Mieczysław Rakowski

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Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski
Mieczysław Rakowski

In office
September 27, 1988 – August 2, 1989
Preceded by Zbigniew Messner
Succeeded by Czesław Kiszczak

In office
July 29, 1989 – January 29, 1990
Preceded by Wojciech Jaruzelski
Succeeded by Dissolution of Communist Party

Born December 1, 1926 (1926-12-01) (age 81)
Kowalewko, Poland
Political party Polish United Workers' Party
Spouse Elżbieta Kępińska
Occupation Historian, Journalist

Mieczysław Franciszek Rakowski (b. December 1, 1926, Kowalewko, Poland) is a Polish historian and journalist. He served as an officer in the Polish People's Army from 1945 to 1949. He began his political career in 1946 as a member of the Polish Workers' Party, and from 1948 to 1990 he was a member of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR), serving on its Central Committee from 1975 to 1990.

He received a doctorate in history from Warsaw's Institute for Social Sciences in 1956. Rakowski served as the second-to-last communist Prime Minister of Poland from September 1988 to August 1989, and the last communist First Secretary (defacto Head of State) of Poland from July 1989 to January 1990.

Political offices
Preceded by
Zbigniew Messner
Prime Minister of Poland
1988–1989
Succeeded by
Czesław Kiszczak
Party political offices
Preceded by
Wojciech Jaruzelski
General Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party
1989–1990
Party dissolved