Postwar Poland Communist-Socialist strength in the government grew steadily during 1946 and 1947. In the 1947 parliamentary elections the two-party coalition won more than 85 percent of the vote. Beginning in September 1948 the Polish Communist Party purged itself of many thousands of so-called national Communists who were accused of approving Yugoslavia's defiance of the USSR. Among those jailed in the purge was Wladyslaw Gomulka, secretary general of the party and first deputy premier. In December the Socialists and Communists …showed first 75 words of 716 total…

…showed last 75 words of 716 total…Israel, and signed cooperation treaties with the newly unified Germany and a number of other European states. The country joined the Council of Europe and negotiated associate membership of the European Union; full membership was promised by the year 2002. Full national sovereignty was regained in 1992 with the evacuation of most of the Soviet troops stationed in Poland. The withdrawal was completed in August 1993. In 1994 Poland became a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program.