25 Years of Polish Foreign Trade

With regard to the role which foreign trade should assume many conflicting views have been put forward. In the middle of 1950-ties, we witnessed the appearance of some autarchic tendencies — which, however, had nothing to do with the true essence of the socialist economy — as at the bottom of said tendencies lay above all the "cold war" and its economic consequences. Those tendencies were strengthened by serious balance of payment difficulties, caused primarily by the industrialization drive. A certain role was played also by the prevailing economic model, resting mainly on administrative, central directives and only in small degree on economic incentives. In the last few years the said tendencies have been checked — the industrial development reaching such a level, that the course on international specialization is becoming an objective necessity. The changes in the economic model and the abatement in discriminatory practices against the socialist countries by our western partners point also to that direction. Next, the author comes to the analysis of the commodities structure (pointing to the ever greater importance of industrial export goods) and to geographical directions of the Polish foreign trade. The trade with the socialist countries constitutes the driving force of our foreign trade. The respective turnover in the period of 1947 - 1968 rose roughly 17-times, whereas that with the capitalist countries increased less than 6-times. Trade with the underdeveloped countries in the period of 1950 - 1968 rose more than 9-times. The main reason for the dynamic development of trade relations with the socialist countries should be attributed to the common economic and political goals of these countries. Poland attaches also great importance to the development of trade relations with the capitalist world (which at present assume only small proportions). Our export commodity structure should comprise in an ever higher degree our industrial goods (of the I and IV commodity groups). We are also looking for new forms of activating trade with those countries by concluding cooperation agreements, cooperation on third markets, setting up mixed companies and so on. There is a distinctly favourable trend in our trade relations with the underdeveloped countries (in the last 15 years the highest rate of growth has shown trade with countries of the third world). Summing up, the author comes to the conclusion that the overpassing of the industrialization barrier by Poland, rendered our economy more sensitive to the external impulses and more or less forced us to take a more active part in the world economy and trade.Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/201