Wielomski jaruzelski biography

1. Wojciech Jaruzelski - the Savior of Poland
2. Political Career and Leadership
3. Controversial Period
4. Personal Life

Wojciech Jaruzelski - the Savior of Poland

Wojciech Jaruzelski was born on June 6, 1923, in the village of Kurov, in the Lublin Voivodeship, to a military officer's family. He attended a private gymnasium until 1939. In 1939, he was arrested by the NKVD and sent to Karaganda, where he worked as a coal miner. In 1943, he enrolled in a Soviet military school near Ryazan, which also accepted Polish students. That same year, he volunteered to join the newly formed Polish army on Soviet territory. As a lieutenant, he fought as part of the 2nd Infantry Division named after General Henryk Dabrowski and served as the commander of the regiment's reconnaissance unit. He was awarded numerous medals and orders, including the highest military honor of Poland, the Order of Virtuti Militari.

Political Career and Leadership

Since 1947, Jaruzelski was a member of the Polish Workers' Party, and from 1948 to January 1990, he was a member of the Polish United Workers' Party (POUP). He graduated with honors from the Higher Infantry School and the General Staff Academy named after General K. Sverchevsky. From 1957 to 1960, he served as the commander of the 12th Mechanized Division. From 1960 to 1965, he was the head of the Main Political Directorate of the Polish Army, and from 1965 to 1968, he served as the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army. From 1962 to 1968, he was the Deputy Minister of Defense, and from April 1968 to November 1983, he served as the Minister of National Defense. It was Jaruzelski who, on December 13, 1981, concentrated almost all the power in his hands. He held the positions of the First Secretary of the POUP, the Prime Minister (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Polish People's Republic), and the Minister of National Defense. He announced the introduction of martial law in the Polish People's Republic. From 1981 to 1983, he was the Chairman of the Military Council of National Salvation. Since 1983, he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Poland. From July 19, 1989, to December 22, 1990, Wojciech Jaruzelski served as the President of the Republic of Poland.

Controversial Period

The most controversial period in Jaruzelski's life was the imposition of martial law. Some Polish authors consider it as the "lesser evil." They argue that without Polish tanks with the Polish eagle on the streets of Warsaw, there would have been Soviet tanks with red stars instead.

Personal Life

Jaruzelski's wife, Barbara, holds a Ph.D. in Philology and taught at the University of Warsaw. They have a daughter.