View source for Zbigniew Messner

{{Short description|Polish communist politician and economist (1929–2014)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Zbigniew Messner 1988.jpg
| name                = Zbigniew Messner
| imagesize           = 
| caption             = Messner in 1988
| office              = [[Prime Minister of Poland]]
| term_start          = 6 November 1985
| term_end            = 27 September 1988
| vicepresident       = 
| viceprimeminister   = 
| deputy              = 
| president           = 
| primeminister       = 
| predecessor         = [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]]
| successor           = [[Mieczysław Rakowski]]
| birth_name          = Zbigniew Stefan Messner
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|df=y|1929|03|13}}
| birth_place         = [[Stryi|Stryj]], [[Stanisławów Voivodeship]], [[Second Polish Republic]] (now [[Stryi]], [[Ukraine]])
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2014|01|10|1929|03|13|df=yes}}
| death_place         = [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]]
| constituency        = 
| party               = [[Polish United Workers' Party]] (1954-1990)
| spouse              = 
| profession          = [[Economist]]
| religion            = 
| signature           = 
| footnotes           = 
| legislature         = Sejm
| office1             = [[Sejm|Member of Sejm]]
| termstart2          = 6 November 1985
| termend2            = 30 May 1989
}}

'''Zbigniew Stefan Messner''' ({{IPA|pl|ˈzbiɡɲɛf ˈmɛsnɛr|lang|Pl-Zbigniew Messner.ogg}}; 13 March 1929 – 10 January 2014) was a Polish [[communist]] politician and economist. His ancestors were of German Polish descent who had assimilated into Polish society. In 1972, he became Professor of Karol Adamiecki University of Economics in [[Katowice]]. In the 1980s, Messner held numerous high ranking posts within [[Nomenklatura|communist party apparatus]]. He was a member of the [[Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party|Central Committee]] of the [[Polish United Workers' Party]] (PZPR) from 1981 to 1990, when PZPR was dissolved, member of the PZPR [[Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party|Politburo]] from 1981 to 1988, Deputy Prime Minister from 1983 to 1985, member of [[Sejm]] from 1985 to 1989, [[Prime Minister of Poland|Prime Minister of Polish People's Republic]] from 1985 to 1988 and member of the [[State Council of the Polish People's Republic]] from 1988 to 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Parlamentarzyści - Pełny widok rekordu |url=https://bs.sejm.gov.pl/F?func=direct&local_base=ARS10&doc_number=000005147 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=bs.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref> Additionally in the 1960s Messner was the chairman of [[Piast Gliwice]] football club.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2014-01-10 |title=Zmarł Zbigniew Messner, były prezes Piasta |url=https://piast.gliwice.pl/2014/01/10/zmarl-zbigniew-messner-byly-prezes-piasta/ |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=Piast Gliwice |language=pl-PL}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Messner was born on 13 March 1929 in [[Stryi|Stryj]], then located in [[Second Polish Republic|Poland]] (now Stryi, [[Ukraine]]). After [[Territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union|Soviet annexation of former Polish eastern regions]] in 1945, his family decided to leave Stryj and move to [[Gliwice]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1953 Messner graduated [[University of Economics in Katowice|Karol Adamiecki University of Economics]] in [[Katowice]], where he continued to work in the following years as an academic worker.

== Political career ==
In 1954 Messner joined PZPR. In 1980 he became the chairman of the [[Katowice Voivodeship]] [[National Council (Poland)|National Council]]. In the following year Messner was appointed First Secretary of the Voivodeship Committee of the PZPR in [[Katowice]]<ref>Secretary of the Voivodeship Committee was leader of the PZPR structures in the given [[Voivodeships of Poland|Voivodeship]]. From 1950 to 1975 there were 17 Voivodeship Committees, after [[Edward Gierek|Gierek's]] administrational reform of 1975, the number of Voivodeships was increased to 49. Reform was initialized by Gierek, with the goal of weakening the local influential party structures and replacing 17 politically strong Secretaries with 49 Secretaries who would have control over much smaller territories and wield lesser political influence.</ref> and member of PZPR Central Committee and Politburo. There he started to collaborate with [[Wojciech Jaruzelski]], then prime minister and leader of the PZPR, who in 1983 made Messner his [[Deputy Prime Minister of Poland|Deputy Prime Minister]], responsible for economic affairs. When in 1985 Jaruzelski became the [[Chairman of the Council of State (Poland)|Chairman of the Council of State]] and resigned from the Prime Minister's office, he appointed Messner as his successor. This move was not caused by Messner's competence, but his loyalty and subjugation to Jaruzelski.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burakowski |first=Adam |title=1989. Jesień Narodów |last2=Gubrynowicz |first2=Aleksander |last3=Ukielski |first3=Paweł |publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy |year=2021 |isbn=9788381963275 |location=Warsaw |pages=82 |language=pl |trans-title=1989. Autumn of Nations}}</ref>

