Mazowiecki’s Miracle
When Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Poland's first post-communist prime minister in August 1989, he took over control of a country that was politically and economically bankrupt. Though he was in office for less than 17 months, he managed to set Poland on a path toward democracy, economic recovery, and NATO and EU membership.
WARSAW – It was a hot day and a tense moment. As Poland’s first post-communist prime minister, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, laid out his government’s ground-breaking program, he wobbled and appeared to faint. While the packed parliament speculated nervously, Mazowiecki slipped out of a side entrance to get some fresh air in nearby Ujazdowski Park in central Warsaw.