DISINFO: The post-1989 Poland functioned thanks to the sale of property built by Communist authorities
SUMMARY
In fact, the three decades of the Third Polish Republic [since 1989] was the period when the state functioned thanks to the sale of the property built by Edward Gierek and the Poles who stood next to him, building another [Communist] Poland. It is a fact. There would be nothing to sell in the Third Polish Republic if the Poles had not built it under the Gierek’s rule.
RESPONSE
This message is an economic conspiracy theory, which questions the successful transformation of Poland to market economy, glorifying “efficient” economic policies of repressive Communist Poland.
Edward Gierek was the Head of Communist Poland in 1970-1980 – by the end of his rule, Poland faced the most serious socio-economic crisis, which resulted in the emergence of the Solidarity Movement and introduction of the Martial Law (1981-1983). As a result of the post-war Soviet “economic assistance”, the Polish economy was turned into an inefficient Communist-type economy, unable to provide its citizens with a decent level of life. By 1989, the state-run Polish Communist economy based on large industrial enterprises have practically collapsed.
Over the last two decades, Poland has become one of Europe's most dynamic economies, enjoying uninterrupted economic growth since the early 1990s, with average GDP growth of 4.2% a year, doubling its GDP between 1990 and 2015. This growth has allowed Poland to narrow the economic gap with the EU's most developed economies: the Polish GDP (at PPP) increased from 32% to 60% of the Western European average.
See similar cases connected to this issue such as The Red Army liberated Poland and preserved the country’s economic power, The Polish economy was revived thanks to the Soviet Union and The current socio-economic situation of Poland is worse than in communist times.