Front of National Unity
Front of National Unity or National Unity Front (Polish: Front Jedności Narodu, FJN) was a popular front supervising elections in the Polish People's Republic which also acted as a coalition for the dominant communist Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) and its allies.[1] It was founded in 1952 as National Front (Front Narodowy) and renamed to Front of National Unity in 1956.[1] It was the heir of the Democratic Bloc (Blok Demokratyczny) which ran in the elections of 1947 before the merger between communists and socialists.
| National Unity Front Front Jedności Narodu | |
|---|---|
| .svg.png.webp) | |
| First leader | Bolesław Bierut | 
| Last leader | Henryk Jabłoński | 
| Founded | 1947 (as Democratic Bloc) | 
| Dissolved | 1983 | 
| Ideology | 
 | 
| Political position | Far-left | 

- This is an article about a Polish political organization. For article about a Bolivian political party, see National Unity Front.
The Front was created by and was subordinate to the PZPR.[2] Its membership included all three legal Polish political parties (the PZPR, Democratic Party, and United People's Party) and many organizations (such as trade unions).[2] During elections it had a near monopoly (varied depending on particular time) on registering candidates who had the right to participate in the elections.[1][2] As was the case with other popular fronts in the Soviet bloc, the member parties of the Front were largely subservient to the PZPR; they had to accept the PZPR's "leading role" as a condition of their existence.
In 1983 it was disbanded,[1] to be replaced by the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth (Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego, PRON).
Leaders
     
- Bolesław Bierut (1947-1956)
- Aleksander Zawadzki (1956-1964)
- Edward Ochab (1965-1968)
- Janusz Groszkowski (1971-1976)
- Henryk Jabłoński (1976-1983)[1]
Electoral history
    
    Sejm elections
    
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 9,003,682 | 80.1% | 394 / 444 |  394 |  1st | Super-majority | 
| 1952 | 15,459,849 | 99.8% | 425 / 425 |  31 |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1957 | 16,563,314 | 98.4% | 459 / 459 |  34 |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1961 | 17,342,570 | 98.3% | 460 / 460 |  1 |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1965 | 18,742,152 | 98.8% | 460 / 460 |  |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1969 | 20,473,114 | 99.2% | 460 / 460 |  |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1972 | 21,746,242 | 99.5% | 460 / 460 |  |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1976 | 23,502,983 | 99.4% | 460 / 460 |  |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
| 1980 | 24,683,056 | 99.5% | 460 / 460 |  |  1st | Sole legal coalition | 
References
    
- (in Polish) Front Jedności Narodu in WIEM Encyklopedia
- (in Polish) Front Jedności Narodu Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine in Encyklopedia PWN
