Mieczyslaw Jagielski
Encyclopedia
Mieczysław Jagielski was a Polish politician and economist. During the times of the People's Republic of Poland
he was the last leading politician from the former eastern regions
of pre-Second World War Poland.
Jagielski became a communist deputy to the legislative body of Poland, the Sejm
, in 1957, and he would continue to serve in that capacity for seven consecutive terms
until 1985. In 1959, he was posted to be a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party
and appointed to be the Minister of Agriculture. After he left his position as Minister of Agriculture in 1970, Jagielski became a Deputy Prime Minister
, and the next year, a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
. In August 1980, Jagielski represented the government during talks with strikers
in the city of Gdańsk
. He negotiated the agreement which recognized Solidarity, a Polish trade union, as the first officially recognized independent trade union
within the Eastern Bloc
. Between August 1980 and August 1981, Jagielski continued to interact with representatives of Polish workers, though his health was declining during this period. In late July 1981, Jagielski was fired from the Deputy Premiership, reportedly because he failed to produce a recovery program for the economic crisis Poland was experiencing at that time. The same year, he left his membership of the Political Bureau of the Polish United Workers Party and the Central Committee. He died in Warsaw
, Poland from a heart attack at the age of 73.
family on 12 January 1924, in Kołomyja
, Poland (Second Polish Republic
) (now Kolomyia, Ukraine
). He spent the Second World War as an agricultural laborer on the farm of his parents. After the war he finished studies at the Main School of Planning and Statistics
as well as in the Instytut Kształcenia Kadr Naukowych (Institute of Preparing Science Cadres), the latter being a graduate school preparing people for prominent positions in the Polish communist party
structures.
Jagielski signed up to the Polish Workers' Party
(PPR) in 1944, or in 1946 (sources vary). When the Polish Worker's Party transformed into the Polish United Workers Party (PZPR) in 1948, he became a member of the new party. From 1946 to 1949, Jagielski served on the Central Board of the Związek Samopomocy Chłopskiej (Association of Peasant Self-Help), a communist organization designed to take control of the countryside. From 1950 to 1952 he was on the Central Board of the State Agricultural Farms
and from December 1952 to December 1953 he was a deputy director of that institution. In December 1953, he became the Director of the Agricultural Department of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
, a position he would hold until December 1956.
In March 1954, he became a deputy to a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
and would retain this position until March 1959. As a result of the January 1957 Polish legislative elections
, Jagielski was appointed as a deputy to the Sejm
, the Polish legislative body. In January of that year, he also became the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture in October 1959, a position he would hold until June 1970. In March 1959, he was appointed a full member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
(he was previously a deputy to a full member). In June 1964, he became a deputy to a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
and would hold that position until December 1971.
Jagielski was also an economist
, specializing in issues of agricultural economics. Beginning in 1975, he held a professorship in the Main School of Planning and Statistics
in Warsaw
.
(thus ending his tenure as the Minister of Agriculture and becoming the Deputy of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland), and in December 1971 he became a full member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
(he was previously a deputy to an existing member). On 26 October 1971, he became the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Council of Ministers. On 23 October 1975, he was relieved of his post as Chairman of the Planning Committee after he suffered a severe heart attack. From 1971 to 1981 he was the Polish representative in the Comecon
. In February 1981 he became the president of the Economy Committee at the Council of Ministers.
He is described as having a "profound influence" on Poland's economic policies between 1971 and 1975, when he lost his position as Chairman of the Planning Committee. On 1 July 1980, the Polish government announced price increases, which led to many workers striking in several Polish cities, including Lublin
. As a result of the strike in Lublin, the city was "virtually shut down", and Jagielski led a delegation to the city which was able to ease tension there.
became the focal point of the strike movement. On 21 August 1980, Mieczysław Jagielski replaced Tadeusz Pyka
to lead a Polish government commission which was negotiating with strikers there. The strikers were represented by the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
, which was demanding that the workers it represented be given better rights, including better rights to strike. On 26 August meeting with representatives of the strikers at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Jagielski promised that the right to strike would be added to a new law on the official trade unions of Poland. After 5 more days of difficult negotiations, a settlement was reached between the strikers and the government, known as the Gdańsk agreement
. Norman Davies
contends that Jagielski "in the end realised that only two alternatives remained [to a general government victory in the negotiations]-either agreement on the strikers' terms or an immediate resort to force for which the government
was not prepared." The agreement, as well as giving the workers of the Lenin Shipyard the right to strike, also allowed them to form their own independent trade union. Jagielski said of the negotiations that led to the agreement, "We have spoken as Poles to Poles...There are no winners and losers. The important thing here is that we have understood each other and the best guarantee for what we have done is hard work." He was reported to have spoken eloquently.
