Former President of Poland (1989-1990). He joined the Polish Army  in 1943 and he associated with the Polish United Workers’ Party, becoming a member of its Central Committee in 1964 and was soon appointed as Minister of Defence. He became National Secretary of the Party in 1981, when Lech Walesa’s movement, Solidarnosc, was starting to earn national and external popularity. Under Jaruzelski, martial law was established and Solidarnosc was declared an illegal organisation. The measure was lifted in July 1983 and in 1988, he approved talks between the Government and the Solidarity Movement. These talks ended in April 1989 with an agreement instituting reforms in Poland’s political system and leading to free parliamentary elections.