Solidarity

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Template:Alternateuses {{Infobox Union |name= Solidarity |members= 1.185.000 (2006)Template:Ref |full_name= Independent Self-governing Trade Union "Solidarity" |native_name= Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność" |image= Image:Solidarnosc.png |founded= September, 1980 |country= Poland |affiliation= ICFTU, WCL, ETUC, TUAC |office= Gdańsk, Poland |website=www.solidarnosc.org.pl |footnotes= |current= |head= |dissolved_date= |dissolved_state= Merged into |merged_into= |people= }} Solidarity (Polish: Solidarność; full name: Independent Self-governing Trade Union "Solidarity" — Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność") is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyards, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa. In the 1980s, it constituted a broad anti-communist social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church[1] to members of the anti-communist Left. Solidarity advocated nonviolence in its members' activities[2] [3]. The survival of Solidarity was an unprecedented event not only in Poland, a satellite state of the USSR ruled (in practice) by a one-party Communist regime, but the whole of the Eastern bloc. It meant a break in the hard-line stance of the communist Polish United Workers' Party, which had bloodily ended a 1970 protest with machine gun fire (killing dozens and injuring over 1,000), and the broader Soviet communist regime in the Eastern Bloc, which had quelled both the 1956 Hungarian Uprising and the 1968 Prague Spring with Soviet-led invasions.

Solidarity's influence led to the intensification and spread of anti-communist ideals and movements throughout the countries of the Eastern Bloc, weakening their communist governments. In Poland, the Roundtable Talks between the weakened government and Solidarity-led opposition led to semi-free elections in 1989. By the end of August a Solidarity-led coalition government was formed and in December Wałęsa was elected president,. This was soon followed by the dismantling of the People's Republic of Poland, and the creation of the non-communist, democratic Third Polish Republic. These limited elections where anti-communist candidates won a striking victory sparked off a succession of peaceful anti-communist counterrevolutions in Central and Eastern Europe[4]. Solidarity's example was in various ways repeated by opposition groups throughout the Eastern Bloc, eventually leading to the Eastern Bloc's effectual dismantling, and contributing to the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the early 1990s.

Since 1989 Solidarity has become a more traditional trade union, and had relatively little impact on the political scene of Poland in the early 1990s. A political arm was founded in 1996 as Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS) would win the Polish parliamentary election, 1997, but lose the following Polish parliamentary election, 2001. Currently Solidarity has little political influence in modern Polish politics.

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Roots (before 1980)

Image:Pope-poland.jpg The factors contributing to the initial success of Solidarity in particular, and dissident movements in general in the 1970s and 1980s, were deepening internal crisis of Soviet-style societies due to degradation of morale, worsening economic conditions (shortage economy) and the increasing stress of the Cold War. Economic policy of Polish government, led by First Secretary Edward Gierek, after a brief period of boom begun to slide into increasing depression from 1975, as the foreign debt mounted. First strikes took place in June 1976 in Radom and Ursus. After they were stomped out by the government, the worker's movement received support from the intellectual dissidents, many of whom came from the Workers' Defence Committee (Komitet Obrony Robotników, KOR in Polish, formed in 1976). In 1977 KOR was renamed the following year - Committee for Social Self-defence (KSS-KOR).

On 16th October of 1978, bishop of Cracow, Karol Wojtyła was elected Pope John Paul II. A year later, during his first pilgrimage to Poland, millions of Poles attended his masses. The Pope called for respect of national traditions and stressed the importance of freedom and human rights while also denouncing violent action.

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The strikes of the early 1980s (1980-1981)

The labor strikes did not just occur because of problems that emerged shortly before the unrest, but due to the difficulties of the government and the economy for over ten years.

In July of 1980, government of Edward Gierek, facing an economic crisis, decided to raise the prices while slowing the growth of the wages. A wave of strikes and factory occupations began at once[5]. Although the strike movement had no coordinating centre, the workers had developed an information network by which they spread news of their struggles. A group of ‘dissidents’, the Committee for the Defence of Workers (KOR), set up originally in 1976 to organise aid for victimised workers, drew around them small circles of working class militants in major industrial centres[6]. At the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, workers were outraged and the sacking of Anna Walentynowicz[7], a popular crane operator and well-known activist, became a spark that pushed them into action[8].