, future President of the Third Republic of Poland. When Wałęsa complained that the Polish government was not keeping to its promise of allowing the independent labour movement enough of an opportunity to publicize itself, Jagielski indicated that he would try to give the movement better access to the Polish press, and to the Polish radio network. Jagielski led a delegation that went to a meeting in Moscow of Comecon
, the Eastern Bloc economic community, during January 1981. That month, the government declared that the poor economy was forcing it to cut back on its promise of ensuring that Polish workers did not have to work on Saturdays, and that it would offer a number of Saturdays as work-free instead.
Unrest grew among Polish workers over the government's decision, and Jagielski negotiated with Wałęsa for six hours in the building of the Council of Ministers regarding the Saturday issue. Other talking points included Solidarity's exemptions from standard state censorship. The negotiations did not end the unrest, and Jagielski offered a compromise in an appearance on the Polish national television network, stating that the government would grant workers every other Saturday off, or give them all Saturdays free but add half an hour to each working day. He warned that Poland's economic troubles would increase should all Polish workers gain all Saturdays off from work, and he appealed to "the patriotism of the people". Many Polish workers, though, stayed off work the following Saturday. In April Jagielski, described as a "veteran negotiator", met with France's President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
, and he was able to gain a pledge of $800 million in aid from France. That month, he was received by the United States's Secretary of State
Alexander Haig
and Vice President
George H.W. Bush, and they promised Jagielski that the US would sell Poland 50,000 tons of surplus butter and dried milk and would consider cooperating on rescheduling Poland's $3 billion debt to the US.
On 10 June as a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party, Jagielski offered to other members of that group to terminate his position within the Politburo, and his position as Deputy Prime Minister, stating "I submit my resignation as a member of the PB (Politburo), especially since I had a certain incident in my life. I also submit my resignation as vice premier (Deputy Prime Minister)." It seems his offer was rebuffed, and the incident in his life that he spoke of may have been a heart attack he had recently suffered. On 31 July 1981, Jagielski was fired from his position as Deputy Prime Minister, reportedly because he failed to produce a recovery program for the economic crisis Poland was experiencing at the time.
, Poland, at the age of 73. After Jagielski's death, Lech Wałęsa described him as a "sensitive man who always listened to arguments", and said that Jagielski differed in that respect from other Polish politicians in 1980.
(Order Budowniczych Polski Ludowej), the highest civil decoration of the People's Republic of Poland.
, 30 August 1995 Maciej Sandecki, "Mieczysław Jagielski: Musimy wyrazić zgodę" [Mieczysław Jagielski: We have to agree] - article about Jagielski in Gazeta Wyborcza, 30 July 2005
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
he was the last leading politician from the former eastern regions
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
of pre-Second World War Poland.
Jagielski became a communist deputy to the legislative body of Poland, the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
, in 1957, and he would continue to serve in that capacity for seven consecutive terms
Term of office
Term of office or term in office refers to the length of time a person serves in a particular office.-Prime Minister:In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has no term limits...
until 1985. In 1959, he was posted to be a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party
Polish United Workers' Party
The Polish United Workers' Party was the Communist party which governed the People's Republic of Poland from 1948 to 1989. Ideologically it was based on the theories of Marxism-Leninism.- The Party's Program and Goals :...
and appointed to be the Minister of Agriculture. After he left his position as Minister of Agriculture in 1970, Jagielski became a Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland is the deputy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland and member of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland. He can also be one of the ministers of Poland.-People's Poland :...
, and the next year, a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
The Politburo of the Polish United Workers Party was the chief executive body of the ruling Polish Communist apparatus between 1948–1989. Nearly all key figures of the regime had membership in the Politburo. The Politburo of the PUWP typically had between 9-15 full members at any one time...
. In August 1980, Jagielski represented the government during talks with strikers
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in the city of Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
. He negotiated the agreement which recognized Solidarity, a Polish trade union, as the first officially recognized independent trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
within the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
. Between August 1980 and August 1981, Jagielski continued to interact with representatives of Polish workers, though his health was declining during this period. In late July 1981, Jagielski was fired from the Deputy Premiership, reportedly because he failed to produce a recovery program for the economic crisis Poland was experiencing at that time. The same year, he left his membership of the Political Bureau of the Polish United Workers Party and the Central Committee. He died in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland from a heart attack at the age of 73.
Early political career
Jagielski was born to a peasantPeasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
family on 12 January 1924, in Kołomyja
Kolomyia
Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Kolomyia Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast...
, Poland (Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
) (now Kolomyia, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). He spent the Second World War as an agricultural laborer on the farm of his parents. After the war he finished studies at the Main School of Planning and Statistics
Warsaw School of Economics
Warsaw School of Economics is the oldest economic university in Poland.The Warsaw School of Economics was founded in 1906 as a private school under the name August Zieliński Private Trade Courses for Men. On 30 July 1919 it became a separate legal entity and was granted the status of an...
as well as in the Instytut Kształcenia Kadr Naukowych (Institute of Preparing Science Cadres), the latter being a graduate school preparing people for prominent positions in the Polish communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
structures.
