▁and ▁was ▁replaced ▁with ▁Edward ▁O ch ab , ▁who ▁held ▁the ▁position ▁for ▁seven ▁months . ▁ ▁In ▁June , ▁workers ▁in ▁the ▁industrial ▁city ▁of ▁Poz na ń ▁went ▁on ▁strike , ▁in ▁what ▁became ▁known ▁as ▁Poz na ń ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁protest s . ▁Vo ices ▁began ▁to ▁be ▁raised ▁in ▁the ▁Party ▁and ▁among ▁the ▁intellect uals ▁calling ▁for ▁wider ▁re forms ▁of ▁the ▁St alin ist ▁system . ▁Event ually , ▁power ▁shift ed ▁towards ▁G om u ł ka , ▁who ▁replaced ▁O ch ab ▁as ▁party ▁leader . ▁Hard line ▁St alin ists ▁were ▁removed ▁from ▁power ▁and ▁many ▁Soviet ▁officers ▁serving ▁in ▁the ▁Polish ▁Army ▁were ▁dismiss ed . ▁This ▁marked ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁St alin ist ▁era . ▁▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 0 , ▁G om u ł ka ' s ▁government ▁had ▁decided ▁to ▁adopt ▁massive ▁increases ▁in ▁the ▁prices ▁of ▁basic ▁goods , ▁including ▁food . ▁The ▁resulting ▁w ides p read ▁violent ▁protest s ▁in ▁December ▁that ▁same ▁year ▁resulted ▁in ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁death s . ▁They ▁also ▁forced ▁another ▁major ▁change ▁in ▁the ▁government , ▁as ▁G om u ł ka ▁was ▁replaced ▁by ▁Edward ▁Gi erek ▁as ▁the ▁new ▁First ▁Secretary . ▁Gi erek ' s ▁plan ▁for ▁recovery ▁was ▁centered ▁on ▁massive ▁borrow ing , ▁mainly ▁from ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁West ▁Germany , ▁to ▁re - equ