In 1954 Messner joined PZPR. In 1980 he became the chairman of the Katowice VoivodeshipNational Council. In the following year Messner was appointed First Secretary of the Voivodeship Committee of the PZPR in Katowice[3] 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.[4]
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.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]
^Secretary of the Voivodeship Committee was leader of the PZPR structures in the given Voivodeship. From 1950 to 1975 there were 17 Voivodeship Committees, after Gierek's administrational reform of 1975, the number of Voivodeships was increased to 49. Reform was initialized by Gierek, with the goal of weakening the local influential party structures and replacing 17 politically strong Secretaries with 49 Secretaries who would have control over much smaller territories and wield lesser political influence.
^Burakowski, Adam; Gubrynowicz, Aleksander; Ukielski, Paweł (2021). 1989. Jesień Narodów [1989. Autumn of Nations] (in Polish). Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. p. 82. ISBN9788381963275.
^Burakowski, Adam; Gubrynowicz, Aleksander; Ukielski, Paweł (2021). 1989. Jesień Narodów [1989. Autumn of Nations] (in Polish). Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. pp. 84–86. ISBN9788381963275.