Jagielski signed up to the Polish Workers' Party
Polish Workers' Party
The Polish Workers' Party was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland, and merged with the Polish Socialist Party in 1948 to form the Polish United Workers' Party.-History:...
(PPR) in 1944, or in 1946 (sources vary). When the Polish Worker's Party transformed into the Polish United Workers Party (PZPR) in 1948, he became a member of the new party. From 1946 to 1949, Jagielski served on the Central Board of the Związek Samopomocy Chłopskiej (Association of Peasant Self-Help), a communist organization designed to take control of the countryside. From 1950 to 1952 he was on the Central Board of the State Agricultural Farms
State Agricultural Farm (Poland)
A State Agricultural Farm was a form of collective farming in the People's Republic of Poland, similar to Soviet sovkhoz and to the East German Volkseigenes Gut....
and from December 1952 to December 1953 he was a deputy director of that institution. In December 1953, he became the Director of the Agricultural Department of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party was the central ruling body of the Polish United Workers' Party, the dominant political party in the People's Republic of Poland .-Functions:...
, a position he would hold until December 1956.
In March 1954, he became a deputy to a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party was the central ruling body of the Polish United Workers' Party, the dominant political party in the People's Republic of Poland .-Functions:...
and would retain this position until March 1959. As a result of the January 1957 Polish legislative elections
Polish legislative election, 1957
The Polish legislative election of 1957 was the second election to the Sejm, the parliament of the People's Republic of Poland, and the third in Communist Poland). It took place on 20 January, during the liberalization period following Władysław Gomułka's ascension to power. Although freer than...
, Jagielski was appointed as a deputy to the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
, the Polish legislative body. In January of that year, he also became the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture in October 1959, a position he would hold until June 1970. In March 1959, he was appointed a full member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party
Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party was the central ruling body of the Polish United Workers' Party, the dominant political party in the People's Republic of Poland .-Functions:...
(he was previously a deputy to a full member). In June 1964, he became a deputy to a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
The Politburo of the Polish United Workers Party was the chief executive body of the ruling Polish Communist apparatus between 1948–1989. Nearly all key figures of the regime had membership in the Politburo. The Politburo of the PUWP typically had between 9-15 full members at any one time...
and would hold that position until December 1971.
Jagielski was also an economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, specializing in issues of agricultural economics. Beginning in 1975, he held a professorship in the Main School of Planning and Statistics
Warsaw School of Economics
Warsaw School of Economics is the oldest economic university in Poland.The Warsaw School of Economics was founded in 1906 as a private school under the name August Zieliński Private Trade Courses for Men. On 30 July 1919 it became a separate legal entity and was granted the status of an...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
Deputy Prime Minister
In June 1970, Jagielski was appointed as a Deputy Prime MinisterDeputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland is the deputy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland and member of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland. He can also be one of the ministers of Poland.-People's Poland :...
(thus ending his tenure as the Minister of Agriculture and becoming the Deputy of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland), and in December 1971 he became a full member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party
The Politburo of the Polish United Workers Party was the chief executive body of the ruling Polish Communist apparatus between 1948–1989. Nearly all key figures of the regime had membership in the Politburo. The Politburo of the PUWP typically had between 9-15 full members at any one time...
(he was previously a deputy to an existing member). On 26 October 1971, he became the Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Council of Ministers. On 23 October 1975, he was relieved of his post as Chairman of the Planning Committee after he suffered a severe heart attack. From 1971 to 1981 he was the Polish representative in the Comecon
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
. In February 1981 he became the president of the Economy Committee at the Council of Ministers.
He is described as having a "profound influence" on Poland's economic policies between 1971 and 1975, when he lost his position as Chairman of the Planning Committee. On 1 July 1980, the Polish government announced price increases, which led to many workers striking in several Polish cities, including Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
. As a result of the strike in Lublin, the city was "virtually shut down", and Jagielski led a delegation to the city which was able to ease tension there.
Gdańsk negotiations
GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
became the focal point of the strike movement. On 21 August 1980, Mieczysław Jagielski replaced Tadeusz Pyka
Tadeusz Pyka
Tadeusz Pyka was a former Polish communist politician, who served as a Deputy Prime Minister of Poland. In August 1980, he led a government commission which attempted to end a strike in the Polish city of Gdańsk, but he was replaced on August 21 without an explanation offered by state radio at the...
to lead a Polish government commission which was negotiating with strikers there. The strikers were represented by the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee
Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee was an action strike committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard, People's Republic of Poland on 16 August 1980...
