Solidarity in Poland, 1980-81 Flashcards
What happened in the late 1970s for Poland?
The Polish economy hit a crisis and 1979 was the worst year for Polish industry since communism had been introduced.
July 1980
The Government announced increases in the price of meat.
August 1980
- Workers at the Gdansk shipyard, led by Lech Walesa, put forward 21 demands to the Government
- Included free trade unions and the right to strike
- They started a free trade union called Solidarity
- Poland did have trade unions but they were ineffective in challenging government policies
What is a trade union (BS)?
An organisation of employees aimed at improving pay and working conditions and providing other services, such as legal advice, for members.
30th August 1980
Government agreed to all 21 of Solidarity’s demands.
September 1980
Solidarity’s membership grew to 3.5 million.
October 1980
Solidarity’s membership was 7 million and was officially recognised by the government.
January 1981
Membership of Solidarity reached its peak at 9.4 million - more than a third of all the workers in Poland.
Was Lech Walesa a communist?
NO
Why did the Government give in to Solidarity in 1980? (Card 1)
- The union was the strongest in those industries that were most important to the Government e.g. shipbuilding and heavy industry
- A general strike in these industries would have devastated Poland’s economy
- More than 1 million members of the Communist Party joined Solidarity, though at first the union wasn’t seen as an alternative to the Communist Party by its members
Why did the Government give in to Solidarity in 1980? (Card 2)
- Walesa was very careful in his negotiations with the Government and worked to avoid provoking a dispute that might bring in the SU
- Union was immensely popular and Walesa was a kind of folk hero
Why did the Government give in to Solidarity in 1980? (Card 3)
- Solidarity had the support of the Catholic Church, which was still very strong in Poland
- The Government hoped that Solidarity would break into rival factions and drew up plans for martial law (rule by the army)
Who was the new leader of Poland in 1981?
Jaruzelski
The lead up to martial law…
- When Jaruzelski took over, people in Poland expected the SU to ‘send in the tanks’ at any time, especially when the Solidarity Congress produced an ‘open letter’ saying that they were campaigning not only for their own rights, but for the rights of the communist bloc
- It proclaimed that the Poles were fighting ‘For Your Freedom and For Ours’
- Jaruzelski and Walesa negotiated to form a government of national understanding but that broke down in December
- After 9 months of tense relationships, the communist Government acted
- Brezhnev ordered the Red Army to carry out ‘training manoeuvres’ on the Polish border
- Jaruzelski introduced martial law
- He put Walesa and almost 10,000 other Solidarity leaders in prison
- He suspended Solidarity
What is martial law?
Martial law involves the temporary substitution of military authority for civilian rule and is usually invoked in time of war, rebellion, or natural disaster.
