From ‘Economic Miracle’ to the ‘Sick Man of the Socialist Camp’: Poland and the West in the 1970s

In the 1970s, the Polish socialist regime substantially broadened its political and economic cooperation with Western Europe. By doing so, it actively participated in the creation of the European détente and the enhancement of globalisation. However, while initially bringing promising results, this strategy made Poland the most indebted and politically unstable socialist country in Europe in the 1980s. Examining the socialist elites’ attitudes towards cooperation with Western Europe in the late Gomułka era and in the Gierek period, the chapter explains the rationale behind decisions such as raising foreign debt, purchasing Western licences or expanding contacts with Western politicians. It argues that Poland’s opening was driven by the confidence and unity of the socialist elites, which declined throughout the decade, leaving the socialist regime not only dependent on the West but also in internal decay and seriously undermined in its legitimacy.