The article presents the basic assumptions of the economic administration system in the Polish People’s Republic, including the functioning of national councils in a centralized economy. The legal forms of action used by economic administration bodies and their impact on the economy are characterized. Attention is also paid to state-owned enterprises, which in the communist state constituted a kind of foundation for the economic system. In addition, there is a reference to economic planning, which contributed to the long-term poor economic condition of the state.