Solidarity (Polish trade union) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Solidarity

Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy „Solidarność”
Solidarity logo
Founded	31 August 1980 (1980-08-31) (recognised) 17 September 1980 (1st Congress) 10 November 1980 (registered)
Type	Labour movement
Headquarters	Gdańsk, Poland
Location	Poland
Members	Almost 10 million at the end of the first year; over 400,000 in 2011 (680,000 in 2010)
Key people	Anna Walentynowicz, Lech Wałęsa
Website	Solidarnosc.org.pl (in English)

Solidarity (Polish: „Solidarność”, pronounced [sɔliˈdarnɔɕt͡ɕ]) is a famous Polish trade union. Its full name is the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union "Solidarity" (Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy „Solidarność”). It was started in August 1980 at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland.

Solidarity was special because it was the first independent trade union in a country controlled by the Soviet Union to be officially recognized. At its peak in 1981, it had 10 million members. This was about one-third of all working people in Poland!

The union's leader, Lech Wałęsa, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. Many people believe Solidarity played a huge role in ending communist rule in Poland. In the 1980s, Solidarity was a large movement that used peaceful methods to fight for workers' rights and social change.

The government tried to stop Solidarity by using martial law in Poland and putting people in jail. But Solidarity kept going underground. It received help from the Vatican and the United States. By the late 1980s, the government had to talk with the union.

These talks led to the first free elections in Poland since 1947. A government led by Solidarity was formed. In December 1990, Lech Wałęsa became the President of Poland. After Poland became a capitalist country, Solidarity's membership went down. By 2010, it had lost most of its original members.

How Solidarity Began: A Fight for Rights

Strike committee at the Lenin Shipyard, August 1980. On stage are Bogdan Lis (left) and Lech Wałęsa (right).

In the 1970s, the Polish government increased food prices. But people's wages did not go up. This caused many problems and led to protests in 1976. The government responded by cracking down on people who spoke out.

Groups like the KOR started to form secret networks. They watched the government and worked against its actions. Trade unions were a key part of these networks. In 1979, Poland's economy got worse for the first time since World War II.

A worker named Anna Walentynowicz was fired from the Gdańsk Shipyard on August 7, 1980. She was fired because she was part of an illegal trade union. This made the shipyard workers very angry. They started a strike on August 14, demanding her return. Anna Walentynowicz and Alina Pienkowska helped turn this strike into a bigger "solidarity strike." This meant they were striking to support other workers who were also on strike.

Solidarity officially began on August 31, 1980, at the Gdańsk Shipyard. The Communist government of Poland signed an agreement allowing the union to exist. On September 17, 1980, many independent trade unions joined together. They formed one national group called NSZZ Solidarity. It was officially registered on November 10, 1980.

Lech Wałęsa and others created a large movement against the Soviet system. This movement included people from the Catholic Church and those on the anti-Soviet left. Polish nationalism and pro-American ideas also helped Solidarity grow. Solidarity believed in using peaceful methods. In September 1981, Lech Wałęsa was elected president of Solidarity.

Martial Law and Negotiations

The government tried to destroy the union with martial law in 1981. This meant the military took control, and many union members were arrested. But Solidarity survived. Eventually, the government had to start talking with the union again.

These talks, called the Roundtable Talks, happened between the government and Solidarity. They led to semi-free elections in 1989. By the end of August, a government led by Solidarity was formed. Tadeusz Mazowiecki became the Prime Minister. After 1989, Solidarity became more like a regular trade union. It had less political power in the 1990s.

Support from Other Countries

Meeting between Wałęsa and U.S. President George H. W. Bush, 1989

The United States government supported the Solidarity movement. They wanted to prevent the Soviet Union from taking stronger control in Poland. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sent money to Solidarity, about $2 million each year from 1982. This money was sent through other groups, not directly to Solidarity leaders.

The AFL–CIO, a large American labor union, also raised money. They collected $300,000 from their members. This money was given directly to Solidarity to help them. The U.S. Congress also gave $10 million to Solidarity through the National Endowment for Democracy.

