70’s though, the politics of opening to the west (stemming from typical lack of understanding of imperialism) made country vulnerable to western propaganda, and they used that opportunity hard, american and west Europe media flooded the country, presenting the petty bourgeoise and labour aristocracy life quality as the standard possible just by having capitalism. This proven incredibly pervasive, as after 89+reinforcing of the consumerism people still measure their wellbeing largely by the access to consumer goods. Second mistake was the economic closing, loans, etc.
In 1980 problems converged, and a rising cost of living* sparked massive strikes and manifestations, which were outwardly socialist in nature, but were in fact organized and hijacked by people ultimately serving the antisocialist factions like church and growing liberals with entire thing being sponsored by USA (it wasn’t even first time). This put a wrench in the economy cogs, worsening the crisis manyfold and also caused huge political crisis splintering the government into two factions. Then perestroika hit and opportunists get open signal from Moscow that they are free to do whatever they want.
89 transformation when looked from some distance have all characteristics of a coup, in which government (by then thoroughly purged from socialist elements) with opposition couped in fact the nation. We will probably never know what really and exactly happened back then and in the next few years, since the first thing they seized and subordinated was police and security services, and in the next years people threatening to disclose some details were (i’m sure completely coincidentally /s) been killed by mafia, committed suicide, died in car accidents etc. So what i wrote here is basically my observations, true marxist analysis will probably never be made, trots are producing some utter rubbish about it, which don’t make it easier.
Of course media been really the 4th power in this, as i wrote above off all the forces and their emanation in play, they seems to be the one which is, completely against the expectations, the most uniform force that clearly demonstrates that the issue is of course nothing else but the class, they have all the factionalism of various bourgeois interests and opinions, but nothing, in the entire spectrum, going against their class interests, if the case is even potentially concering the class issues, they speak with one voice.
*This is especially bitter irony, what officially sparked those protests were the cost of living rise comprable to those which we now have monthly. And nearly nobody is minding, nobody is protesting, not even if we take the destruction of the unions under consideration.
What would you say is the reason for the propaganda going on there? Were people not satisfied with the Polish socialist government or is it that the bourgeoisie took over the media and decided to propagandize heavily to ensure they stay in power?
I often wonder about it myself.
The element of dissatisfaction with the socialist government was definitely very strong, the revisionists made many mistakes, starting with “destalinisation” and bureocratisation of state and party, though they did delivered what socialism promised. They made colossal mistake in the 60’s and 70’s though, the politics of opening to the west (stemming from typical lack of understanding of imperialism) made country vulnerable to western propaganda, and they used that opportunity hard, american and west Europe media flooded the country, presenting the petty bourgeoise and labour aristocracy life quality as the standard possible just by having capitalism. This proven incredibly pervasive, as after 89+reinforcing of the consumerism people still measure their wellbeing largely by the access to consumer goods. Second mistake was the economic closing, loans, etc.
In 1980 problems converged, and a rising cost of living* sparked massive strikes and manifestations, which were outwardly socialist in nature, but were in fact organized and hijacked by people ultimately serving the antisocialist factions like church and growing liberals with entire thing being sponsored by USA (it wasn’t even first time). This put a wrench in the economy cogs, worsening the crisis manyfold and also caused huge political crisis splintering the government into two factions. Then perestroika hit and opportunists get open signal from Moscow that they are free to do whatever they want.
89 transformation when looked from some distance have all characteristics of a coup, in which government (by then thoroughly purged from socialist elements) with opposition couped in fact the nation. We will probably never know what really and exactly happened back then and in the next few years, since the first thing they seized and subordinated was police and security services, and in the next years people threatening to disclose some details were (i’m sure completely coincidentally /s) been killed by mafia, committed suicide, died in car accidents etc. So what i wrote here is basically my observations, true marxist analysis will probably never be made, trots are producing some utter rubbish about it, which don’t make it easier.
Of course media been really the 4th power in this, as i wrote above off all the forces and their emanation in play, they seems to be the one which is, completely against the expectations, the most uniform force that clearly demonstrates that the issue is of course nothing else but the class, they have all the factionalism of various bourgeois interests and opinions, but nothing, in the entire spectrum, going against their class interests, if the case is even potentially concering the class issues, they speak with one voice.
*This is especially bitter irony, what officially sparked those protests were the cost of living rise comprable to those which we now have monthly. And nearly nobody is minding, nobody is protesting, not even if we take the destruction of the unions under consideration.