, which was demanding that the workers it represented be given better rights, including better rights to strike. On 26 August meeting with representatives of the strikers at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Jagielski promised that the right to strike would be added to a new law on the official trade unions of Poland. After 5 more days of difficult negotiations, a settlement was reached between the strikers and the government, known as the Gdańsk agreement
Gdansk Agreement
The Gdańsk Agreement was an accord reached as a direct result of the strikes that took place in Gdańsk, Poland...
. Norman Davies
Norman Davies
Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom.- Academic career :...
contends that Jagielski "in the end realised that only two alternatives remained [to a general government victory in the negotiations]-either agreement on the strikers' terms or an immediate resort to force for which the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
was not prepared." The agreement, as well as giving the workers of the Lenin Shipyard the right to strike, also allowed them to form their own independent trade union. Jagielski said of the negotiations that led to the agreement, "We have spoken as Poles to Poles...There are no winners and losers. The important thing here is that we have understood each other and the best guarantee for what we have done is hard work." He was reported to have spoken eloquently.
After the Gdańsk negotiations
In October 1980, he interacted with a delegation of Solidarity members that included Lech WałęsaLech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
, future President of the Third Republic of Poland. When Wałęsa complained that the Polish government was not keeping to its promise of allowing the independent labour movement enough of an opportunity to publicize itself, Jagielski indicated that he would try to give the movement better access to the Polish press, and to the Polish radio network. Jagielski led a delegation that went to a meeting in Moscow of Comecon
Comecon
The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance , 1949–1991, was an economic organisation under hegemony of Soviet Union comprising the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of communist states elsewhere in the world...
, the Eastern Bloc economic community, during January 1981. That month, the government declared that the poor economy was forcing it to cut back on its promise of ensuring that Polish workers did not have to work on Saturdays, and that it would offer a number of Saturdays as work-free instead.
Unrest grew among Polish workers over the government's decision, and Jagielski negotiated with Wałęsa for six hours in the building of the Council of Ministers regarding the Saturday issue. Other talking points included Solidarity's exemptions from standard state censorship. The negotiations did not end the unrest, and Jagielski offered a compromise in an appearance on the Polish national television network, stating that the government would grant workers every other Saturday off, or give them all Saturdays free but add half an hour to each working day. He warned that Poland's economic troubles would increase should all Polish workers gain all Saturdays off from work, and he appealed to "the patriotism of the people". Many Polish workers, though, stayed off work the following Saturday. In April Jagielski, described as a "veteran negotiator", met with France's President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
, and he was able to gain a pledge of $800 million in aid from France. That month, he was received by the United States's Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Alexander Haig
Alexander Haig
Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. was a United States Army general who served as the United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
and Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
George H.W. Bush, and they promised Jagielski that the US would sell Poland 50,000 tons of surplus butter and dried milk and would consider cooperating on rescheduling Poland's $3 billion debt to the US.
On 10 June as a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party, Jagielski offered to other members of that group to terminate his position within the Politburo, and his position as Deputy Prime Minister, stating "I submit my resignation as a member of the PB (Politburo), especially since I had a certain incident in my life. I also submit my resignation as vice premier (Deputy Prime Minister)." It seems his offer was rebuffed, and the incident in his life that he spoke of may have been a heart attack he had recently suffered. On 31 July 1981, Jagielski was fired from his position as Deputy Prime Minister, reportedly because he failed to produce a recovery program for the economic crisis Poland was experiencing at the time.
Later life and death
In July 1981, Jagielski lost his memberships in the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers Party, the Politburo of the Polish United Workers and the Economic Committee. He remained a deputy to the Sejm until 1985. He died on the night of 27 February 1997, from a heart attack in his home, in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland, at the age of 73. After Jagielski's death, Lech Wałęsa described him as a "sensitive man who always listened to arguments", and said that Jagielski differed in that respect from other Polish politicians in 1980.
Awards
He received the Order of the Builders of People's PolandOrder of the Builders of People's Poland
Order of the Builders of People's Poland was the highest civil decoration of Poland in the times of the People's Republic of Poland.-History:...
(Order Budowniczych Polski Ludowej), the highest civil decoration of the People's Republic of Poland.
Further reading
"Czułem tę wrogość" [I could feel that hostility] - interview with Mieczysław Jagielski in Gazeta WyborczaGazeta Wyborcza
Gazeta Wyborcza is a leading Polish newspaper. It covers the gamut of political, international and general news. Like all the Polish newspapers, it is printed on compact-sized paper, and is published by the multimedia corporation Agora SA...
, 30 August 1995 Maciej Sandecki, "Mieczysław Jagielski: Musimy wyrazić zgodę" [Mieczysław Jagielski: We have to agree] - article about Jagielski in Gazeta Wyborcza, 30 July 2005