The Aftermath of Communist Invasion: Influences of Lech Wałęsa

The post-WWII era known as of the Cold War was home to the strengthening and

spreading of Communist ideas by the Soviet Union. Countries such as Poland began adopting the

ways of the Soviets, introducing the Communist Party into their governments. With new ideas

being cast into the government, the lives of citizens in these newly Communist countries began

to change drastically, calling for protests, strikes, and movements. Working class families were

faced with the many hardships placed on them by the new government; these sufferings included

the lack of free labor unions to settle workers’ grievances, the major rise in food prices deemed

unaffordable for the common people, and more. Lech Wałęsa, a Polish worker and later

politician, would witness this mistreatment firsthand alongside his colleagues. The poor began

getting poorer and Wałęsa and his friends continued to be treated unjustly. As they tried to fight,

the Communists fought back, neither side backing down. The fight would continue on for

decades with Wałęsa standing his ground, even when his foes rendered him defenseless. Through

the witnessing of a shipyard massacre, the establishment of Solidarity, and his arrests, Wałęsa

was able to overcome oppression brought by the Communist Party stationed in Poland.

Lech Wałęsa’s journey to overcome the oppression faced by the Polish people began

when he witnessed the killing of many of his fellow workers. Just a few years after working on

his first job in the Lenin Shipyards of Gdansk, Wałęsa saw a protest of the rising food prices.

During the protest, “he witnessed the massacre of scores of shipyard workers by Communist-

party militia units,” who believed the workers were “challenging its monopoly on power and its

control of the labor union movement” (“Lech Walesa, President of Poland” 1). Wałęsa was just

one of many who saw the scene play out; the situation caused a major uproar in the bystanders

who watched as their peers were massacred. These people were killed for their beliefs and only

then did Wałęsa comprehend how important this fight was for these people, including himself.

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With this new realization, he knew he had to continue the legacy left by these martyrs of

impartiality. Wałęsa speaks of how he, “traces the origins of the workers’ protest movement that

was to culminate in the formation of Solidarity to the Polish government’s violent suppression of

popular food riots in the coastal city of Gdansk in 1970” (Skinner 2). Wałęsa’s involvement in

the matter was greatly changed after witnessing the incident; prior to the massacre, he was

nearly a participant, however, following this event, he decided he would be the one who made

the difference.

Succeeding his discoveries in the movement, the next step in his journey to overcome the

oppression was to issue a charter for trade unions and establish his very own union. The new

labor union was named the National Coordinating Commission of the Independent Autonomous

Trade Union, known commonly as Solidarity. Creating Solidarity really began the progression of

worker’s rights, for the laborers finally had a voice in the treatment of their own lives. As one

united front, the workers had a way to fight the silencing brought by the government. Though it

seemed easy to take down Wałęsa and his union in the eyes of Polish officials, he [Wałęsa],

“utilized the ‘strike’ mechanism effectively to counter a series of confrontations designed by the

authorities to weaken and destroy Solidarity” (“Lech Walesa” Encyclopedia 2). Before, protests

lead to intervention and shutdown of the movement by the government, but with the new union,

these same protests successfully saved the campaign. In addition to keeping the movement alive,

Solidarity’s, “real success, independent observers agree, was to have goaded the Polish

authorities toward a significant political, economic, and cultural liberation” (Skinner 3). The

shift in Poland’s society was forever changed; Solidarity weakened the government’s power over

the workers through Wałęsa’s guidance, getting them closer and closer to the justice they were

looking for.

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 Though seemingly contradictory, the outlawing of Solidarity and the incarceration of its

leaders and officials helped the union survive. Once declared illegal, Solidarity was able to

continue the fight without government intervention through the running of the union

underground. The prison bars did not stop Wałęsa from leading the fight; “while in custody in

Warsaw, [he] smuggled messages to Solidarity advocating peaceful resistance” (“Lech Walesa”

Encyclopedia 3). With Solidarity now undetected by government officials, they were able to

perform oppositional actions at the will of Wałęsa. On top of unions continuing under the noses

of the Communists, the gain of support for Solidarity would only increase following the

delegitimization of the union--Pope John Paul II would speak in St. Peter’s Square, declaring,

“‘Let this violation of the fundamental rights of man be known’,” to the 150,000 massed around

him (“Shipyard Workers” 2). The ever-globalizing rise against Communist Poland allowed for an

almost effortless overthrow of the government. Due to “the economic instability, the government

simply could not survive a prolonged strike should Solidarity have chosen to call one” (“Lech

Walesa” Contemporary 2). The Communist Party began preparing for a strike, thinking the union

and its supporters would continue their infamous streak of protest. Rather than call a strike,

Solidarity did the next best thing by having Wałęsa run for president of Poland following his

release from prison.

