Martial law is lifted, but the government's powers increase
Without his forbidding dark glasses, speaking calmly, General Wojciech Jaruzelski seemed eager to soften his stony image as he began addressing the Sejm, Poland's rubber-stamp parliament. "The introduction of martial law was not a universal medicine for our illnesses," he declared. "It was an act of defense, a necessity." The general then made a long-anticipated announcement: after 19 months, martial law would be lifted the next day, Poland's National Day. But Jaruzelski also issued a stern warning: "Any attempts at antistate activity will be curbed no less aggressively than during martial...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
