Przemiany w polskim aparacie bezpieczeństwa w latach 1989‒1990

Abstract

Entering the way of changes in 1989, according to those who considered themselves the architects of the new order, was not supposed to bring any changes in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Security Service, as these departments, as well as the Ministry of National Defence, until 1990 belonged to Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR). Both ministries became the last bastion of ancient regime in Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s government. The fact that Czesław Kiszczak remained the Minister of Internal affairs and Florian Siwicki was still the Minister of National Defence unambiguously indicated the direction of the government policy. However, it does not mean that there were no structural changes introduced to Security Service in this new political situation. These changes were endogenous and were controlled by communists. Changes in the ministry changed the character until spring 1990 years. After long discussions the Parliament finally accepted a bundle of three acts: on the police, on the office of the Minister of Internal Affairs and on the Office of State Protection (UOP). The act on the Office of State Protection in article 129 said that: ‘at the moment of establishing the Office of State Protection (UOP), Security Service (SB) is disbanded’. The final element of this process was appointing, on May 10th, Krzysztof Kozłowski (a deputy from the Civic Parliamentary Club, vice editor-in-chief of ‘Tygodnik Powszechny’) for the position of a chief of the Office of State Protection (contrary to expectations in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where they wanted to appoint colonel Jerzy Karpacz).