Last week's victory for the Polish working class, in defeating attempts by the bureaucracy to enforce huge price increases, has changed the face of Polish politics.
On Thursday the Polish Parliament assemout of the blue, increases in basic food prices averaging 65 per cent.
ment of strikes and working class protests had brought the Prime Minister to announce on TV that the Government's proposals had been constructively received' by most of the working class and had provoked so many proposals and suggestions mat me covernment had decided to withdraw the measure lor Turther consideration. In case of any misunderstanding, he added that this "consideration" would take several months.
play down these events will not wash with anyone in Poland, What was at stake last week was not just living standards: it was the whole political legitimacy of the regime. Just as Gomulka had risen to power on the crest of a massive working class upsurge in 1956, the present party boss, Gierek, replaced Gomulka in the neat or an insurrectionary general strike against massive price rises in December and January of 1970-71.
crush the workers in the Baltic ports, Gierek regained contról for the Polish bureaucracy by meeting the striking workers in Gdansk and committing himself to run the country through concutanor te Work, Clas The two slogans of Gierek's rise to DUWCE are in ruins after last week's events.
bureaucracy to attempt to end the price freeze is long and complicated.
During the breathing-space provided by the Soviet bureaucracy's $100m. loan standard practice to bail out the re-