Soviet president's Breznhev's warning that they should 'roll back the events of the past months'.
No wonder the Soviet leaders are worried.
Within days of Brezhnev's speech at the Czech party congress expressing COnfidence in the Polish party Handlls crisis, his hopes were dashed.
First the Polish government caved in after months and recognised the right of the poor peasants to form their own union, Rural Solidarity. This could result in up 3.5m peasants being linked into the national Solidarity movement, controlling the bulk of the country's food supplies.
Secondly, the apparatus' rank and file movement within the CP held a national conference at Torun University on 15 April. Some 500 delegates allencca, claiming to represent third of the party's three million members.
The conference organLAST week saw a visit by a delegation including Zbignin Socialist Challenge recently, claimed the conference was a historic turning point.
There was bitter criticism of party leadership. are fighting for an idea. The top people in the party are stay in their positions, said one speakorse s.57: for the Worse for Soviet rulers, was the response of the Polish parleadership to this 'unauthorised ference. central tenders brought greetings to the conference and the official party Trybuna Ludu, welcomed it as part of the process of 'socialis renewal' in the country Such unexpected reactions from the Polish ruling bureaucrats reflect the the party rank and file for change, and the continuing strength of Solidarity. Further evidence crisis within the CP comes from two recent reports in the Polish press.
The newspaper Zycie Warszawy published an analysis of the 455 letters and resolutions sent to the Many working class members are leaving the Polish CP party central committee from party since last August's strike wave Of these resolutions, 438 demanded a full explanation of the country's socio-economic crisis and the names of those responsible; called for punishment of those decisions 203 demanded a responsible wrong aude 06 corried elements called for abolition of privileges for officials and certain other groups Last week too the party headquarters announced that 216,000 members had left the party in the last six TEL SALVATIA JILL months. Other SOUNCE suggest that a high proportion of these defections come the party's working class base.
At part! meetings across the country ran and file have spoken their minds directly to the leadership. Staring directly at party leader Since August only 13 of the 140 Central Com mittee members have been purged. But if a demo. cratic party congress were allower this sumnie wholesale changes would have a lot to worry about!
While the struggle within the Communist Party hots up other con flicts are taking shape Hardliners within the party are likely to organise: furthe provocatio hey did in Bydgoszcz la • month, to test the new two month ban on strikes im posed by parliament.
Such a provocatior would also be likely to deepen the divisions emerging within Solidarity itself. Increasingly, this division between Catholic advisors and theil supporters ranged against the working class base of Solidarity, The coming weeks could see dramatic see development ork the struggle workers and Socialist Challenge sup
----- pull-quotes -----
only fighting to