Polish Solidarity

• Life in Communist Poland:

  • shortage of most common products and rationing system
  • 100% employment maintained with nothing to do
  • International Workers’ Day celebrated in support of the Polish United Workers’ Party and for Communism
  • substitute products for missing imported goods
  • television used to distribute propaganda
• The Challenge of Poland:

  • population of 35 million
  • most Polish people disliked Soviet communism
  • WWII increased hatred for Russia
  • Stalin carved up Poland with Hiter (1939)
  • Stalin massacred thousands of Polish Army officers (1940)
  • Catholic Church encouraged Polish nationalism
  • more freedom for people in Poland compared to other Eastern Europe nations
• Start of Solidarity:

  • 1970s - living standards very low
  • July 1980 - widespread unrest and strikes
  • workers led by electrician Lech Walesa
  • August 1980 - striking workers set up union named Solidarity
  • 21 point program of Solidarity: (August 1980)
  • more pay
  • end to censorship
  • same welfare benefits as policemen and party workers
  • broadcasting of Catholic Church services
  • election of factory managers
• Lech Walesa and Solidarity:

  • November 1980 - Solidarity declared legal by the Polish Supreme Court
  • January 1981 - membership peaked at 9.4 million
• Polish communists leaders were in an impossible position:

  • if they tried to destroy Solidarity, they would be despised by majority of the Polish people
  • if they accepted their existence, they risked provoking an armed invasion by the USSR
• Responses:

  • Soviet leaders considered sending in troops (December 1980 and March 1981) and urged Polish Communists to destroy Solidarity
  • July 1989 - Wojciech Jaruzelski appointed as new PM
• Martial Law:

  • Jaruzelski tried negotiating with Solidarity without success
  • December 1981 - declared a state of martial law → army had emergency powers
  • 150k Solidarity members taken into custody for ‘preventative and cautionary talks’
• Reasons for the Martial Law:

  • communists claimed they found tapes of Solidarity planning a new government (likely fake)
  • Polish economy continued to fall
  • certain parts of Solidarity wanted a more hardline stance against communism
• Impact of Gorbachev:

  • change in political mood after Gorbachev came into power
  • called for greater freedom in the USSR → provided hope for reform in Eastern Europe
  • Jaruzelski introduced reforms and held a failed referendum (November 1987)
• 1988:

  • Walesa and illegal Solidarity organised further strikes
  • Jaruzelski spoke with Walesa → Solidarity again legalised and elections organised for June 1989
• ‘Free’ elections:

  • 65% seats reserved for communists
  • almost all leading communists failed to get elected
  • Solidarity were the big winners
• Solidarity Success:

  • Solidarity won 99 out of 100 seats in the Senate (no restrictions)
  • Jaruzelski agreed to form coalition with Solidarity to form government
  • August 1989 - Solidary member Tadeuz Mazowiecki as PM