Poland and Solidarity

During the Communist control over Poland, there were regular protests about wages and food prices.

During the first half of the 1970s Polish industry performed well. Polish citizens seemed happy about their communist state. However their economy hit a crisis, 1976 was a bad year and 1979 was the worst year for the industries. The government did not know how to solve it and they tried to hide the crisis. Trade unions were ineffective so Polish workers settled up small and independent trade unions. In 1980 strikes broke out all over the country and the new trade union, Solidarity, was getting stronger.
In August 1980, Lech Walesa put forward 21 demands to the government and they started a free trade union called Solidarity. The 30th of August the government agreed to all 21 Solidarity's demands and Solidarity members continued growing.

In February 1981 the Prime Minister resigned and was replaced by the leader of the army, Jaruzelski. In May “Rural Solidarity” was set up as a farmers’ union. In November of 1981 negotiations between Walesa and Jaruzelski to form a government of “National Understanding” broke down and Poland was at the edge of chaos. In December Jaruzelski suspended Solidarity and placed Walesa and 10,000 other Solidarity leaders in prison. There was little resistance, however the army opened fire. A total of 150,000 Solidarity members were taken into custody during December.
Over the next 12 months Jaruzelski tried to normalize the situation and declared Solidarity illegal. In 1983 he started releasing some Solidarity leaders from prison. However some were murdered as well as some priests after a campaign against the Catholic Church. The USA and other western countries imposed trade sanctions and an economic chaos followed.  Inflation hit 70 per cent.

Solidarity was again gaining some influence. Solidarity co-operated with the Catholic Church. They openly broadcast in the radio spreading their view about the government in 1986. 

Solidarity had long been demanding open elections and when they had it Solidarity won almost all the seats it contested. Mazowiecki, a Solidarity leader, became Prime Minister. In 1990 Walesa became the first non communist President of Poland since before the Second World War.

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