# Letter of 34 (1964)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1964-letter-of-34
Location: Warsaw

Thirty-four leading writers and scholars signed a short letter protesting against censorship and paper rationing, one of the first open acts of intellectual dissent in communist Poland. Within the broader People'S Republic period: Shifted westward and placed under communist rule, Poland rebuilt from the war but repeatedly rose against the regime, until the Solidarity movement forced a negotiated transition in 1989. At this point in the timeline (1964), the governing authority was Aleksander Zawadzki (Chairman of the Council of State), together with Władysław Gomułka (First Secretary of the PZPR). First chairman of the collective head of state created by the 1952 constitution. Letter of 34 mattered because collective action by ordinary people challenged those in power and changed Polish society. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Letter of 34 mattered because collective action by ordinary people challenged those in power and changed Polish society.

Ruler at the time: [August Zaleski](https://poland-history.com/rulers/august-zaleski)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Letter of 34](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_34)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Letter of 34](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Letter+of+34)
- [Wikipedia — Polish People's Republic (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_People's_Republic)