On 14 August, the shipyard workers began their strike, organized by the Free Trade Unions of the Coast (Wolne Związki Zawodowe Wybrzeża). The workers were led by electrician Lech Wałęsa, a former shipyard worker who had been dismissed in 1976, and who arrived at the shipyard on 1100 of the 14th August[9]. The strike committee demanded rehiring of Anna Walentynowicz and Lech Wałęsa, raising a monument to the casualties of 1970, respecting of worker's rights and additional social demands.

Although government censorship spoke little about sporadic disturbances in work in Gdańsk and soon cut all phone connections form the coast to the rest of Poland[10], the transmissions of Radio Free Europe penetrating the Iron Curtain and spreading samizdat and grapevine gossip ensured that the ideas of the emerging Solidarity movement spread very quickly throughout Poland.

On 16 August delegations from other strike committees arrived at the shipyard[11], with Bogdan Lis and Andrzej Gwiazda. This led to the creation of the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (Międzyzakładowy Komitet Strajkowy, MKS[12]) under Lech Wałęsa. On the 17th August priest Henryk Jankowski[13] performed a mass outside the gate of the shipyard, on which 21 demands of MKS were put. No longer concerned simply with immediate local issues, the list began with the demand for new, independent trade unions. It went on to call for relaxation of censorship, the right to strike, new rights for the church, the freeing of political prisoners and improvements in the health service.[14] Next day delegation of intelligentsia from KOR arrived, declaring their assistance with negotiations. Among the members of the KOR delegation was Tadeusz Mazowiecki. In the meantime, Mury (Walls) protest song of Jacek Kaczmarski became very popular among the workers.

On 18th August Szczecin Shipyard[15] joined the strike, under the leadership of Marian Jurczyk[16]. The strike wave spread along the coast, closing the ports and bringing the economy to a halt. With the assistance of the activists from KOR and the support of many intellectuals, the workers occupying the various factories, mines and shipyards across Poland came together. Within days, about 200 factories had joined the strike committee and by 21 August most of Poland was affected by the strikes, from shipyards of the coastal cities to the mines in Silesian Górnośląski Okręg Przemysłowy. More and more new unions were formed and joined the federation. By the end of the strike wave, MKS represented over 600 factories from all over Poland.

Due to the popular support of the citizens and other striking groups, as well as international support and media coverage, the Gdańsk workers held out until the government gave in to their demands. On 21 August a Governmental Commission (Komisja Rządowa) with Mieczysław Jagielski[17] arrived in Gdańsk, and another one with Kazimierz Barcikowski[18] was dispatched to Szczecin. On 30 and 31 August[19], and 3 September the representatives of the workers and the government signed an agreement, formalizing the acceptance of many of the workers demand, including their right to strike. This agreement came to be known as the August or Gdańsk agreement (Porozumienia sierpniowe). The program, although concerned with trade union matters, allowed citizens to bring democratic changes within the communist political structure and was universally regarded as the first step towards dismantling the Party monopoly. The main concern of the workers was the establishment of a trade union independent of communist party control and the legal right to strike. In creating these new groups, there would be a clear representation of the workers’ needs. Another consequence of the Gdańsk Agreement was the replacement of Edward Gierek by Stanisław Kania in September 1980.

Image:Poleglych Stoczniowcow.jpg Buoyed by the success of the strike, on the 17th September representatives of Polish workers, including Lech Wałęsa, formed a nationwide trade union, Solidarity (Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność"). Name was proposed by Karol Modzelewski[20], and the famous logo with the was designed by Jerzy Janiszewski[21], designer of many Solidarity-related posters. On 16th December 1980 the Monument to fallen Shipyard Workers was unveiled. On 15th January 1981 a delegation from Solidarity, including Lech Wałęsa, met Pope John Paul II in Rome. Between 5 and 10 September and 26 September to 7 October the first national congress of Solidarity was held, and Lech Wałęsa was elected its president.

