In this study the author examines the military's intervention in Poland's domestic politics from 1944 to 1988 in light of Poland's military tradition and civil-military relations in Eastern Europe. The author places particular emphasis on the rise of the Polish officer elite to Communist Party leadership in the 1980s, led by Gen. Wojoiech Jaruzelski. This turn of events resulted in the declaration of martial law throughout Poland in 1981, when the government was threatened by the politically powerful new trade union, Solidarity, led by Lech Walesa. Professor Michta traces the roots of Jaruzelski's action back through the forty-year history of the post—World War II civil-military relations in Poland and examines martial law as an extension of the military's traditional involvement in Polish domestic politics. This volume carefully analyzes the interaction between the army and the Communist Carty in Eastern Europe, discusses the relationship between internationalist ideology and national tradition, and concludes that the Polish military tradition is virtually synonymous with Poland's national identity.