27 Facts About Tadeusz Mazowiecki

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was the founder and leader of Democratic Union and Freedom Union.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki is the recipient of Poland's highest order of merit, the Order of the White Eagle.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki's education was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.

Already during his brief stay at the Warsaw University Mazowiecki joined the Caritas Academica charity organisation, he briefly headed the University Printing Cooperative between 1947 and 1948.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki joined PAX in 1948, initially as one of the leaders of the youth circles.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki nevertheless rose through the ranks of various journals published by the association.

In 1952 the conflict between Piasecki and the opposition within the PAX led to Tadeusz Mazowiecki being expelled from the daily and relegated to a less prominent role of an editor of newly created.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was a founding member of the Wiez Catholic monthly in 1958 and served as its first editor-in-chief.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was a friend and confidant of Pope John Paul II.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki remained a member of the Sejm until 1971, serving his second, third and fourth terms as a member of the Catholic "party".

In early 1976, soon after the publication of the Letter of 59, Tadeusz Mazowiecki initiated a similar letter to the PUWP signed by most members of the former Znak circle.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was one of the last prisoners to be released on 23 December 1982.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki firmly believed in the process of taking power from the ruling Polish United Workers' Party through negotiation and thus he played an active role in the Polish Round Table Talks, becoming one of the most important architects of the agreement by which partially free elections were held on 4 June 1989.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki thus became the first Polish prime minister in 43 years who was not either a Communist or a fellow traveler, as well as the first non-communist Prime Minister of an Eastern European country in over 40 years.

On 13 September 1989 during his long investiture speech outlining the extensive political agenda of his nominated cabinet prior to the mandatory confidence vote, Tadeusz Mazowiecki grew weak necessitating a one-hour break in proceedings.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki's government managed to carry out many fundamental reforms in a short period.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki used enormous popularity and credibility of the Solidarity movement to transform the Polish economy by a set of deep political and economic reforms.

Originally, as Tadeusz Mazowiecki explains, it meant non-liability of his government for damages done to the national economy by previous governments.

In 1991 Tadeusz Mazowiecki was appointed the United Nations Commission of Human Rights Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia.

In 1991, Tadeusz Mazowiecki became a chairman of the Democratic Union, and from 1995 he was its honorary president.

Between 1989 and 2001 Tadeusz Mazowiecki was a representative to the Polish Parliament.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was a member of parliament in the first, second, and third term, later the Freedom Union.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was a leader on the parliamentary list in parliamentary elections in Warsaw constituency in 2005 with 30143 votes.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki received numerous awards including an honorary degree from the universities in: Leuven, Genoa, Giessen, Poitiers, Exeter, Warsaw and the Katowice University of Economics.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was a supporter of a more united Europe.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki died in Warsaw on 28 October 2013, having been taken to hospital the previous week with a fever.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki was survived by three sons from his second marriage.