Poland Solidarity Movement Flashcards
why was it difficult to manage Poland as a Satellite state 4
Poland was a large country with increasing population
98% of population was Catholic & didn’t like Soviet view of Religion
Constant protests against low wages & rising food prices
Economy reliant on $3 billion annual handout from USSR
Describe how protests were dealt with from the 1950s - 1980 4
Protests were seeminlgy dealt with by changing Polish leaders
1956: Protests lead to Wladyslaw Gomulka being made Prime Minister
1970: Protests over food prices lead to Gomulka being replaced by Edvard Gierek
1980 Gierek replaced by Stanislav Kania
Late 1970s/early 1980s USSR faced new challenges 6
Despite leadership changes,Poland’s economy continued to weaken and protests over low wages and high food prices continued
1978 Pop John Paul II is elected & he was Polish and ally to Polish ppl
1979-1989 Soviets were involved in war in Afghanistan “The Soviet’s Vietnam”
1980 Ronald Reagan becomes USA president & is more aggressive to USSR
Soviet economy was failing & they increased arms spending to match Reagan
1982 Brezhnev dies & USSR goes through more leaders in two years
How was Raegan more aggressive to USSR 2
embarks on his “Star Wars” program
refers to USSR as the “evil Empire”
Describe strikes in July 1980 4
Government announced rise in meat prices
Strikes break out
45 ppl killed by police at Gdansk shipyad
Gierek replaced by Stanislav Kania
Describe the formation of Solidarity 6
August 1980 , Workers at the Gdansk (formerly Danzig) formed a Trade Union “Solidarity”
Led by Lech Walesa
Put forward 21 demands to the government
Government claimed Trade Union was illegal but this was over-ruled by Polish Supreme Court
30 August 1980: Government accepted all 21 demands
January 1981, Solidarity membership reached 9.4 Million
Why did govt accept Solidarity’s demands? 7
INCPCWT (In Cold Poland Children Wear Tights)
Importance of industries involved
Not threatening Communism
Careful Negotiator. Lech Walesa didn’t come across as aggressive
Popularity of Solidarity & large scale of protest
Catholic Church supported movement
West gained interest in Solidarity. It didn’t with Hungary or Czechislovakia. Supported by Raegan & Thatcher (ew)
Time. Govt hoped the Union would fade with time
How were industries involved in solidarity important? 2
strikes were in most important industries
strikes hurt the economy
Why was Solidarity not threatening Communism? 2
Calling for better wages
Not political threat
Describe the start of the fall of solidarity before 1981 2
USSR replaced Polish leader Kania with army leader General Jaruzelski
Jaruzelski negotiated with Walesa to form a government of national understanding but this broke down after nine months
Describe the events if December 1981 4
Jaruzelski introduced marial law
Walesa arrested & imprisoned
Brezhnev ordered army to carry out “training maneuvers” on Polish border
1981, USSR restored Communist Govt in Poland
Why was there a sudden change with the Polish Govt. and Solidarity in 1981? 3
Government threatened bc Solidarity was acting more like political party than workers’ union
Poland sinking into chaos
Solidarity was breaking into different factions. If govt acted then, maybe it would collapse
How did Solidarity show flaws in Soviet system 4
USSR could only keep control of Satellite states with force
Failed to develop strong economy in Poland
Popular movement threatened Soviet rule
Strong organisation could challenge Soviet govt
describe the win for Solidarity in the 1982 2
Nov 1982 Public outcry forced Walesa’s release
Solidarity remained illegal
describe the win for solidarity 1983 2
1983 Walesa awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Walesa leader of underground Solidarity movement
