Solidarity pronounced full name: Independent Self- governing Trade Union "Solidarity" — Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność" is a Polish.

Solidarity pronounced 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 Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.

Solidarity was the first non-communist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country.In the 1980s it constituted a broad anti-bureaucratic social movement. The government attempted to destroy the union during the period of martial law in the early 1980s and several years of political repression, but in the end it was forced to start negotiating with the union.

The Polish Round Table Talks The Polish Round Table Talks took place in

Warsaw, Poland from February 6 to April 4, 1989. The government initiated the discussion with the banned trade union Solidarność and other opposition groups in an attempt to defuse growing social unrest.

The Round Table Talks between the government and the 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 1990 Wałęsa was elected President of Poland. Since then it has become a more traditional, liberal trade union

Solidarity was founded in Gdańsk in September 1980 at the Lenin Shipyards, where Lech Wałęsa and others formed a broad anti-Soviet social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church to members of the anti-Soviet Left. Solidarity advocated non-violence in its members' activities. In September 1981 Solidarity's first national congress elected Lech Wałęsa as a president and adopted a republican program, the "Self-governing Republic. The government attempted to destroy the union with the martial law of 1981and several years of repression, but in the end it had to start negotiating with the union

In Poland, the Roundtable Talks between the 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 Tadeusz Mazowiecki was elected Prime Minister. 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 founded in 1996 as Solidarity Electoral Action won the parliamentary election in 1997, but lost the following 2001 election. Currently, as a political party Solidarity has little influence on modern Polish politics

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. The 4 June 1989 elections in Poland where anti-communist candidates won a striking victory sparked off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe known as the Revolutions of 1989 (Jesień Ludów). Solidarity's example was repeated in various ways by opposition groups throughout the Eastern Bloc, eventually leading to the Eastern Bloc's effective dismantling, and contributing to the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the early 1990s.

Formed on 31 August 1980, the union's supreme powers were vested in a legislative body, the Convention of Delegates (Zjazd Delegatów). The executive branch was the National Coordinating Commission (Krajowa Komisja Porozumiewawcza), later renamed the National Commission (Komisja Krajowa). The Union had a regional structure, comprising 38 regions (region) and two districts (okręg). At its highest, the Union had over 10 million members, which became the largest union membership in the world. During the communist era the 38 regional delegates were arrested and jailed when martial law came into effect on December 13, 1981 under General Wojciech Jaruzelski. After a one year prison term the high-ranking members of the union were offered one way trips to any country accepting them (including Canada, the United States, and nations in the Middle East).

Solidarity was organized as an industrial union, or more specifically according to the One Big Union principle, along the lines of the Industrial Workers of the World and the Spanish Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (workers in every trade were organized by region, rather than by craft).

Currently, Solidarity has more than 1.1 million members. National Commission of Independent Self-Governing Trade Union is located in Gdańsk and is composed of Delegates from Regional General Congresses.

Two days later, the yard came a delegation of other striking plants with Bob Fox and Andrew Star. Cited the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (MKS) with Lech Walesa at the helm. August 17 yards before the gate Father Henryk Jankowski celebrated mass. At the same gate array containing suspended the 21 demands of the Strike Committee. The next day in the hall appeared Experts from the Catholic circles and KORs, who had advised the workers in the negotiations with the authorities. Chairman of the Committee of Experts MKS was Tadeusz Mazowiecki, in the work of Bronislaw Geremek took part.

In mid-August, which is controlled by the party appeared in the press mention of the "in between working in Gdansk." Censorship forbade the use of the word "strike" in official communications, but the society orientowało the situation. Even after stopping phone calls from Côte Poles were informed by a fit of Radio Free Europe in Munich, which communicates to the legitimate mail from the country. An interface also met the railwaymen, postmen, and transporters. As a result, as early as 18 August in the SSN a strike, headed by Marian Jurczyk. To August 21, strikes spread over the entire country. She stood in the majority of workplaces in Gdansk, Szczecin and other cities of the coast. Mining ceased a number of mines in Upper Silesia. Gdansk MKS represented in late August, more than 600 companies from around the country.

