Switchable polarization can be suppressed in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3thin films by optical, thermal, electrical, and reducing processes. The optical suppression effect occurs by biasing the ferroelectric near the switching threshold and illuminating the material with band gap light; the thermal suppression effect occurs by biasing the ferroelectric near the switching threshold and heating the material to ≊100 °C. The electrically induced suppression effect, known as electrical fatigue, occurs by subjecting the ferroelectric capacitor to repeated polarization reversals. We find that the suppressed polarization in these three cases can be restored to essentially its initial polarization value by creating electronic charge carriers in the ferroelectric. This strongly suggests that all three forms of degradation largely involve locking domains by electronic charge trapping at domain boundaries. The fourth form of polarization suppression, a reducing treatment, was obtained by annealing the crystallized PZT films at 400 °C in nitrogen. The suppressed polarization could not be restored by injecting electronic charge into the reduced films, indicating that the mechanism for polarization suppression is different. In this case, it appears as though ionic defects, such as oxygen vacancies, are responsible for locking the domains, and hence, suppressing the polarization. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.