Polish workers demanding better working conditions began massive protests in Poznań, but were later violently repressed by the Polish People's Army and the Internal Security Corps.

The 1956 Poznań protests, also known as Poznań June, were the first of several massive protests against the communist government of the Polish People's Republic. Demonstrations by workers demanding better working conditions began on 28 June 1956 at Poznań's Cegielski Factories and were met with violent repression.

Poznań is a city on the River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair, traditional Saint Martin's croissants and a local dialect. Among its most important heritage sites are the Renaissance Old Town, Town Hall and Poznań Cathedral.

The Polish People's Army was the second formation of the Polish Armed Forces in the East during the latter stages of the Second World War (1943–1945), and subsequently the armed forces of the Polish communist state (1945–1989), which was formalized in 1952 as the Polish People's Republic.

The Internal Security Corps was a special-purpose paramilitary (Gendarmerie) formation in the Polish People's Republic under communist government, established on 24 May 1945. At different times subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of National Defence, it had a similar role to the Internal Troops of the Soviet Union.