As economist and now Prime Minister, Messner was tasked by Jaruzelski with the implementation of some market elements into [[Planned economy|planned economy system]] in order to save [[Polish economy]] from collapse, while preventing political liberalization. Messner's cabinet work led to adaptation of several bills, which included e.g. increasing the independence of state enterprises, allowing for the creation of private banks and [[privatisation]], etc.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prof. A. Dudek: zdaniem Jaruzelskiego premier Messner miał uzdrowić gospodarkę PRL |url=https://dzieje.pl/wiadomosci/prof-dudek-zdaniem-jaruzelskiego-premier-messner-mial-uzdrowic-gospodarke-prl |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=dzieje.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

However Messner's reforms coincided with drastic price increases and further economic recession. Moreover, the [[referendum]] on economic reforms in 1987, proposed by the government turned out to be a failure, because it did not receive enough votes to make its result binding. In 1988, a wave of strikes organized by the opposition's [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|"Solidarity"]] trade union spread throughout the country. Messner came under pressure of both opoposition and other factions within PZPR. In the [[Sejm]] ([[Parliament]]), members of pro-communist [[All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions]] (OPZZ), started to speak against Messner. The criticism within communist party forced Jaruzelski to pressure Messener to resign. Messner eventually resigned in September 1988, justifying his decision with "health problems", and had to transfer power to [[Mieczysław Rakowski]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burakowski |first=Adam |title=1989. Jesień Narodów |last2=Gubrynowicz |first2=Aleksander |last3=Ukielski |first3=Paweł |publisher=Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy |year=2021 |isbn=9788381963275 |location=Warsaw |pages=84–86 |language=pl |trans-title=1989. Autumn of Nations}}</ref> After his resignation Jaruzelski gave him a seat in Council of State, in which Messner remained until the abolishment of the council, creation of the office of [[President of Poland]] and [[1989 Polish presidential election|presidential election]] in July 1989.

== Later life ==
After 1989 Messner retreated from political life and returned to academic career. He died in Warsaw on 10 January 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,75478,15254856,Nie_zyje_Zbigniew_Messner__premier_PRL_w_latach_1985_88.html |title=Nie żyje Zbigniew Messner, premier PRL w latach 1985-88 |access-date=2014-01-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114043401/http://wyborcza.pl/1,75478,15254856,Nie_zyje_Zbigniew_Messner__premier_PRL_w_latach_1985_88.html |archive-date=14 January 2014}}</ref>

==Awards and decorations==
* [[File:POL Order Sztandaru Pracy 1 klasy BAR.svg|60px]] [[Order of the Banner of Labour]], 1st Class
* [[File:POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski ZG BAR.svg|60px]] Commander's Cross with Star of [[Order of Polonia Restituta]] (1997)<ref>{{in lang|pl}} M.P. z 1997 r. nr 86, poz. 869.</ref>
* [[File:POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR.svg|60px]] Commander's Cross of [[Order of Polonia Restituta]]
* [[File:POL Polonia Restituta Kawalerski BAR.svg|60px]] Knight's Cross of [[Order of Polonia Restituta]]
* [[File:POL Medal 40-lecia Polski Ludowej BAR.svg|60px]] [[Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland]] (1984)
* [[File:POL Medal za Długoletnie Pożycie Małżeńskie BAR.svg|60px]] [[Medal for Long Marital Life]] (2000)<ref>{{in lang|pl}} M.P. z 2000 r. nr 28, poz. 563.</ref>
* [[File:POL Medal KEN BAR.svg|60px]] Medal of the National Education Commission
* [[File:POL Odznaka tytułu honorowego Zasłużony Nauczyciel Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej BAR.png|60px]] Badge of the honorary title "Meritorious Teacher of the Polish People's Republic"
* [[File:GDR Star of Friendship of Nations - Gold BAR.png|60px]] Golden [[Star of Peoples' Friendship]] (East Germany, 1986)<ref>{{in lang|pl}} Wysokie odznaczenie dla Premiera PRL [w:] „Trybuna Robotnicza”, nr 154, 3 lipca 1986, s. 1.</ref>
* [[File:SU Medal Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 ribbon.svg|60px]] [[Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]] (USSR, 1985)<ref>{{in lang|pl}} „Życie Partii”, nr 11, 22 maja 1985, s. 21.</ref>
* [[File:100th anniversary of the birth of Georgi Dimitrov medal ribbon.svg|60px]] Medal of 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 1983)<ref>{{in lang|pl}} „Wojskowy Przegląd Historyczny”, nr 1 (107), styczeń–marzec 1984, s. 116.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{Succession box|title=[[Prime Minister of Poland]]|before=[[Wojciech Jaruzelski]]|after=[[Mieczysław Rakowski]]|years=1985&ndash;1988}}
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{{Prime Ministers of Poland}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Messner, Zbigniew}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Stryi]]
[[Category:People from Stanisławów Voivodeship]]
[[Category:Members of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of the Polish People's Republic]]
[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Poland]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Sejm 1985–1989]]
[[Category:Polish economists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta]]