Gruba kreska
Encyclopedia
The term broad-stroke or broad line policy (Polish
: "gruba kreska") was employed by prime minister
of Poland
, Tadeusz Mazowiecki
in 1989, in his first parliamentary speech in Sejm
. He said "We split away the history of our recent past with a broad line. We will answer only for what we have done to help extract Poland from her current predicament, from now on" ("Przeszłość odkreślamy grubą linią. Odpowiadać będziemy jedynie za to, co uczyniliśmy, by wydobyć Polskę z obecnego stanu załamania").
In more recent years, his intentions were either more or less deliberately misunderstood by some people and his "gruba kreska" is often understood as a policy of non-punishment for crimes committed by the communist regime of pre-1989 Poland.
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
: "gruba kreska") was employed by prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Tadeusz Mazowiecki is a Polish author, journalist, philanthropist and Christian-democratic politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist prime minister in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.-Biography:Mazowiecki comes from a Polish...
in 1989, in his first parliamentary speech in Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
. He said "We split away the history of our recent past with a broad line. We will answer only for what we have done to help extract Poland from her current predicament, from now on" ("Przeszłość odkreślamy grubą linią. Odpowiadać będziemy jedynie za to, co uczyniliśmy, by wydobyć Polskę z obecnego stanu załamania").
In more recent years, his intentions were either more or less deliberately misunderstood by some people and his "gruba kreska" is often understood as a policy of non-punishment for crimes committed by the communist regime of pre-1989 Poland.
See also
- Polish Round Table AgreementPolish Round Table AgreementThe Polish Round Table Talks took place in Warsaw, Poland from February 6 to April 4, 1989. The government initiated the discussion with the banned trade union Solidarność and other opposition groups in an attempt to defuse growing social unrest.-History:...
- Lustration in PolandLustration in PolandLustration in Poland refers to the policy of limiting the participation of former communists, and especially informants of the communist secret police , in the successor governments or even in civil service positions.-1992–1997:...
- VergangenheitsbewältigungVergangenheitsbewältigungVergangenheitsbewältigung is a composite German word that describes processes of dealing with the past , which is perhaps best rendered in English as "struggle to come to terms with the past"...