List of Presidents of Poland: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Heads of the Polish state

See also: List of Polish rulers, List of Polish Prime Ministers

Second Polish Republic - Druga Rzeczpospolita (1918 - 1939)

President of the Republic of Poland - Prezydent RP:

• Józef Piłsudski (Nov. 14, 1918 - Dec. 9, 1922 as Chief of State - Naczelnik Państwa)
• Gabriel Narutowicz (Dec. 9-16, 1922) assassinated
• Stanisław Wojciechowski (Dec. 1922 - May 1926)
• Ignacy Mościcki (1926 - Sept. 1939)

Polish Government in Exile - Rząd Polski na Wychodźstwie (1939 - 1990)

President of the Republic of Poland - Prezydent RP:

• Władysław Raczkiewicz (1939 - 1947)
• August Zaleski (1947 - 1972)
• Stanisław Ostrowski (1972 - 1979)
• Edward Raczyński (1979 - 1986)
• Kazimierz Sabbat (1986 - 1989)
• Ryszard Kaczorowski (1989 - 1990; resigned after the election of Lech Wałęsa)

Communistic Poland - Polska Ludowa (1944 - 1952)

• Bolesław Bierut (1944 - 1947 as President of National Country Council - Prezydent Krajowej Rady Narodowej; 1947 - 1952 as President of the Republic of Poland - Prezydent RP)

People's Republic of Poland - Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa (1952 - 1989)

The Council of State was theoretically collective head of state, however de facto the most important person was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Polish United Workers Party

President of Council of State - Przewodniczący Rady Państwa:

• Aleksander Zawadzki (1952 - 1964)
• Edward Ochab (1964 - 1968)
• Marian Spychalski (1968 - 1970)
• Józef Cyrankiewicz (1970 - 1972)
• Henryk Jabłonski (1972 - 1985)
• Wojciech Jaruzelski (1985 - 1989)

First Secretary of the Central Committee of PUWP - Pierwszy Sekretarz KC PZPR:

• Bolesław Bierut (1948 - 1956)
• Edward Ochab (March 1956 - Oct. 1956)
• Władysław Gomułka (1956 - 1970)
• Edward Gierek (1970 - 1980)
• Stanisław Kania (1980 - 1981)
• Wojciech Jaruzelski (1981 - 1989)

Third Republic - Trzecia Rzeczpospolita (since 1989)

President of the Republic of Poland - Prezydent RP:

• Wojciech Jaruzelski (July 16, 1989 - Dec. 31, 1989 as President of the People's Republic of Poland - Prezydent PRL; Jan. 1, 1990 - Dec. 21, 1990 as President of the Republic of Poland - Prezydent RP)
• Lech Wałęsa (1990 - 1995)
• Aleksander Kwaśniewski (since 1995)

RP = Rzeczpospolita Polska : Republic of Poland (official name 1918 - 1952 and since 1990)

PRL = Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa : People's Republic of Poland (official name 1952 - 1989)

KC PZPR = Komitet Centralny Polskiej Zjednoczonej Partii Robotniczej : Central Committee of Polish United Workers Party

See also Lists of incumbents