December 16, 1980 was unveiled on Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers. January 15, 1981 a delegation of Solidarity Lech Walesa met in Rome with Pope John Paul II.

During the session of the Provincial Council in Bydgoszcz on March 19 three of the Solidarity trade union members (John Rulewski, Mariusz Łabentowicz and Michael Bartoszcze) were severely beaten by the riot police. Relevance stood in their defense and held on March 27 warning general strike - stood for four hours almost the whole of Poland. The authorities have ensured that the guilty odszukają beatings and the protest has been suspended.

On 5-10 September and 26 September-7 October, after Congress of Solidarity. On Lech Walesa was elected Chairman. Congress on September 8 issued a message to working people in Eastern Europe, which called upon the union of the socialist bloc countries to the common struggle for freedom of association.

In 1988 the economy was worse than 8 years earlier. Economic sanctions and lack of reforms have led to runaway inflation. State-owned enterprises marnotrawiły human work and materials producing defective goods and unattractive. The Polish economy was uncompetitive and obsolete. In a limited network of state stores were still missing goods. The reforms carried out by Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Rakowski were too superficial, increased interest on unpaid foreign debts. The weakening of the Soviet Union under the leadership of the liberal Gorbachev raised hopes that this time the Communist regime will not be able to count on the political and military support behind the Bug River.

Subsequent strikes began on 21 April 1988 in Huta Stalowa Wola. May 2 they were joined by workers from the Gdansk shipyard. It is true that, on May 5-10 strikes spacyfikowały authorities or have been suspended, but August 15 protests broke out anew. The strike began miners in the mine "July Manifesto" in Jastrzebie Zdroj. By August 20, the strike took a number of mines, and 22 came back to the Gdansk shipyard. To strike, joined by other Gdansk shipyards: North, Repair, Wisla and Radunia. The communist authorities were forced to re-negotiate. The state television on August 26 there was the head of power institutions Czeslaw Kiszczak and offered to start talks, and five days later, met with Walesa. The strikes ended the next day. The state television on November 30 held a debate Lech Walesa Alfred Miodowicz (Head OPZZ). Walesa came out before the cameras much better than his opponent.

"Solidarity" has sought democratic change while renouncing violence. Round Table proved it is possible peaceful agreement between the communist regime and the opposition. In the footsteps of Solidarity representatives went to the democratic movement in other countries komunistyznych. At the end of the year its own round table organized by the Hungarians. Sitting held on 15-20 October the parliament passed a bill to hold free elections. They were held in May 1990 and ended Communist rule. Germany opened their borders, allowing thousands of East Germans from escaping to the West. The communist regime in East Germany began negotiations with Germany, and November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall fell demolished by the inhabitants. November 17, protests began ushering in "velvet revolution" in Czechoslovakia. 29 December opposition leader Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia. Developments in these countries have made is based on the ideals of peaceful struggle for freedom prevalent due to the success of Solidarity.

The basic political and economic freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Polish citizens have been guaranteed. Unimpeded by a private initiative made it possible to start building a society based on individual entrepreneurship. The country has entered the path of integration with Europe. 29 December 1989 parliament adopted amendments to the Constitution. Deleted the clause stating that the Communist Party is the "guiding force" of the nation. Polish People's Republic became the Republic of Polish and Polish eagle emblem in the crown was restored. Thus was born the Third Republic.

Lech Walesa (born September 29, 1943 in Popowo) - Polish politician and union activist, a professional electrician. Co-founder and first chairman of Solidarity, the dissident during the communist era. Polish president in 1990-1995.

Man of the Year 1981 by Time magazine and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize (1983)

Lech Wałęsa and the Monument to the Victims of December 1970