Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Jaruzelski ya zama Sakatare na Farko na Jam'iyyar Ma'aikata ta Poland da kuma shugaban Poland bayan ɗan gajeren wa'adin shekara guda na Stanisław Kania. Wanda ya riga Kania, Edward Gierek, ya bar Poland da bashi mai yawa ta hanyar karɓar rance daga masu ba da bashi na ƙasashen waje kuma tattalin arzikin ƙasar ya kusan rushewa lokacin da Jaruzelski ya zama shugaban ƙasa. Yayin da Poland ke tafiya zuwa rashin biyan kuɗi, an tilasta yin amfani da shi saboda karancin kayan masarufi, wanda kawai ya ba da gudummawa ga yanayin zamantakewa da siyasa. Rashin yanayin rayuwa da aiki ya haifar da fushi a tsakanin talakawa kuma ya ƙarfafa tunanin anti-kwaminisanci; Harkar Solidarity kuma tana samun goyon baya wanda ya damu da Kwamitin Tsakiya na Poland da Tarayyar Soviet wanda ya ɗauki Solidarity a matsayin barazana ga Yarjejeniyar Warsaw. Tsoron shiga tsakani na Soviet kamar waɗanda ke Hungary (1956) da Czechoslovakia (1968)
, Jaruzelski ya kafa dokar ta baci a Poland a ranar 13 ga Disamba 1981 don murkushe 'yan adawa na kwaminisanci. Rundunar soji, dokar hana fita da takunkumin tafiye-tafiye sun ci gaba har zuwa 22 ga Yuli 1983.