The year 1956 may be regarded as the third milestone in the postwar history of private initiative in Poland.
Until 1949, the official attitude towards private initiative was one of relative toleration. The basic concept was that in a period of reconstruction of the economy, the private or "third" sector could coexist with the State and cooperative sectors without infringing the canons of socialist economics. However, even in that period, a number of legal, administrative, and economic measures were taken, the effect of which was to restrict the scope of activity and stunt the growth of private initiative.