Florian Siwicki
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Florian Siwicki (; 10 January 1925 – 11 March 2013) was a Polish military officer, diplomat and
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
politician. He was a generał in the
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
and
Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
of Poland from 1983 to 1990.


Military and political career

Son of Elżbieta and Eugeniusz. His father was a
non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
. In 1930, Eugeniusz Siwicki was transferred to the reserve and moved with his family to village near
Rivne Rivne ( ; , ) is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the Rivne Raion (district) within the oblast.
. At first, he was the owner of a small, three-hectare
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
, and later he was employed as a bookkeeper in the commune office. In April 1940, his father was arrested by
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
officers. A month later, Florian and his mother were deported deep into the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
to the Arkhangelsk region. At the age of 17 he was forced to join the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
. From December 1942, he served in the 105 Independent Sapper Battalion, where he became the deputy commander of the
platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...
. In May 1943 he was in the ranks of the Polish Armed Forces in the USSR. He served in the 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division. In early 1945, after 5 months of officer training in the Soviet Union, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Soviet-allied
Polish People's Army The Polish People's Army (, ; LWP) was the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East during the latter stages of the Second World War (1943–1945), and subsequently the armed forces of the Polish communist state (1945–1989 ...
. He commanded infantry platoons and companies in the East Pomeranian Offensive and the Prague Offensive. After the war, he continued his military career as an infantry officer and political career as a member and official of the
Polish Workers' Party The Polish Workers' Party (, PPR) was a communist party in Poland from 1942 to 1948. It was founded as a reconstitution of the Communist Party of Poland (KPP) and merged with the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) in 1948 to form the Polish United W ...
(PPR). In the army he became a "political officer"; he advanced also in the PPR and then the
Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...
(PZPR). He was not very close to the
Stalinist Stalinism (, ) is the totalitarian means of governing and Marxist–Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1927 to 1953 by dictator Joseph Stalin and in Soviet satellite states between 1944 and 1953. Stalinism in ...
wing of the party, although dutifully carried out their orders. From 1951 to 1953 he underwent a Command-and-Staff course for Brigade and Division Command at the M. V. Frunze Military Academy in the Soviet Union. Siwicki was later promoted to lieutenant-colonel and commanded an infantry battalion in the
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
Military District until 1957. He was promoted to colonel in 1957 and
brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
in 1960. From 1956 to 1959 he was in charge of the Military Intelligence and Police division in the Warsaw Military District. In the course of his career he held a number of senior posts, including
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
from 1959 to 1961, commander of an independent mechanized brigade in the Silesian Military District from 1961 to 1963, commanding officer of the 8th Motorised/Mechanized Infantry Division from 1963 to 1967, commander of the 2nd Polish Army from 1967 to 1972 (including during the
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The ...
in 1968), commander of the Silesian Military District from 1972 to 1973 and Chief of
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
of the Polish Army from 1973 to 1983. Siwicki was a long-serving Minister of National Defense in the governments of
Wojciech Jaruzelski Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski ( ; ; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military general, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party ...
,
Zbigniew Messner Zbigniew Stefan Messner (; 13 March 1929 – 10 January 2014) was a Polish communist politician and economist. His ancestors were of German Polish descent who had assimilated into Polish society. In 1972, he became Professor of Karol Adamiecki U ...
,
Mieczysław Rakowski Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski ( Polish: ; 1 December 1926 – 8 November 2008) was a Polish communist politician, historian and journalist who was Prime Minister of Poland from 1988 to 1989. He served as the seventh and final First Secretary o ...
and
Tadeusz Mazowiecki Tadeusz Mazowiecki (; 18 April 1927 – 28 October 2013) was a Polish author, journalist, philanthropist and politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist Polish prime minister since 1946, hav ...
(from 1983 to 1990 total). In 1972 he became a candidate member of the
Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...
of the PZPR, and in 1980 a full member. Siwicki was appointed to the position of Minister of Defense after Jaruzelski stepped down from that post; he also functioned as Jaruzelski's "top deputy on the defense council". In October 1983, Siwicki was awarded with the Order of the Cross of Grunwald, first class, one of his many decorations. As agreed in the
Round Table The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...
talks and during subsequent political developments, Siwicki remained the Minister of Defense in
Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
-led government of Mazowiecki until July 1990.


Awards and decorations

* Polish: **
Order of the Builders of People's Poland Order of the Builders of People's Poland () was the highestORDER BUDOWNICZYCH POLSKI LUDOWEJ ...
** Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 1st Class (1983) ** Order of the Banner of Labour, 1st Class (1973) ** Order of the Banner of Labour, 2nd Class ** Commander's Cross of the
Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...
** Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta ** Gold Cross of Merit ** Silver Cross of Merit (twice, first in 1946) ** Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland ** Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland ** Medal of Victory and Freedom 1945 ** Gold Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland ** Silver Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland ** Bronze Medal of the Armed Forces in the Service of the Fatherland ** Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland ** Medal for Participation in the Battle of Berlin ** Gold Medal of Merit for National Defence ** Silver Medal of Merit for National Defence ** Bronze Medal of Merit for National Defence ** Medal of the National Education Commission ** Gold Badge of Merit in the Protection of Public Order ** Gold Badge of Merit in the Defense of the Borders of the Polish People's Republic ** Gold Medal of Merit for the Homeland Defense League ** Gold Badge of Merit for Civil Defense ** Gold Decoration of the name of Janek Krasicki ** Medal of Ludwik Waryński (1988) ** Badge of the 1000th Anniversary of the Polish State * Soviet: **
Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...
(twice, 1968, 1984 **
Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...
** Medal "For Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms" ** Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" ** Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" ** Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (1985) ** Jubilee Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" ** Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" * From other countries: ** Medal for Strengthening Brotherhood in Arms (Cuba, 1983) ** Medal of the 30th Anniversary of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Cuba) **
Order of Ho Chi Minh The Order of Ho Chi Minh () is a decoration of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that was first instituted on 6 June 1947. The creator of the order was the president Hồ Chí Minh. The Order of Ho Chi Minh is conferred or posthumously conferre ...
(Vietnam) ** Friendship Order (Vietnam) ** Order of Tudor Vladimirescu, 1st Class (Romania) ** 90th Anniversary of the Birth of Georgi Dimitrov Medal (Bulgaria, 1983) ** 30th Anniversary of the Bulgarian People's Army Medal ** Medal for Consolidation of Military Friendship (Bulgaria) ** Medal of 40th Anniversary of Socialist Bulgaria (Bulgaria, 1986) ** 40th Anniversary of Victory Over Hitler's Fascism Medal ** Scharnhorst Order (East Germany) ** Gold Medal Brotherhood in Arms (East Germany) ** Jubilee Medal 30 Years of the National People's Army (East Germany)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siwicki, Florian 1925 births 2013 deaths People from Lutsk People from Wołyń Voivodeship (1921–1939) Polish Workers' Party politicians Members of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party Ministers of national defence of Poland Members of the Polish Sejm 1976–1980 Members of the Polish Sejm 1980–1985 Members of the Polish Sejm 1985–1989 Diplomats of the Polish People's Republic Polish military attachés Polish People's Army generals Soviet military personnel of World War II Polish military personnel of World War II Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni Frunze Military Academy alumni Recipients of the Order of the Builders of People's Poland Recipients of the Order of the Banner of Work Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland Recipients of the Medal of the 40th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland