Polish Normalization: The Links Between Foreign and Domestic Policy in Poland, 1981-1987

Polish history to date has been dominated by a primacy of external relations over domestic affairs. Poland's geo-political position in the centre of Europe has meant that it has always had to take into account the intentions of its neighbours to the east and to the west. German and Russian designs over the Polish nation have inevitably associated its internal fate to the very survival of the nation as a whole, with the result that throughout the ages, a close link has appeared between the domestic and foreign variables shaping the life of this country. In the twentieth century, this remains a crucial determinant in analysing the processes taking place there. The present study aims at highlighting the perceived inseparability of domestic and foreign inputs into the socio-political life of the Polish nation. In particular, the period following the imposition of a state of war in the PRL on December 13, 1981, would seem to present a prime example of how this link can be demonstrated