C. I.2.b. Solidarity Movement in Poland 1980-89

Volume One -> C. Popular Resistance in Communist Regimes -> C. I. The Soviet Bloc -> C. I.2. The Soviet Bloc 1980 to 1991 -> C. I.2.b. Solidarity Movement in Poland 1980-89

The sit-in strike at the Gdansk shipyard in August 1980 launched Solidarity: as a mass movement and alternative trade union, which soon had branches in almost all sectors of society. As a predominantly worker movement, demonstration of nonviolent power, and a challenge to the Soviet bloc, Solidarity stimulated a large literature from different ideological perspectives at the time and has been the focus of subsequent scholarship. The movement was the culmination of rising dissent among students and intellectuals, major worker strikes in 1970 and 1976, and the creation of KOR (the Workers Defence Committee) which bridged the gap between workers and intellectuals. A few titles covering earlier dissent as well accounts and assessments of Solidarity are listed below.

Ascherson, Neal The Polish August: The Self-Limiting Revolution, Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1981 , pp. 320

Account up to mid-1981 by British journalist familiar with Eastern Europe, with text of Gdansk and Szeczecin Agreements between strikers and government and postscript on December 1981.
Barker, Colin Festival of the Oppressed: Solidarity, Reform, and Revolution in Poland, 1980-81, London, Bookmarks, 1986 , pp. 192

and also his essay ‘Fear, Laughter, and Collective Power: The Making of Solidarity at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, August 1980’, pp. 175-194, Jeff Goodwin, Francesca Polletta, James M. Jasper, Passionate Politics: Emotions and Social Movements (A. 6. Nonviolent Action and Social Movements) .
Bernhard, Michael The Origins of Democratization in Poland: Workers, Intellectuals and Opposition Politics, 1976-1980, New York, Columbia University Press, 1994 , pp. 298

Poland, Genesis of a Revolution, ed. Brumberg, Abraham, New York, Vintage Books, 1983 , pp. 336

Garton Ash, Timothy The Polish Revolution: Solidarity 1980-82, London, Jonathan Cape, 1983 , pp. 386

Highly regarded first hand analysis by scholar of Central Europe and commentator on other civil resistance struggles.
Laba, Roman The Roots of Solidarity: A Political Sociology of Poland’s Working Class Democratization, Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 1992 , pp. 264

Between arriving in Poland in 1980 and being expelled in 1982, the author engaged in firsthand research and gathered relevant documents to question the emphasis on the role of intellectuals, and develop his thesis on the central role of working class activism and their talent for democratic organization.
Long, Kristi We All Fought for Freedom: Women in Poland’s Solidarity Movement, Boulder CO, Westview Press, 1996 , pp. 208

Explores women’s consciousness of the period through interviews, many with local Gdansk activists, notes women’s marginalisation in union structures and discusses implications for post-Communist period.
Osa, Maryjane Solidarity and Contention: Networks of Polish Opposition, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2003 , pp. 296

Places participation in Solidarity in context of engagement in previous Polish ‘protest cycles’.
Penn, Shana Solidarity’s Secret: The Women Who Defeated Communism In Poland, Ann Arbor MI, University of Michigan Press, 2005 , pp. 372

Piotrowski, Grzegorz Grassroots Groups and Civil Society Actors in Pro-democratic Transitions in Poland, Florence, European University Institute, 2012 , pp. 34

Potel, Jean-Yves The Summer Before the Frost: Solidarity in Poland, London, Pluto Press, 1982 , pp. 229

Eye-witness account of early stages, combined with broader analysis. Includes notes on key individuals and organizations and a chronology.
Smolnar, Aleksander Towards “Self-limiting Revolution”: Poland 1970-1989, In Timothy Garton Ash, Adam Roberts, Civil Resistance and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present (A. 1.b. Strategic Theory, Dynamics, Methods and Movements) Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009 , pp. 127-143

Touraine, Alain; Dubet, François; Wieviorka, Michel; Strzelecki, Jan Solidarity: The Analysis of a Social Movement; Poland 1980-1981, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1983 , pp. 203

Leading theorist of social movements explores research into opinions of ordinary members of Solidarity, and examines strategic decisions.
Walesa, Lech A Way of Hope, New York and London, Henry Holt and Pan Books, , pp. 325

Memoir by central (but increasingly controversial) figure in Solidarity.
Zielonka, Jan Strengths and weaknesses of nonviolent action: The Polish case, Vol. 30, issue Spring, 1986 , pp. 91-110

Includes interesting material on Solidarity’s underground period after December 1981.

Websites recommended

A Way of Hope New York and London Henry Holt and Pan Books,

Memoir by central (but increasingly controversial) figure in Solidarity.
Festival of the Oppressed: Solidarity, Reform, and Revolution in Poland, 1980-81 London Bookmarks, 1986

and also his essay ‘Fear, Laughter, and Collective Power: The Making of Solidarity at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, August 1980’, pp. 175-194, Jeff Goodwin, Francesca Polletta, James M. Jasper, Passionate Politics: Emotions and Social Movements (A. 6. Nonviolent Action and Social Movements) .
Grassroots Groups and Civil Society Actors in Pro-democratic Transitions in Poland Florence European University Institute, 2012
Poland, Genesis of a Revolution New York Vintage Books, 1983
Solidarity and Contention: Networks of Polish Opposition Minneapolis University of Minnesota Press, 2003

Places participation in Solidarity in context of engagement in previous Polish ‘protest cycles’.
Solidarity: The Analysis of a Social Movement; Poland 1980-1981 Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1983

Leading theorist of social movements explores research into opinions of ordinary members of Solidarity, and examines strategic decisions.
Solidarity’s Secret: The Women Who Defeated Communism In Poland Ann Arbor MI University of Michigan Press, 2005
Strengths and weaknesses of nonviolent action: The Polish case , 1986

Includes interesting material on Solidarity’s underground period after December 1981.
The Origins of Democratization in Poland: Workers, Intellectuals and Opposition Politics, 1976-1980 New York Columbia University Press, 1994
The Polish August: The Self-Limiting Revolution Harmondsworth Penguin, 1981

Account up to mid-1981 by British journalist familiar with Eastern Europe, with text of Gdansk and Szeczecin Agreements between strikers and government and postscript on December 1981.
The Polish Revolution: Solidarity 1980-82 London Jonathan Cape, 1983

Highly regarded first hand analysis by scholar of Central Europe and commentator on other civil resistance struggles.
The Roots of Solidarity: A Political Sociology of Poland’s Working Class Democratization Princeton NJ Princeton University Press, 1992

Between arriving in Poland in 1980 and being expelled in 1982, the author engaged in firsthand research and gathered relevant documents to question the emphasis on the role of intellectuals, and develop his thesis on the central role of working class activism and their talent for democratic organization.
The Summer Before the Frost: Solidarity in Poland London Pluto Press, 1982

Eye-witness account of early stages, combined with broader analysis. Includes notes on key individuals and organizations and a chronology.
Towards “Self-limiting Revolution”: Poland 1970-1989 Oxford Oxford University Press, 2009
We All Fought for Freedom: Women in Poland’s Solidarity Movement Boulder CO Westview Press, 1996

Explores women’s consciousness of the period through interviews, many with local Gdansk activists, notes women’s marginalisation in union structures and discusses implications for post-Communist period.

See also:

A. 1.a.iii. Social and Political Writings cited in Civil Resistance Literature
Michnik, Adam, Letters from Prison and Other Essays, (A. 1.a.iii. Social and Political Writings cited in Civil Resistance Literature)