Even with this support, Solidarity was not warned before martial law was put in place in December 1981. Some people think the CIA was surprised. Others believe American leaders thought an internal crackdown was better than the Soviet Union getting involved. The U.S. provided "supplies and technical assistance" like help with secret newspapers and broadcasting.

Solidarity and the Catholic Church

30th anniversary mural depicting the murdered priest Jerzy Popiełuszko who publicly supported Solidarity during the 1980s

The Catholic Church played a very important role in Solidarity. Many Polish bishops supported the union. In 2017, Solidarity supported a law to stop shopping on Sundays. This law was passed in 2018.

Lech Wałęsa said that Pope John Paul II was a big reason why Solidarity was created. Pope John Paul II was from Poland. When he visited Poland in 1979, he was a figure that Polish people could connect with. He was also beyond the control of the Communist government. Many world leaders, including Wałęsa, believe the Pope's actions helped bring down communism in Poland and all of Europe.

Solidarity's Impact Around the World

The logo of Solidarność painted on an overturned Soviet era T-55 in Prague in 1990

Students in Scotland collect signatures for a petition in support of Solidarity in 1981

Solidarity, ETUC Demonstration—Budapest 2011

Solidarity's survival was a huge event. It was special not just for Poland, but for all countries controlled by the Soviet Union. It showed a change in the strict rules of the Communist party. Before, protests were often ended with violence. For example, in 1970, a protest was stopped with machine-gun fire. The Soviet government had also used invasions to stop uprisings in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968).

Solidarity's success helped spread anti-Communist ideas across Eastern Europe. This weakened the Communist governments there. The Round Table Agreement led to elections in Poland on June 4, 1989. For the first time in a Soviet-bloc country, people could vote for candidates who were not from the Communist party.

Solidarity won almost all the seats they could in these elections. This victory started a chain reaction across other Soviet-controlled countries. It led to mostly peaceful events known as the Revolutions of 1989. These revolutions ended the Soviet-backed governments. Eventually, they led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Solidarity also had complicated relationships with unions in capitalist countries. For example, during a miners' strike in the UK in 1984–85, Wałęsa said miners should fight "with common sense." He also praised British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. However, other Solidarity leaders supported the striking miners.

Solidarity tried to connect with anti-apartheid groups in South Africa. But it was hard because of the distance and lack of news coverage. In 2008, a new "Solidarity" movement was formed in Russia. In the United States, a political party called the American Solidarity Party was named after the Polish union.

How Solidarity is Organized

Solidarity was officially founded on September 17, 1980. Its main power was held by the Convention of Delegates. The daily work was done by the National Coordinating Commission, later called the National Commission. The union had 38 regions and two districts. At its peak, Solidarity had over 10 million members. This made it the largest union in the world.

During the Communist era, many regional leaders were arrested when martial law began in December 1981. After a year in prison, some high-ranking members were offered one-way trips to other countries.

Solidarity was organized as an "industrial union." This meant workers from all different jobs in a region joined together. In 2010, Solidarity had more than 400,000 members. The National Commission is located in Gdańsk.

Solidarity's Regional Structure

Solidarity is divided into 37 regions. These regions mostly follow the old administrative divisions of Poland from 1975 to 1998.

Leaders of Solidarity

• Lech Wałęsa (1980–1991)
• Marian Krzaklewski (1991–2002)
• Janusz Śniadek (2002–2010)
• Piotr Duda [pl] (2010–present)

See also

In Spanish: Solidaridad (Polonia) para niños

• 1981 warning strike in Poland
• 1988 Polish strikes
• 31 August 1982 demonstrations in Poland
• 80 Million
• Conference of Solidarity Support Organizations
• European Solidarity Centre
• Fighting Solidarity
• Hungarian Solidarity Movement
• Jastrzębie-Zdrój 1980 strikes
• Lublin 1980 strikes
• Polish 1970 protests
• Summer 1981 hunger demonstrations in Poland