The History of Poland from 1945 to 1989 was shaped by the influence of Soviet Communism and opposition to it from the Roman Catholic Church, trade unions and other groups. In the aftermath of the Second World War, forces of Nazi Germany were driven from Poland by the advancing Red Army of the Soviet Union. A liberalizing "thaw" in Eastern Europe followed the death of Stalin in early 1953, sparking the desire for further reform. However, de-Stalinization left Poland's Communist Party in a difficult position. In the 1970s, Edward Gierek's economic program brought a rise in living standards and expectations, but it faltered unexpectedly because of worldwide recession and increased oil prices following the 1973 world oil crisis. A vicious economic cycle ensued, and slowed only with the election of John Paul II, a Pole, as Pope in 1978. In 1980, electrician Lech Walesa and his independent "Solidarity" trade union led a wave of strikes at the Gdansk Shipyards. In 1990 Wojciech Jaruzelski resigned as Poland's leader and was succeeded by Walesa. By the end of August, a Solidarity-led coalition government was formed, and in December Walesa was elected president; the Communist People's Republic of Poland became the Republic of Poland. Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_%281945-1989%29 _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1469: : Ferdinand II of Aragon wedded Isabella of Castile, a marriage that paved the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_II_of_Aragon) 1781: : After losing the Battle of Yorktown, British forces led by Lord Charles Cornwallis officially surrendered, ending the American Revolutionary War. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War) 1943: : Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, was first isolated by researchers at Rutgers University. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streptomycin) 1987: : The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22% on Black Monday, the largest one-day decline in history. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_%281987%29) _____________________ Wikiquote of the day: "Traditionalists are pessimists about the future and optimists about the past." -- Lewis Mumford (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lewis_Mumford)