Jacek Kuroń

Jacek Jan Kuroń (; 3 March 1934 – 17 June 2004) was a Polish social activist, politician, and one of the most prominent democratic leaders of the opposition in the People's Republic of Poland (PRL). Kuroń played a pivotal role in challenging Communist rule and advocating for democratic reforms during the latter half of the 20th century. After the PRL fell in 1989, Kuroń served as Minister of Labour and Social Policy twice in post-communist Poland, from 1989 to 1990 in the government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki and from 1992 to 1993 in the government of Hanna Suchocka. As an educator and political theorist, he is also known for co-authoring the "Open Letter to the Party".

Initially an idealistic communist in his youth, he first rose to prominence as a revisionist Marxist critic of the PRL and Władysław Gomułka following the events of Polish October. In 1965, together with Karol Modzelewski, he co-wrote the "Open Letter to the Party", which used Marxist theory to argue that a new bureaucratic class had formed under Gomułka which had betrayed the workers, and that the only solution was for a revolution in Poland. His political activities after made him a frequent target of the Security Service (SB), and he spent multiple years in prison from 1965 to 1967 and again from 1969 to 1971. Following the brutal suppression of protests during the December 1970 protests in Poland by Gomułka, Kuroń abandoned Marxism and embraced a philosophy influenced by Christian personalism, although he remained a lifelong atheist. Following these events, he became a key organizer of the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR) in 1976, which provided aid to persecuted workers and laid the groundwork for the subsequent Solidarity movement.

Following the formation of the Solidarity trade union in 1980, he played a major role in supporting it. Although relations between Kuroń and its leader Lech Wałęsa soonn started to break down, he still publicly supported the movement and helped to negotiate August Agreements which legalized independent trade unions. After the start of martial law in 1981, he was arrested again and served another prison sentence from 1981 to 1984. After his release, Kuroń participated in the Polish Round Table Agreement as a member of Solidarity's team, which led to Poland's transition to democracy and he was subsequently elected to the Sejm in the first semi-free elections in 1989. After being chosen as Minister of Labour in 1989, he oversaw the implementation of the economic plan of shock therapy while attempting to provide unemployment benefits for the millions that soon lost employment that became known as "kuroniówka." During this time, many of his policies such as his advocacy for rapid privatization and his role in designing a transition that allowed Communist elites from the PRL to exit power without prosecution, were econtroveresial and were decisions he later stated he regretted. In 1995, he ran for president, but was ultimately unsuccessful, garnering only 9.22% of the first-round votes.

Kuroń's political philosophy after his time as minister started to evolve to focus on civic education and minorities. In the Sejm, he represented the Freedom Union starting in 1994 and became Chairman of the Commission for National and Ethnic Minorities, a role in which he adovcated for Roma, Ukrainian, and Jewish communities. As he became increasingly critical of neoliberalism and social inequality, he founded Poland's first food bank after the collapse of the PRL in 1994 called the SOS Foundtion and established the Jan Józef Lipski Common University in 2000 to promote civic education, especially in rural areas. He received numerous honours during his lifetime, including the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest award, and international awards from France, Germany, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, and Ukraine. Kuroń died on 17 June 2004 after years of declining health since the 1990s. Since his death, he has had numerous streets, squares, and institutions named after him in Poland and in his hometown of Lviv. Provided by Wikipedia