On Economics in Poland in 1949-1989: Introduction

This article is a concise introduction into the history of economics in totalitarian Poland in 1949-1989. In it, I attempt to show the degradation of economics in Poland in this period. The main theses of the article are three. First, academic economics and the institutions necessary for the normal functioning of science were destroyed in Poland at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s. Pseudo science was substituted for the science of economics. Second, these events had a damaging impact on the quality of research in the years that followed. In my opinion, the alleged achievements of Polish economists, e.g., Oskar Lange's monograph Ekonomia polityczna, as well as the works of Włodzimierz Brus and members of the so-called “Wakar School,” were of only “outside” importance. Third, after 1949, the teaching of economics degenerated as well.

In effect, the achievements of Polish economists in the period 1949-1989 are negligible. They did not contribute significantly to the accumulation of true knowledge about the economy. Moreover, in violation of the ideals of science, Polish economists intensely indoctrinated the society, perpetuating the totalitarian system in Poland.