Page "Eastern Bloc" Paragraph 43

Stalin then directed that Mikołajczyk's Polish People's Party ( PSL ) must accept just one fourth of parliamentary mandated seats, or else repressions and political isolation would ensue.

Polish Communists, led by Władysław Gomułka and Bolesław Bierut, were aware of the lack of support for their side, especially after the failure of a referendum for policies known as " 3 times YES " ( 3 razy TAK ; 3xTAK ), where less than a third of Poland's population voted in favor of the proposed changes included massive communist land reforms and nationalizations of industry.