The Polish Crisis from the Austrian Perspective

After 1981, the Polish authorities worked hard to restore proper relations with Western countries. To this end, official state visits with democratic countries were planned and prepared. It was important for Poland to resume contacts if only with selected countries without the need for political concessions. The adopted research thesis centers around the lines that the Austrian government, inclined to help the Polish authorities, could and wanted to cross. At the same time, the activities of Polish diplomacy were focused on reassuring the allies. To this end, various actions were taken to break political isolation. In that period, a significant burden on bilateral relations was the inefficiency of the Polish economic system, the inability to repay loans taken out in the 1970s, as well as the restriction of the supply of raw materials, guaranteed in the agreements of 1979–1980. In response to the social consequences of the imposition of martial law, Austria provided massive humanitarian support to Poland from 1981 to 1983. For the Austrian government, the assessment of Poland’s economic potential proved to be a failure.