Polish People's Republic

The Polish People's Republic was formally created in 1952 when the provisional post-war Polish constitution was replaced by one guaranteeing Poland's subordination to one-party rule and alliance with the Soviet Union. Poland was the largest and most powerful country in the Warsaw Pact after the USSR, but it was still effortlessly dominated by its large neighbour. Poland was permitted some autonomy in self-government and did not always follow precisely in the USSR's footsteps - notably, after a brief period of persecution, the Catholic church was able to function more or less unmolested (providing priests followed an unspoken rule not to comment on politics), and the collectivisation of agriculture was very limited (although independent farmers were required to follow government-set price controls). But Poland remained a one party state.

The 1970s saw detente, a relative liberalisation and an influx of western European money into Poland. However, increased tensions in the 1980s saw the birth of a major opposition movement in both industrial cities and the countryside. Solidarnosc (Polish for solidarity) was at first able to convince the government to acknowledge it and, through use of strikes and other nonviolent protests, to remove some corrupt government officials. In 1981 the Polish government, acting under pressure from Moscow, reversed course, outlawing opposition activity and declaring martial law. The worsening international situation saw martial law rules grow increasingly stringent, and the opposition becoming increasingly violent.

When the war began, internal opposition rose up against the government, which found itself fighting desperately before the first NATO troops even set foot on its soil. Several areas of the countryside and even some towns like Lubin were no-go areas for government officials, who struggled to keep Polish industry functioning or to ensure the safe passage of Soviet military supplies through Poland. NATO airstrikes and the activities of West German and British intelligence agents in the country to encourage industrial sabotage and spread propaganda also contributed to the government's increasing loss of control.

When NATO forces entered Poland, the nuclear exchange between NATO and the Soviets completely wiped out the government's already crumbling control. With the destruction of several major cities and the collapse of long-distance travel and communications, the government officials who had survived NATO decapitation strikes found themselves able only to exert control over the immediate area - if they were lucky. The only national institution that continued to function was the Polish People's Army, and it was fully integrated into the Warsaw Pact command structure and effectively taking orders from Moscow.

In early 1986, as the war dragged on and nuclear exchanges fell away, the Soviet military leaders in Poland saw merit in reconstructing a friendly Polish-led civilian authority in the hope that this would decrease Polish resistance to the movement and requisitioning of the remaining Soviet forces, as well as assist in recruiting Polish local defense forces. The government was located in Lublin - although Lodz had more survivors and was also under Soviet control, the local commander was reluctant to allow even quasi-independent authority in a city so close to NATO forces. Polish troops were moved into the area and Soviet forces moved out, except for a few advisor placed with Polish units.

The only substantial area directly controlled by forces loyal to the People's Republic government is the area within a 30km radius of Lublin, and even this area is frequently bisected by Soviet forces. Scattered communities throughout Poland consider themselves loyal to the government, some no larger than a village. The government in Lublin has attempted to send a Starost to most significant communities that recognise its authority, but the difficulty of long distance travel and communication means that these starosts are at best influential without being powerful, and at worst ignored completely.

The martial law instituted in 1981 is still in effect, so the supreme power in Poland is the WRON ˇor Wojskowa Rada Ocalenia Narodowego, the Military Council of National salvation. The WRON is made up of three members plus a Soviet "advisor". The dominant figure in the WRON, surprisingly, is its sole civilian member, party administrator Paulina Tomczak.

Controlled Cities:

Boleslawiec (Contested by Marauders)

Lublin