The Polish Solidarity
Savi Krumenauer The dawn of August 14th, 1980 began the strike to change the world. 17,000 took control in Lenin Shipyard to protest in Gdańsk, for many reasons such as food prices. Lech Walesa, the leader of the protest avoided being arrested that morning by the secret police, he managed to get on the other side of the fence to join the protest with the workers. Gradually people joined forces to participate together, more and more came from 20 other surrounding factories to strike in solidarity. 17 days later Walesa stood before the workers in the shipyard saying “ we have an independent self governing trade union. We have the right to strike, “ after negotiations with Poland's communist government. Walesa and Mieczysław Jagielski, Poland’s first prime minister, both had signed an agreement to the workers demands, the right to freely organize strikes. Those rights were already recorded in the conventions by the international labor organization, but this was the first time a communist government had practiced these agreements. The American Trade Unions financially helped form the Solidarity in the underground, and their work with Pope John Paul II greatly aided the protests. On the shipyard doors was listed 21 postulates of other demands the workers had, such as benefits to raise wages. High school student at the time Radek Sikorski, recorded the famous day by an interview of RFE/RL. “ There was tremendous hope and the kind of electricity between people. You know, it’s said that we Pole’s became a nation, just like we did recently when the pope died, and that was one of those moments when suddenly millions of people felt that they wanted the same thing, which was free trade unions to represent them against the Communist Party. It gave people hope that perhaps communism could be reformed. We now know that it couldn’t,” said Sikorski. In September 1980 the Independent Self Governing Trade Union Solidarity grew their population from 1 million to 9 million, a quarter of the countries population, and finally the Trade Union was officially formed. But the Poland’s Soviets masters was being increasingly becoming alarmed across the Russian border. In December 1981 the Warsaw Pact started “fraternal solidarity and support” with their communist leaders is overcoming what is called “the countries present difficulties”. On December 13, days later the prime minister General, Wojciech Jaruzelski, declared martial law and outlaw on Solidarity. Their military grew plans over a few months and arrested most of the protests leaders including Walesa. Walesa was in jail for a year, and for seven months was under watch and harassment from the secret police. He was afraid if he left he would not be allowed back into the country so he sent his wife to collect his award after winning 1983’s Nobel peace prize. There was a long dark period before the radical changes in 1989, Solidarity worked underground, but it never hesitated it’s key principle of nonviolence. It was a peaceful movement which had realized many things about their beliefs of solidarity and what they were standing for. “ It realized all it’s ejectives and more. So I think the path of nonviolence is certainly an important solitary legacy. And if you look at what happened in the other countries, Czech Republic, Serbia, and there Ukraine, the message has become successfully imitated,” said Sikorski. The pope published a text “On Human Work,” and met with Walesa for talks that made headlines internationally. European Parliament’s new member, Bronislaw Geremek, was a leader in the Solidarity movement. Geremek noted in an interview that solidarity success was a result of a new human relationship, in Polish societies among churches, workers, liters, farmers and intellectuals. The solidarity movement grew over the years gaining many more powerful leaders and contributes to the fight of the quality, they also gained western governments. But the reality of the Polish society and the Solidarity, they had found their way on their own. Jaruzelski faced serious economic and social pressure until finally agreeing to talk with Solidarity in 1989. After historical round table talks, two months after, the two signed a 400 page agreement, and sweeping political and economical reform that officially recognized Solidarity. June 1989, was the time they held their first free elections ever in the Communist bloc, Solidarity won the most seats in the house of parliament. And coming together, with two smaller parties it formed the first non-communist government in the Soviet bloc. |
lech walesa
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