Zbigniew Messner

Zbigniew Stefan Messner (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 communist party apparatus. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) from 1981 to 1990, when PZPR was dissolved, member of the PZPR Politburo from 1981 to 1988, Deputy Prime Minister from 1983 to 1985, member of Sejm from 1985 to 1989, 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. Additionally in the 1960s Messner was the chairman of Piast Gliwice football club.

Early life
Messner was born on 13 March 1929 in Stryj, then located in Poland (now Stryi, Ukraine). After Soviet annexation of former Polish eastern regions in 1945, his family decided to leave Stryj and move to Gliwice. In 1953 Messner graduated 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. In the following year Messner was appointed First Secretary of the Voivodeship Committee of the PZPR in Katowice 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, responsible for economic affairs. When in 1985 Jaruzelski became the 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.

As economist and now Prime Minister, Messner was tasked by Jaruzelski with the implementation of some market elements into 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.

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" 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. 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 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.