Great Depression Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Poland === {{Main|Second Polish Republic#Economy}} Poland was affected by the Great Depression longer and stronger than other countries due to inadequate economic response of the government and the pre-existing economic circumstances of the country. At that time, Poland was under the authoritarian rule of [[Sanation|Sanacja]], whose leader, [[Józef Piłsudski]], was opposed to leaving the [[gold standard]] until his death in 1935. As a result, Poland was unable to perform a more active monetary and budget policy. Additionally, Poland was a relatively young country that emerged merely 10 years earlier after being partitioned between [[German Empire|German]], [[Russian Empire|Russian]] and the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empires]] for over a century. Prior to independence, the Russian part exported 91% of its exports to Russia proper, while the German part exported 68% to Germany proper. After independence, these markets were largely lost, as Russia transformed into [[Soviet Union|USSR]] that was mostly a closed economy, and Germany was in a tariff war with Poland throughout the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 3, 2018|title=II RP była gospodarczą porażką. Mity na jej temat są bardzo szkodliwe [TOP 2018]|url=https://forsal.pl/artykuly/1330494,ii-rp-byla-gospodarcza-porazka-mity-na-jej-temat-sa-bardzo-szkodliwe.html|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=forsal.pl|language=pl|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019024334/https://forsal.pl/artykuly/1330494,ii-rp-byla-gospodarcza-porazka-mity-na-jej-temat-sa-bardzo-szkodliwe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Industrial production]] fell significantly: in 1932 [[Anthracite|hard coal]] production was down 27% compared to 1928, [[steel]] production was down 61%, and [[iron ore]] production noted an 89% decrease.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Wielki kryzys gospodarczy w Polsce|url=https://histmag.org/Wielki-kryzys-gospodarczy-w-Polsce-9980|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=histmag.org|archive-date=July 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729011419/https://histmag.org/Wielki-kryzys-gospodarczy-w-Polsce-9980|url-status=live}}</ref> On the other hand, electrotechnical, leather, and paper industries noted marginal increases in production output. Overall, industrial production decreased by 41%.<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 9, 2020|title=Wielki kryzys w Polsce. Zbankrutowało niemal 25% firm, a produkt krajowy spadł o ponad połowę|url=https://wielkahistoria.pl/wielki-kryzys-w-polsce-zbankrutowalo-niemal-25-firm-a-produkt-krajowy-spadl-o-ponad-polowe/|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=WielkaHistoria|language=pl-PL|archive-date=July 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729012308/https://wielkahistoria.pl/wielki-kryzys-w-polsce-zbankrutowalo-niemal-25-firm-a-produkt-krajowy-spadl-o-ponad-polowe/|url-status=live}}</ref> A distinct feature of the Great Depression in Poland was the de-concentration of industry, as larger conglomerates were less flexible and paid their workers more than smaller ones. [[Unemployment|Unemployment rate]] rose significantly (up to 43%) while nominal [[wage]]s fell by 51% in 1933 and 56% in 1934, relative to 1928. However, real wages fell less due to the government's policy of decreasing cost of living, particularly food expenditures (food prices were down by 65% in 1935 compared to 1928 price levels). Material conditions deprivation led to strikes, some of them violent or violently pacified – like in [[Sanok]] ({{Interlanguage link|Marsz Głodnych w Sanoku|lt=March of the Hungry in Sanok|pl|Marsz Głodnych w Sanoku}} March 6, 1930), [[Lesko County|Lesko county]] ([[Lesko uprising]] 21 June – 9 July 1932) and [[Zawiercie]] ({{Interlanguage link|Krwawy piątek (1930)|lt=Bloody Friday (1930)|pl|Bloody Friday (1930)}} 18 April 1930). To adapt to the crisis, Polish government employed deflation methods such as high [[interest rate]]s, credit limits and budget [[austerity]] to keep a [[Fixed exchange rate system|fixed exchange rate]] with currencies tied to the gold standard. Only in late 1932 did the government effect a plan to fight the economic crisis.<ref>{{Cite web|title=140 lat temu urodził się Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski|url=https://dzieje.pl/wiadomosci/140-lat-temu-urodzil-sie-boleslaw-wieniawa-dlugoszowski|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=dzieje.pl|language=pl|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812060931/https://dzieje.pl/wiadomosci/140-lat-temu-urodzil-sie-boleslaw-wieniawa-dlugoszowski|url-status=live}}</ref> Part of the plan was mass [[public works]] scheme, employing up to 100,000 people in 1935.<ref name=":2" /> After Piłsudski's death, in 1936 the gold standard regime was relaxed, and launching the development of the [[Central Industrial Region (Poland)|Central Industrial Region]] kicked off the economy, to over 10% annual growth rate in the 1936–1938 period. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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