Biography
The 1980 strikes in Gdańsk produced Solidarity. Martial law drove it underground. Elections in 1989 ended party control, and Wałęsa became president in 1990.
Europe · 1951–1990
LW
Secondary uprising
Lech Wałęsa
Solidarity
Shipyard electrician who led the union that cracked communist rule in Poland.
Life
1943–present
1943–present
Place
Gdańsk, Poland
Gdańsk, Poland
Years
1980–1989
1980–1989
Map
54.352, 18.6466
54.352, 18.6466
Revolution
Theme. Workers’ union · Civil resistance
Key figures. Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Outcome. Peaceful end of communist party rule in Poland.
Casualties. Martial law brought deaths and internment on a far smaller scale than a civil war.
Influence. Showed that a workers’ movement could dismantle a one-party state.