Political Changes in Warsaw Bring Joy in Chicago

CHICAGO — On Chicago’s Northwest Side, where Polish is the language heard on the street and each new political development in Poland is anxiously awaited, news of a Solidarity activist’s imminent ascension to prime minister was greeted joyously Friday.

But the city’s Polish community--said to be the largest concentration of Poles in any city outside of Warsaw--also realized, perhaps more than most Americans, that the new Polish coalition government faces a difficult challenge.

“I’m definitely overjoyed,” said Jozef Zielinski, owner of a Polish-language record and video store on Milwaukee Avenue, the commercial spine of “Polonia.”

“But I’m not sure (the new prime minister) will be allowed to run the government. I think the Communists will still be in control,” he added.

“I’m happy,” said Bruno Ciesielski, a Poland native who came to America 23 years ago and who said he still chafes at the memory of repression there. “But what they need to do is kill the Communists--that is what would really make me happy.”

An indication of the new sense of optimism many here feel is the recent increase in the number of Poles returning to Poland, said Chicago Alderman Roman Pucinski, a leader of the Polish community.

“These are people who came here as visitors and who overstayed their visits, hoping that they could remain. They are now here illegally. A number of them have been going back to Poland,” Pucinski said. “There’s been a significant movement in the past six months, since developments started. There’s a new atmosphere.”

Members of Chicago’s Polish community said that in 1981, when Poland declared martial law and thousands of supporters of Solidarity were interned, it was impossible to imagine that before the decade was out, the trade union would become part of a coalition Polish government.

“But Poland is at the point where it was either going to be bloodshed or a return to normal,” said Zielinski. However, he said he fears that the Solidarity movement will fail at reforming Poland unless they “scrap the (government) and start from scratch.” And then, he said, it will take many years to build the economy.”

“You can’t do it overnight,” he said.

In June, Polish citizens worldwide cast absentee ballots in Poland’s first relatively democratic election since World War II, which had non-Communist candidates running for Parliament seats. At that time, the 5,000 people who voted at the Polish Consulate in Chicago gave overwhelming support--95%--to Solidarity candidates.

“We’re cautious, but we’re very full of hope,” Pucinski said. “It’s quite a great burden on Lech Walesa and Solidarity, but we feel very strongly that they are up to the challenge. . . . Solidarity will be able to control the government.”

Pucinski dismissed fears expressed by some that the Soviet Union may send troops to invade the country. The development of a non-Communist government in Poland is but the beginning of a great wave of change throughout the Soviet Bloc, he said.

“I don’t think (the Soviet Union) could,” he said. “Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t. The whole rest of the world could come down on them. . . .”