In the meantime Solidarity was transforming from a trade union into a social movement. Over the next 500 days following the Gdańsk Agreement, 9 to 10 million workers, intellectuals and students joined it or its suborganizations (like "Rural Solidarity" (NSZZ Rolników Indywidualnych "Solidarność"[22]), a union of farmers, which was created in May 1981, or Independent Students Union (Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów[23])). It was the first and only recorded time in the history that a quater of a country's population have voluntarily joined a single organization. "History has taught us that there is no bread without freedom," the Solidarity programme stated a year later. "What we had in mind were not only bread, butter and sausage but also justice, democracy, truth, legality, human dignity, freedom of convictions, and the repair of the republic."

Image:WieczorWroclawia20marca1981.jpg Using strikes and other protest actions, Solidarity sought to force a change in the governmental policies. At the same time it was careful to never use force or violence, to avoid giving the government any excuse to bring the security forces into play. After over 27 Solidarity members in Bydgoszcz were beaten up on 19th March, a 4-hour strike on 27th March, the largest strike in the history of the Eastern bloc[24] paralyzed the entire country and forced the government to promise that the investigation into the beatings will be carried out[25]. The Communist Party of Poland - Polish United Workers Party (PZPR) lost its control over the society. Yet while Solidarity was ready to take up negotations with the government, the Polish communists were unsure what to do, issuing empty declarations and biding their time. In the background of deteriorating communist shortage economy and unwillingness to seriously negotiate with Solidarity, it became increasingly clear that the Communist governement would eventually have to suppress the movement as the only way out of the impasse, or face a truly revolutionary situation. In the increasingly tense atmosphere, on 3rd December Solidarity declared that a 24-hours strike would be held if the government was granted additional prerogatives for suppressing dissent, and that a general strike would be declared if those prerogatives entered into use.

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Martial law (1981-1983)

Template:Details Image:Zomo2.jpg After Gdańsk Agreement the Polish government was under increasing pressure from Moscow to take action and strengthen its position. Stanisław Kania was viewed by Moscow as too independent, and so on October 18 1981, the Central Committee of the Party put him in minority. Kania lost his post as general secretary, being replaced by Prime Minister (and Minister of Defence) Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski who adopted a strong-arm policy.

On December 13, 1981, the government leader Wojciech Jaruzelski started a crack-down on Solidarity, declaring martial law and creation of Military Council of National Salvation (Wojskowa Rada Ocalenia Narodowego, WRON). Solidarity's leaders gathered at Gdańsk were interned and isolated in facilities guarded by Służba Bezpieczeństwa, and thousands of Solidarity's supporters were arrested in the middle of the night[26]. There were a couple of hundred strikes and occupations, chiefly in the largest plants and in several of the Silesian coalmines, but they were broken by paramilitary riot police ZOMO. One of the largest demonstrations on December 16, 1981, took place at Mine Wujek, there government forces opened fire on the demonstrators, killing 9 and injuring 21. Next day during protests in Gdańsk government forces also fired at the demonstrators, killing 1 and injuring 2. By 28 Decembers strikes has ceased, and Solidarity appeared crippled. Solidarity was delegalized and banned on October 8, 1982[27].

The international community from outside Iron Curtain condemned Jaruzelski's action and declared support for Solidarity. US President Ronald Reagan imposed economic sanctions on Poland, and CIA provided funds for the underground Solidarity. Polish public also supported the remains of the Solidarity; one of the largest demonstrations of support for Solidarity became religious ceremonies, such as masses held by priests like Jerzy Popiełuszko.

Martial Law was formally lifted in July, 1983, though many heightened controls on civil liberties and political life, as well as food rationing, remained in place through the mid- to late 1980s.

