Solidarity Founded

Setting the scene

Solidarity (Solidarność) was founded on August 31, 1980, at the Gdańsk Shipyard in Poland, the first independent trade union in the Soviet bloc. The union emerged from strikes sparked by price increases. Led by electrician Lech Wałęsa, workers occupied the shipyard and presented 21 demands including the right to strike, freedom of speech, and release of political prisoners. The government, facing economic crisis, signed the Gdańsk Agreement legalizing Solidarity.

What happened

Solidarity grew rapidly to 10 million members—one-third of Poland's population—including workers, farmers, and intellectuals. It was more than a union; it was a social movement demanding democracy. The Soviet Union pressured Poland to crush it. On December 13, 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski imposed martial law, arresting Wałęsa and 10,000 activists. Solidarity was banned but continued underground.

Why it still matters

Solidarity survived martial law and reemerged in 1989, winning elections that ended communist rule in Poland and triggered the collapse of Eastern European communism. Wałęsa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and became Poland's president in 1990. Solidarity demonstrated that workers could challenge communist regimes and that civil society could exist under totalitarianism. August 31, 1980, began the movement that would end the Cold War, showing the power of nonviolent resistance.

Background

Martial law later tried to crush it.