Chapter 2: Poland 1980-1989 & When the Wall Came Tumbling Down

Poland 1980-1989

This chapter illustrates the struggles faced by Poland and the Solidarity movement. After many decades of protests, demonstrations, and movements, the Poles established a new social movement under the name of Solidarity.

A brief history of Polish society finds that Poles never really seemed willing to accept foreign or dictatorial rule. Many uprisings and protests soon followed, including those of an Armed Resistance from 1944-1947, and uprising in 1956, and a slur of strikes in 1970 and 1976. This attribute was only furthered when a Polish pope was elected in October of 1978. This violent nature of the Poles eventually led to the Solidarity movement in 1980.

The Solidarity movement was essentially a trade union and a social movement that brought together some 10 million Poles. This movement marked the first time that a Communist regime allowed this large of an independent organization to exist (Kenney 57). Solidarity hoped to attain freedom from the dictatorship without force. They had a similar mindset to that of South Africans in their move against apartheid - both organizations aimed to achieve a better society without violence.

Solidarity also strove to rebuild a fair Poland through a moral rebirth of the people. They stated that respect for the individual must be the backbone and base of action. They affirmed that the state must serve the people instead of ruling over them.

This time was still not an entirely peaceful era, however. There were three types of resistances that Poles acted out throughout the Solidarity movement. 

The first was an underground form of resistance. This is where Adam Michnik wrote his essay, On Resistance. Michnik established Solidarity’s independent newspaper, which in turn moved people to participate in the June 1989 election (Kenney 60). In his essay, he guaranteed that both Solidarity and the people who fought and suffered would not be forgotten and that they would find new allies. He stated that the efforts of the people through this movement (democratic opposition, Solidarity itself, and the independent press) was sure proof that anything can be accomplished by people who feel so strongly for something. Michnik also listed the goals for this Underground Solidarity movement:

• To create an authentic society
• To free Poland
• To establish individual freedom in Poland

The second form of resistance is the development of a new generation of social movements. People who had not previously been active in the Solidarity movement were offered less radical opportunities to make a difference. This took place with the Revolution of the Elves and the Hunger Strike in 1988. The Revolution of the Elves was an important movement in the eyes of the Poles. It brought enjoyment and frivolity to the public once again. It also lessened Polish fear of the police and the regime (Kenney 65). The Hunger Strike mentioned in The Hardest Thing to Overcome Was Our Own Foolishness outlined how one small action can create a domino effect. One small action leads to another, which in turns leads to yet another, and so on. And with all of these demonstrations and acts, huge changes can be made to society.

The last form of resistance involved the brilliant minds of strategic thinkers, such as Jacek Kuroń. Instead of Revolution, reports on the negotiations there for the Underground Solidarity newspaper mentioned earlier. He viewed this meeting as a step forward for Solidarity’s taking control (Kenney 74). However, he soon had come to the conclusion that Solidarity would have to cooperate with its enemies for the sake of Poland’s future. The results of this meeting are as follows:

Representatives from the Solidarity movement and the regime met at the Round Table in Warsaw for a discussion. Kuroń’s document,

•  Re-legalization of the Solidarity movement
• The establishment of an independent newspaper
• Semi-free elections to parliament

The Solidarity movement eventually eradicated the dominion of the Communist Party in Poland. By 1989 it had accomplished its many efforts and took part in Poland’s first partially free and democratic election since the end of WWII.

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“When the Wall Came Tumbling Down”

                Taking a step away from Poland, we focused on the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany. The Berlin wall embodied the physical division between East and West Berlin, and the symbolic division between Communism and democracy (Rosenberg 1).

                There were clear signs near the fall of the Wall that the Communist bloc had been weakening. As the strength of the Communist regime began to falter, new checkpoints were created for East Germans who wanted to escape.  On the night of November 9, 1989 the main priority of East Germans was tourism and travel to the wall. People hesitantly approached the wall and were surprised to find that the border guards were letting people across. The elation felt by the East Germans was immense at this point, and some radicals even went so far as to break down parts of the wall. The government began to question whether it was a good idea to open the border because of the radical movements the people were enacting.

                However, the Berlin Wall was defeated and fell in 1989. Families and friends were reunited after many years. East and West Germany were reunited into a single German state on October 3,1990 (Rosenberg 2).

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                 Kenney, Padraic. 1989: Democratic Revolutions at the Cold War's End : A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print.

            Rosenberg, Jennifer. "The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall." About.com 20th Century History. About.com, 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.