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Underground Solidarity (1982-1988)

On 22 April 1982 Zbigniew Bujak[28], Bogdan Lis, Władysław Frasyniuk and Władysław Hardek created the Temporary Coordinating Committee (Tymczasowa Komisja Koordynacyjna), which served as an underground leadership of Solidarity. On 6 May another underground Solidarity organisation (Regional Coordination Committee of NSSZ "S" - Regionalna Komisja Koordynacyjna NSZZ "S") was created by Bogdan Borusewicz, Aleksander Hall[29], Stanisław Jarosz, Bogdan Lis and Marian Świtek. In June the Fighting Solidarity (Solidarność Walcząca[30]) was created.

Throughout the mid-1980s, Solidarity persisted solely as an underground organization, supported by the Church and the CIA[31]. All activists were pursued by Służba Bezpieczeństwa, but still managed to strike back: on 1 May 1982 a series of protests against government gathered thousands of people (several dozens of thousands in Gdańsk). The manifastations took place again on 3 May, during the delegalized festivities celebrating the Polish Constitution of May 3. More strikes took place in Gdańsk from 11 to 13 October, and again in May next year.

Lech Wałesa was released on 14 November 1982, but on 9 December SB carried out a large anti-Solidarity action, arresting over 10,000 Solidarity activists. On the 27 December all possesions of Solidarity were transferred to the official, pro-government trade union Interpolish Agreement of Trade Unions (Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych[32]).

Martial law was lifted on 22 July 1983, and an amnesty was given to many imprisoned members of the trade union. More Solidarity activists were released on 22 July 1984. On 5th October Lech Wałęsa received a Nobel Peace Prize, but Polish government refused to give him passport and allow him to leave the country; the award was received in his name by his wife. It was later revealed that SB prepared fake documents accusing Wałęsa of various immoral and illegal activities, which were given to the Nobel committee in an attempt to derail the Wałęsa candidature.

On 19 October 1984 three agents of Ministry of Internal Security murdered a popular pro-Solidarity priest, Jerzy Popiełuszko[33]. As the truth about the murder was revealed, thousands of people manifested solidarity with the priest by attending his funeral on 3 November 1984.

Frasyniuk, Lis and Adam Michnik, members of the underground "S" were arrested on 13 February 1985 and sentenced to several years on imprisonment during a trial in which the judge denied the accused the right to consult with their defence lawyers.

Image:Reagan and Gorbachev hold discussions.jpg On 11 March of 1985 Soviet Union found itself under the rule of Mikhail Gorbachev, a leader representing a new generation of Soviet party members. The worsening economic situation in the entire Eastern Bloc, including Soviet Union, forced Gorbachev to carry out several reforms, not only in the field of economics (perestroika), but also in political and social structure (glasnost). His policies soon caused a mirror shift in the politics of Soviet satellites, such as People's Republic of Poland. On 11 September 1986, 225 political prisoners in Poland were released. On 30 September Lech Wałęsa created the first public and legal Solidarity structure (since the declaration of martial law), the Temporary Council of NSZZ Solidarność (Tymczasowa Rada NSZZ Solidarność), with Bogdan Borusewicz, Zbigniew Bujak, Władysław Frasyniuk, Tadeusz Jedynak[34], Bogdan Lis, Janusz Pałubicki[35] and Józef Pinior. Many local Solidarity chapters then revealed themselves throughout Poland, and on 25 October 1987 the Country Executive Committee of NSZZ Solidarność (Krajowa Komisja Wykonawcza NSZZ Solidarność) was created.

Nonetheless the Solidarity members and activists were still persecuted and discriminated against (albeit to a lesser extent than during the early 1980s), and there was a deepening divide between the Wałęsa faction, which wanted to negotiate with the government, and a more radical faction planning for an anti-communist revolution.

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The fall of the U.S.S.R. (1988-1989)

Image:W samo poludnie 4 6 89-Tomasz Sarnecki.jpg

By 1988 the economy was in a worse state then 8 years earlier. International sanctions combined with the government lack of will to reform intensified the old problems. Inefficient national enterprises in planned economy wasted labor and resources, producing substandard goods for which there was little demand. Polish exports were low, both because of the sanctions and because its goods were as unattractive abroad as at home. There was no capital to modernise the factories, and shortage economy resulted in long queues and empty shelves.

