Solidarity in Poland Cambridge IGCSE History revision
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In plain words
In August 1980 an electrician climbed over a shipyard wall in Gdańsk and took charge of a strike. Within a year a third of Poland's workers had joined his union. A communist government, the supposed voice of the workers, was being defied by the workers themselves.
9 things to know
- Poland had a long record of protest against communist rule. Most Poles were Catholics, and the Church was a strong, independent voice. In 1978 a Pole became Pope, as John Paul II.
- By the late 1970s the Polish economy was in crisis. In July 1980 the government announced rises in the price of meat. Strikes broke out across the country.
- At the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, the strikers were led by Lech Wałęsa. They put forward a list of demands, including free trade unions and the right to strike.
- On 31 August 1980 the government gave way. Solidarity was formed: the first free trade union in the communist world. Its membership grew to more than nine million.
- Why it succeeded at first: it was well organised and peaceful, it had the support of the Church, its members worked in industries that the country depended on, and Wałęsa was a popular leader who avoided provoking the USSR.
- In December 1981 the Polish leader, General Jaruzelski, declared martial law. Wałęsa and thousands of others were arrested, and Solidarity was banned.
- Solidarity survived underground. The economy got worse. In 1989 the government was forced to talk to it, and allowed elections that were partly free.
- Solidarity won almost every seat that it was allowed to contest. In August 1989 Poland had the first non-communist prime minister in eastern Europe since the 1940s.
- Significance: Solidarity showed that a communist government could be challenged by its own workers, and that without Soviet force such governments could not survive.
Worked example
Explain why Solidarity was a threat to Soviet control of Eastern Europe. This is a 6-mark question.
- Its size: with over nine million members, it was a mass movement and could not be dismissed as a few troublemakers.
- Its nature: it was a workers' movement, and communist governments claimed to rule on behalf of the workers, so it destroyed their claim to be legitimate.
- Its example: it showed people in other countries that organised, peaceful opposition was possible.
Tips and tricks
- Three dates: August 1980, the Gdańsk agreement. December 1981, martial law. June 1989, the elections.
- Solidarity's significance is the question the syllabus asks. The answer: it exposed communism's weakness nine years before the collapse, and proved it in 1989.
It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.
Solidarity in Poland: 5 questions and answers
These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.
Where did the strike that led to Solidarity begin?
At the Lenin Shipyard.
Who led Solidarity?
He later became president of Poland.
What did Jaruzelski do in December 1981?
Thousands of its members were arrested.
Which institution gave Solidarity strong support?
Most Poles were Catholics.
Why was a free trade union so embarrassing for a communist government?Stretch
It struck at the government's claim to speak for them.
Quiz
5 questions
Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.
Worksheet
3 questions, 16 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.
Solidarity in Poland
Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 · 16 marks · papermunch.org
Name ______________________________ Date ______________
What was Solidarity?[4]
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It was a free trade union formed in Poland in 1980. It grew out of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, and was led by Lech Wałęsa. It was the first trade union in the communist world that was not controlled by the government. It gained more than nine million members.
Why did the Polish government agree to the demands of Solidarity in 1980?[6]
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The strikes had spread across the country, and involved workers in vital industries such as shipbuilding. The movement was united and had the support of the Catholic Church, which most Poles followed. It was peaceful, so there was no excuse for using force. The government needed to end the strikes, because the economy was already in crisis.
Why was martial law declared in Poland in 1981?[6]
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Solidarity had begun to act like a political party, calling for free elections, which threatened communist rule. Strikes were making the economic crisis worse. The Polish government also feared that if it did not act, the USSR would invade, as it had in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
Answers: Solidarity in Poland
- 1. It was a free trade union formed in Poland in 1980. It grew out of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, and was led by Lech Wałęsa. It was the first trade union in the communist world that was not controlled by the government. It gained more than nine million members.
- 2. The strikes had spread across the country, and involved workers in vital industries such as shipbuilding. The movement was united and had the support of the Catholic Church, which most Poles followed. It was peaceful, so there was no excuse for using force. The government needed to end the strikes, because the economy was already in crisis.
- 3. Solidarity had begun to act like a political party, calling for free elections, which threatened communist rule. Strikes were making the economic crisis worse. The Polish government also feared that if it did not act, the USSR would invade, as it had in Hungary and Czechoslovakia.