Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth

Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego
Headquarters	Warsaw, Poland
Ideology	Pro-government Communism Patriotism Left-wing nationalism
Political position	Left-wing to Far-left
Politics of Poland Political parties Elections

Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego (PRON, English: Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth or National Renaissance Patriotic Movement) was a Polish popular front that ruled the Polish People's Republic. It was created in the aftermath of the martial law in Poland (1982). Gathering various pro-communist and pro-government organizations, it was supposed to show unity and support for the government and Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). PRON was created in July 1982 and dissolved in November 1989.

Members

The Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth included the following member parties:

Party	Polish name	Emblem	Foundation	Dissolution	Ideology
Polish United Workers' Party	Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza		21 December 1948	30 January 1990	Communism
United People's Party	Zjednoczone Stronnictwo Ludowe		27 November 1949	29 November 1989	Agrarian socialism
Alliance of Democrats	Stronnictwo Demokratyczne		18 September 1937	Still active	Centrism

It also included the following organizations when founded:

• Stowarzyszenie PAX (Pax)
• Chrześcijańskie Stowarzyszenie Społeczne (ChSS)
• Polski Związek Katolicko-Społeczny (PZKS)

It was later joined by many other organizations, such as All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions, Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego and Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Dzieci. Few members of those organizations were aware of their membership in PRON, as PRON members included organizations, not individuals. PRON membership was required by communist propaganda, and necessary for any organization that wanted to exist on political scene with support of the government.

PRON was mentioned in the amended Polish communist constitution, where it replaced the Front of National Unity. Like its predecessor, it was dominated by the PZPR; the minor parties had to accept the PZPR's "leading role" as a condition of their continued existence.

PRON's chairman was the writer Jan Dobraczyński. The foundation committee included in addition to Dobraczyński: Marian Orzechowski, Janusz Reykowski, Andrzej Przypkowski, Edmund Męclewski, Jan Majewski, Andrzej Elbanowski, Józef Chlebowczyk, Władysław Ogrodziński, Walenty Milenuszkin, Wiesław Nowicki, Jerzy Stencel, Elżbieta Ciborowska, Jerzy Kejna, Piotr Perkowski, Józef Kiełb, Jerzy Ozdowski, Stanisław Rostworowski, Gizela Pawłowska, Zbigniew Gertych, Klemens Krzyżagórski, Anatola Klajna and Zbigniew Siatkowski.

It was the sole organisation to put forward candidates in the 1985 election, which proved to be the last elections in which no opposition candidates were permitted to run. As such, it won every seat in the Sejm.

Electoral history

Sejm elections

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Government
1985	20,554,182	100%	460 / 460		1st	Sole legal coalition

References

• Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego entry at PWN Encyklopedia
• [1] and [2] - entries at WIEM Encyklopedia