Reforms of Mieczysław Rakowski came too late and were too little, especially as changes in Soviet Union increased social expectations that both change must come, and the Soviets have no will to prop their failing puppet state regime in Poland.

On 21 April 1988 new wave of strikes hit the country, started in Stalowa Wola Steelworks. On 2 May workers from Gdańsk Shipyard joined the strike. That strike was broken by the government from 5 to 10 May, but only temporarily: new strike took place in "July Manifest" mine in Jastrzębie Zdrój on 15 August. The strke spread to many other mines by 20 August, and on 22 Gdańsk Shipyard joined the strike as well. Polish communist government at that time decided to negoatiate.

On 26 August Czesław Kiszczak, Minister of Internal Affairs, declared on television that the government is willing to negoatiate, and 5 days later he met with Wałęsa. The stikes ended the following day, and on 30 October during a television debate between Wałęsa and Alfred Miodowicz[36] (leader of pro-government trade union, the Interpolish Agreement of Trade Unions (Ogólnopolskie Porozumienie Związków Zawodowych, OPZZ[37]) Wałęsa scored a public relations victory.

On 18 December a 100-member strong Citizen's Committee (Komitet Obywatelski) has been created at NSZZ Solidarność. It was divided into several sections, each responsible for presenting a specific aspect of opposition demands to the government. Some members of the opposition, supported by Wałęsa and most of Solidarity leaders supported the negotiations, although there was some opposition from the minority which wanted a counter-communist revolution. Nonetheless Solidarity under Wałęsa leadership decided to pursue a peaceful solution, and the pro-violence faction never had any significant power, nor it has taken any actions.

Image:Okragly Stol 1989.jpg In 1989, 27 January, during a meeting between Wałęsa and Kiszczak the membership of the main negotations teams have been decided. In the negotiations, known as the Polish Round Table Agreement, 56 people would take place: 20 from "S", 6 from OPZZ, 14 from PZPR, 14 'independent authorities' and two priests. The Polish Round Table Talks took place in Warsaw, Poland from February 6 to April 4, 1989. The Polish Communists, led by Gen. Jaruzelski, hoped to co-opt prominent opposition leaders into the ruling group without making major changes in the political power structure. In reality, the talks radically altered the shape of the Polish government and society.

Solidarity was legalized and as the Solidarity Citizens' Committee (Komitet Obywatelski "Solidarność") allowed to participate in the upcoming elections. Election law allowed Solidarity to put candidates only for 35% seats in Sejm, but there were no restrictions for the Senate of Poland candidates. Agiation and propaganda continued legally to the voting day. On 8 May first issue of new, pro-Solidarity newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza (Voting Gazette) was published. Posters with Lech Wałęsa supporting various candidates could be seen throughout the country.

Pre-election public opinion polls promised victory to the Polish communists, but soon after the first turn of the election it became evident that Solidarity faired extremly well, capturing 160 out of 161 contented Sejm seeats, and 92 out of 99 Senate ones. After the send turn, it had won virtually every single seat - 161 in Sejm, 99 in Senate. The total defeat of PZPR and its satellite parties came as a surprise to everyone involved. The new Contract Sejm would be dominated by Solidarity.

Image:Tadeusz Mazowiecki1.jpg On 23 June a Citzen's Parliamentary Club "Solidarity" (Obywatelski Klub Parlamentarny "Solidarność") was formed, led by Bronisław Geremek. This club formed a coalition with two former satellite parties of PZPR: ZSL and SD, which chose this time to 'rebel' against PZPR, which founds itself in a miniority. On 24 August Sejm chose Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a Solidarity representative, to become a Prime Minister of Poland. He was a first non-communist Polish Prime Minister since 1945. In his speech he talked about the "thick line" (Gruba kreska) which would separate his government from the communist past. By the end of August a Solidarity-led coalition government was formed.

