Marian "Marek" Spychalski (pronounced [ˈmarjan spɨˈxalskʲi], 6 December 1906 – 7 June 1980) was a Polish architect in pre-war Poland, and later, military commander and a communist politician.

[1] He held several key political posts during the PRL era, most notably; Chairman of the Council of State, mayor of Warsaw and Defence Minister.

At first he was involved in publishing a bulletin for a group of communist intellectuals, and from 1941 he became a member of the organization Związek Walki Wyzwoleńczej (German League of the Liberation Struggle).

[5] He was removed from his remaining political posts in 1949 and then in 1950 imprisoned as part of the Stalinist purges of social-democrats in 1949–1953,[6] where he was accused of anti-Soviet tendencies akin to Titoism and right-wing nationalism.

[5] In 1968 during the anti-Zionist purge of the army, at Gomułka's request he left the Polish Army and his job as Minister of Defense,[2][5] to assume civilian posts as President of the Front of National Unity,[5] and from 10 April 1968 to 23 December 1970 as Chairman of the Council of State – the de facto head of state of Poland – the Council being the de jure executive authority in the People's Republic,[1] although some considered the post to be mostly symbolic.