1913- . Polish Communist politician. He
entered the Politburo of the ruling Polish
United Workers' Party (PUWP) in 1956 and was
party leader 1970-80. His industrialization
programme plunged the country heavily into
debt and sparked a series of Solidarity-led
strikes. Gierek, a miner's son, lived in
France and Belgium for much of the period
between 1923 and 1948, becoming a member of
the Belgian Resistance. He served as party
boss in Silesia during the 1960s. After
replacing Gomulka as PUWP leader in Dec 1970,
he embarked on an ambitious programme of
industrialization. A wave of strikes in
Warsaw and Gdansk, spearheaded by the
Solidarity free trade-union movement, forced
Gierek to resign in Sept 1980.