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After the victory (1989-present)

The fall of the communist regime marked a new chapter in the history of Poland and in the history of Solidarity. Having defeated the communist government, Solidarity found itself in a role it was much less prepared for: that of a political party and soon Solidarity popularity begun eroding. Conflicts between various factions inside Solidarity intensified, as seen in the disputes during the April (20-25) 1990 meeting of Solidarity delegates in Gdańsk. Wałęsa was elected the chairman of Solidarity, but his support could be seen to be crumbing, and one of his main opponents, Władysław Frasyniuk, withdrew from elections altogether. In September Walesa declared that Gazeta Wyborcza has no right to use the Solidarity logo. Later that month he declared his intentions to be a contestant for the Polish presidential election, 1990. In December Wałęsa was elected president, resigning from his post in Solidarity and becoming the first President of Poland since 1952.

Next year, in February, Marian Krzaklewski was elected the leader of Solidarity. Despite Wałęsa being the president of Poland, his visions and that of the new Solidarity leadership were diverging. Far from supporting him, Solidarity was becoming increasingly critical of the government and decided to create its own political party for the Polish parliamentary election, 1991. That election was characterized by a very high number of competing parties, many claiming the legacy of anti-communism, and the NSZZ "Solidarność" party gained only 5% of total vote. On 13 January 1992 Solidarity declared its first strike against the democratic government: a 1 hour strike against the proposed raise in prices of energy. Another, 2 hour strike took place on 14 December. On 19 May 1993 deputies of Solidarity proposed a motion of no confidence for the government of prime minister Hanna Suchocka. President Wałęsa did not accept the dimission of the prime minister and disbanded the parliament.

It was in the resulting Polish parliamentary election, 1993 that it became evident how much Solidarity's support has eroded in the past three years. Even through some among the Solidarity tried to distance themselves from the right-wing governemtn and assume a more left-wing stance, Solidarity was still identified with the government and suffered from the increasing disillusioment of the population, as transition from communist to a capitalist system failed to generate instant wealth and raise living standards in Poland to those in the West, and the shock therapy (Balcerowicz's Plan) generated much opposition. In the elections Solidarity received only 4,9%, 0,1% below the required 5% to enter the parliament (it still had 9 senators, 2 fewer then in the previous Senate of Poland), and the victorious party was the Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej (Democratic Left Alliance) - a post-communist left-wing party.

In the following year, Solidarity organised many strikes related to the situation of Polish mining industry. In 1995 a demonstration in front of the Polish parliament was broken by police (now known as Policja), using battons and water guns. Nonetheless Solidarity decided to support Lech Wałesa in the Polish presidential election, 1995. In a second major defeat for the Polish right-wing, the elections were won by a SLD candidate, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who got 51.72% vote. Solidarity call for the new elections went unheeded, but the Polish Sejm still managed to pass a motion condeming the 1981 martial law (despite SLD voting against it).

In June 1996 the Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność (Solidarity Electoral Action) was founded as a coalition of over 30 right-wing parties, uniting liberal, conservative and Christian democratic forces. It was victorious in the Polish parliamentary election, 1997 and Jerzy Buzek became a Prime Minister. However controvery over the reforms relating to domestic affairs, the entry to NATO in 1999 and the accession process to the European Union, combined with much infighting within the party the AWS and corruption (the famous TKM slogan) eventually resulted i the loss of much public support. AWS leader Marian Krzaklewski, lost in the Polish presidential election, 2000 and in Polish parliamentary election, 2001 AWS failed to elect a single deputy to the parliament.

Currently Solidarity currently has around 1.5 million members but has now a negligible political significance.

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Solidarity's influence abroad

Solidarity's striking victory sparked off a succession of peaceful anti-communist counterrevolutions in Central and Eastern Europe, known as Autumn of Nations (Jesień Ludów). Solidarity's example was in various ways repeated by opposition groups throughout the Eastern Bloc, eventually leading to the Eastern Bloc's effectual dismantling, and contributing to the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the early 1990s.

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See also

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References

  1. Template:Notewww.solidarnosc.org.pl detail of membership numbers.
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External links

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Further reading


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