Editing Jan Olszewski (section)

==Political career: 1954–1992==

===Communist era: 1954–1989===

{{See also|1968 Polish political crisis|Polish Round Table Agreement|1989 Polish legislative election}}

In the immediate post-war years, Olszewski graduated from secondary school in 1949, later going on to study law at the [[University of Warsaw]], where he graduated in 1953. Afterwards, he became an employee of the [[Ministry of Justice (Poland)|Ministry of Justice]] and later worked at the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]].<ref name=pres/> In 1956, Olszewski joined the writing staff of the weekly ''[[Po prostu]]'' (''Plain Speaking'') magazine.<ref name=pres/> As a journalist during the relatively open [[Polish October]], Olszewski came into contact with [[PZPR]] First Secretary and ''de facto'' head of state [[Władysław Gomułka]], whom he spent many hours interviewing and described having a trustful relationship with after many frank discussions regarding the state of affairs of [[People's Republic of Poland|Poland]] and the [[Eastern Bloc]].<ref name=PRL/> In an article titled "Na spotkanie ludziom z AK" ("Reaching out to the Men of the Home Army") published in March 1956, Olszewski, along with journalists Jerzy Ambroziewicz and Walery Namiotkiewicz, called for the rehabilitation of former [[Armia Krajowa]] soldiers who faced persecution from communist authorities for anti-state activities.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ambroziewicz|first1=Jerzy|last2=Namiotkiewicz|first2=Walery|last3=Olszewski|first3=Jan|title=Na spotkanie ludziom z AK|journal=Po Prostu|date=11 March 1956|issue=11}}</ref>

One of the first openly published articles of its kind to break the official silence on the Armia Krajowa, Olszewski argued that its veterans deserved a positive historical assessment in the struggle against [[Nazi Germany]], describing all subsequent prosecutions of its ranks as being politically motivated.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rafalska|first1=Dominika|title=Reaching Out to Members of the Home Army (''Po prostu'' in 1956)|journal=Dzieje Najnowsze|date=2008|issue=3|pages=95–107}}</ref> Despite the government's initial toleration of ''Po prostu'''s critiques, authorities moved in to forcibly close down the publication's offices in October 1956, citing it of presenting a false view of political and economic realities, spreading "disbeliefs" about socialism and proclaiming "bourgeois concepts".<ref>{{cite web|title="Po prostu" zamknięte za niewiarę w socjalizm|url=http://www.polskieradio.pl/39/156/Artykul/696088,Po-prostu-zamkniete-za-niewiare-w-socjalizm|website=PolskieRadio.pl|publisher=[[Polskie Radio]]|access-date=2 October 2013}}</ref> For his part, Olszewski faced a publication ban beginning in 1957.<ref name=pres/> The forcible closure and censoring of ''Po prostu'' led Olszewski to become quickly disillusioned with the communist order. As a response, from 1956 to 1962, Olszewski was a member of the [[Crooked Circle Club]], a [[Warsaw]]-based underground discussion group composed of intellectuals critical of the regime.<ref name="Preuße107">[[#CITEREFPreuße2014|Preuße]], p. 107</ref> During the 1960s, Olszewski became a leading defence attorney in political trials. Among others, he defended writer and journalist [[Melchior Wańkowicz]], activist [[Jacek Kuroń]], historian [[Karol Modzelewski]] and poet [[Janusz Szpotański]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Jan Olszewski Honorary Citizen of Warsaw|url=http://www.radawarszawy.um.warszawa.pl/ewidencje/honorowi/osobywyroznione/Strony/JanOlszewskiHonoraryCitizenofWarsaw.aspx|publisher=[[Warsaw|City of Warsaw]]|access-date=21 January 2015|archive-date=21 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121114221/http://www.radawarszawy.um.warszawa.pl/ewidencje/honorowi/osobywyroznione/Strony/JanOlszewskiHonoraryCitizenofWarsaw.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> His professional activity was banned again in 1968 after the [[1968 Polish political crisis|March student protests]].<ref name=pres/>

