Poland: Transition and Integration in the World Economy

"The East-Central European communist regimes that came into power at the close of World War II sought to eradicate the market mechanism and to insulate their countries from the capitalist West. Poland was no exception: most of its exports were directed to, and most of its imports were obtained from other COMECON members, in particular from the Soviet Union. Gradually, however, the leadership of PZPR, the Polish United Workers' (communist) party realized that the command system and isolation from the world spelled stagnation. Sporadic attempts at reform were made as early as 1956, but the system remained virtually unchanged for the next twenty five years.