Repeated unrest taught the Polish party to consult society before reforms.

Evidence

Mindful of the lessons of 1970 and 1976, when the lack of real consultation prompted a popular uproar over price hikes (consumer prices were unexpectedly raised despite tight wage policies), the Polish party engaged in what it termed “extensive consultation with society.” Some informal negotiations followed the 1968, 1970, and 1976 unrests, as the party attempted to coopt the opposition, and the party continued to conduct talks with the Roman Catholic Church. Party efforts to anticipate the popular reaction included the 1987 referendum on further economic reform. Formal negotiations followed both the rise of Solidarity and the wave of strikes that began in August 1988, culminating in the Round Table negotiations. The deep regime divide, however, meant that these negotiations would be conflictual, and did not lead to sustained cooperation between the two camps. — Anna M. Grzymala-Busse, Redeeming The Communist Past, 286