Zbigniew Messner
Zbigniew Messner (b. March 13, 1929 in Stryj, Poland) was a Communist economist and politician in Poland. In 1972, he became Professor of Economic University in Katowice. He was a member of Central Committee of Polish United Workers' Party from 1981 till 1988, deputy prime minister in 1983 - 1985 and Prime Minister 1985 - 1988.
In 1988, his cabinet received a motion of no confidence in the Sejm (Parliament), still dominated by Communists, and had to transfer power to Mieczysław Rakowski. This was an unprecedented event in the Communist world, one of the strongest signs of democratic change brought by Mikhail Gorbachev.
External link
Photograph and short biography of Zbigniew Messner (in Polish)
| Preceded by: Wojciech Jaruzelski | Prime Minister of Poland 1985–1988 | Succeeded by: Mieczysław Rakowski |