However, Olszewski returned to practice law in 1970 as [[Edward Gierek]] assumed power. Grateful for Olszewski's legal defence at his trial, the writer Melchior Wańkowicz kept a close relationship with Olszewski for the rest of his life, bequeathing funds to the lawyer and fellow dissident [[Jan Józef Lipski]] to help future defendants of political crimes shortly before his death in 1974.<ref name=Ziolkowska-Boehm105>[[#CITEREFZiolkowska-Boehm2013|Ziolkowska-Boehm]], pp. 105–109</ref> Olszewski later became a signatory of the [[Letter of 59]] in 1975, an open protest to changes to the republic's [[Constitution of the People's Republic of Poland|communist constitution]].<ref name=Lipski>[[#CITEREFLipski1985|Lipski]], p. 27</ref> In 1984, Olszewski served as an auxiliary prosecutor representing the family of murdered pro-[[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] priest [[Jerzy Popiełuszko]], whose statements during the trial of laying blame for the priest's murder on outside influences created international headlines.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kaufman|first1=Michael T.|title=Polish seemingly implies a Soviet link to the slaying of priest|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/31/world/polish-seemingly-implies-a-soviet-link-to-slaying-of-priest.html|access-date=20 January 2015|newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=31 January 1985}}</ref> Joining the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity movement]] in the early 1980s, Olszewski quickly rose to become a major figure in the opposition movement, playing a key role in drafting its founding charter.<ref name="Ost71">[[#Ost|Ost]], p. 71</ref> He would go on to become one of Solidarity's most active lawyers and legal experts.<ref name=Tismaneanu129>[[#CITEREFTismaneanu1998|Tismaneanu]], p. 129</ref> Olszewski, along with Solidarity leader [[Lech Wałęsa]] and other anti-government dissidents, participated in the [[Polish Round Table Talks|Round Table Talks]] in early 1989 with the ruling [[PZPR]], where he served as the opposition's legal expert.<ref name=pres/> The talks successfully paved the way towards the partially free [[1989 Polish legislative election|1989 parliamentary elections]].

===Post-Communist era: 1989–1991===

{{See also|1990 Polish presidential election|1991 Polish parliamentary election}}

With the fall of the communist regime in 1989, Olszewski was appointed as a member of the [[State Tribunal of the Republic of Poland|State Tribunal]] that year, a position he would hold until 1991. In 1990, Olszewski joined the conservative [[Centre Agreement]], whose party membership composed primarily of Wałęsa supporters in [[1990 Polish presidential election|that year's presidential election]].<ref name=Ost71/> Following the resignation of Prime Minister [[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]] in November 1990 after his first-round defeat in the presidential election, newly elected president Wałęsa sought a new prime minister.<ref name=Weiner80>[[#CITEREFWeiner1994|Weiner]], p. 80</ref> Initially, the president turned to Olszewski to take the position, though Olszewski quickly refused the post after numerous disagreements with Wałęsa over conditions the president placed on the prime minister's cabinet.<ref name=Weiner80/> Instead, Wałęsa turned to [[Jan Krzysztof Bielecki]] of the [[Liberal Democratic Congress]] to form a government.<ref name=Wrobel280>[[#CITEREFWróbel2010|Wróbel]], p. 280</ref> Bielecki's government lasted for the rest of 1991, collapsing in the aftermath of the inconclusive [[1991 Polish parliamentary election|1991 parliamentary elections]].

While Wałęsa appointed [[Bronisław Geremek]] as prime minister, an accord was signed by five centrist and rightist parties in the [[Sejm]], including the Liberal Democratic Congress, the [[Christian National Union]], the [[Peasants' Agreement]], the [[Confederation of Independent Poland]] and the [[Center Civic Alliance]] list (whose Olszewski's Centre Agreement belonged to) to select the next premier.<ref name=Wrobel283>[[#CITEREFWróbel2010|Wróbel]], pp. 283-284</ref> The parties supported Olszewski, a parliamentary outsider and respected lawyer from the Solidarity movement, to unite the various clubs.<ref name=Weiner82>[[#CITEREFWeiner1994|Weiner]], p. 82</ref> Grudgingly, Wałęsa, who no longer had a stable working relationship with Olszewski, honoured the coalition agreement and appointed the lawyer as premier on 6 December. Three weeks of selecting the cabinet followed.<ref name=Wrobel284>[[#CITEREFWróbel2010|Wróbel]], p. 284</ref> In the meantime, the original accord behind Olszewski's appointment immediately began to fall apart, as both the Liberal Democratic Congress and the Confederation of Independent Poland withdrew their support from Olszewski over economic and cabinet disagreements.<ref name=Weiner82/> Similarly, the [[Democratic Union (Poland)|Democratic Union]] refused to support an administration not committed to rapid economic reform, a concern shared with the Liberal Democrats.<ref name=Stone104>[[#CITEREFStone2002|Stone]], p. 104</ref>  Despite the weakened alliance, Olszewski's [[minority government]] was accepted by parliament on 23 December 1991.<ref name=Wrobel284/>