Zbigniew Messner

Zbigniew Messner (b. 13 March 1929 in Stryj, Poland, d. 10 January 2014) is a Communist economist and politician in Poland. His ancestors originated of German Polish descent which had assimilated into Polish society. In 1972, he became Professor of Karol Adamiecki University of Economics in Katowice. He was a member of Central Committee of Polish United Workers' Party from 1981 until 1988, deputy prime minister in 1983–1985 and Prime Minister 1985–1988.

In 1988, his cabinet received a motion of no confidence in the Sejm (Parliament), still dominated by Communists, and had to transfer power to Mieczysław Rakowski. This was an unprecedented event in the Communist world, one of the strongest signs of democratic change brought by Mikhail Gorbachev. Alternatively, this change in cabinet could easily be viewed as one of many like steps of internal reorganization conducted periodically by Communist regimes in all Communist-dominated countries.