A quiz on the last premier of communist Poland revealed widespread confusion, with only 39% correctly identifying Tadeusz Mazowiecki.
Question Divided Participants. Result May Surprise
Participants were given choices between Mieczysław Rakowski, Wojciech Jaruzelski, and Tadeusz Mazowiecki. The correct answer was Tadeusz Mazowiecki. A total of 82,730 people responded, with 32,312 selecting the correct answer, approximately 39%. The remaining 50,418 chose incorrect options.
Decline of PRL and a Government that Made History. Facts on the System’s End
Tadeusz Mazowiecki assumed the premiership in August 1989 following the Round Table talks and partially free parliamentary elections. His government was the first non-communist cabinet in post-war Poland. His appointment is often seen as the beginning of systemic changes that led to the formal end of the PRL by late 1989.
The state’s name changed only at the end of 1989. Mazowiecki served as prime minister while the country was still officially the Polish People’s Republic. Historically, he was the last premier of the PRL, though he is more commonly associated with the start of the Third Republic.
Rakowski or Jaruzelski? These Names Could Be Misleading
Mieczysław Rakowski was the immediate predecessor of Mazowiecki and served as prime minister in 1988 and 1989. Wojciech Jaruzelski was the President of the PRL at that time and had also served as prime minister in the 1980s. Both names are strongly linked to the final period of the People’s Republic.
It is not surprising that many participants chose one of these answers, especially Rakowski, as the last prime minister from the communist camp, who is automatically associated with the end of the system.
