's economy was in serious trouble. With the end of the false prosperity of the early 1970s, shortages of meat, flour, sugar, and other staples had become widespread. Indus- trial productivity was low, the rate of economic growth had fur- ther declined, and the country was burdened with a massive external debt. The agricultural sector, once one of Poland's great strengths, was in disarray.
Since the summer of 1980, the situation has only deterio- rated. Rationing is in force, and as mundane an item...