Wałęsa’s biggest moment in escaping the suffering was the end of Poland’s presidential

election in 1990. The election was a result of the support he had, for, “the margin was 74.25

percent to 25.75 percent” (Engelberg 1). Wałęsa then became the first non-Communist president

post-war, and with his outstanding supporters, he was eventually able to begin liberating Poland

from all traces of Communism. With the incredible backing, Solidarity was able to win, “99 of

100 seats in the Polish senate, and all of the 161 contested seats in the main legislative body,” in

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fact, “Solidarity even won in districts where communist party candidates ran unopposed” (“Lech

Walesa” Contemporary 2). The new party run by non-Communists allowed for the workers

grievances to finally be fully addressed, rather than the previous government that would do the

minimum to keep from violence from forming. Wałęsa’s victory was finally prevailing.

The experiences of Lech Wałęsa in a Communist regime enabled him to better understand

the unjustness brought by this party. The steps taken by Wałęsa to help himself and others

overcome the oppression would stretch from the involuntary witnessing of the massacre of

shipyard workers, through the creation of Solidarity and the arrests, all the way until his

presidency. Ultimately, Wałęsa showed a great deal of valor while at the same time articulating

the idea of persistence and that no matter the situation or the consequences, you should never

give up. Through his work, he emphasized the assertion of your views, never backing down from

them. In today’s society, we see very controversial topics arise politically; in these situations, by

following the ways of Lech Wałęsa, we should stand up for our opinions on the matter and stand

up for what we believe to be right and just. Still very fresh in history, Wałęsa and his actions

allowed for him to become a Polish, and global, symbol of valor and persistence.

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 Annotated Bibliography

Came, Barry. "The struggle for solidarity: Lech Walesa makes a comeback." Maclean's,
17 Apr. 1989, p. 30+. Biography in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A7530953/BIC1?u=dist214&xid=b9d16286.
Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

Barry Came, a journalist and Public Information Officer, wrote this article about
Solidarity following Wałęsa’s journey into politics over physical labor related jobs. The
information did not greatly assist me in my research, however it gave a better insight into
Wałęsa’s long lasting effect on the people in Poland.

Engelberg, Stephen. "Man in the News; The Grandmaster of Polish Politics: Lech Walesa." New
York Times, 11 Dec. 1990. Biography in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A175608454/BIC1?u=dist214&xid=28eb754.
Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

Stephen Engelberg, the long-standing journalist and editor-in-chief for large press
organizations, writes about Lech Wałęsa in the New York Times, one of the world’s
leading news providers. Engelberg’s article was helpful in researching Wałęsa due to it
containing a large amount of information regarding the Polish presidential election in
1990, the election in which Wałęsa ran.

"Lech Walesa." Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, vol. 1, Gale, 1990. Biography in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1607000269/BIC1?u=dist214&xid=b3b2aa15.
Accessed 27 Feb. 2018.

A collection of staff members at the Gale Group, and educational publisher, summarizes
the life and biggest accomplishment of Lech Wałęsa. The authors write in the book
entitled Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, an extremely detailed overview of Wałęsa’s
life, where he was able to overcome oppression brought by Communists stationed in
Poland.

"Lech Walesa." Encyclopedia of World Biography, Gale, 1998. Biography in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1631006796/BIC1?u=dist214&xid=dfc1d51.
Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

A collection of staff members at the Gale Group, an educational publisher, summarizes

the life and biggest accomplishments of Lech Wałęsa. The authors write in the book
entitled Encyclopedia of World Biography, an extremely detailed overview of Wałęsa’s
life, where he was able to overcome oppression brought by Communists stationed in
Poland.

"Lech Walesa, President of Poland, 1990-- Chairman, Solidarity Trade Union, 1980--1981,
1990." The Cold War--1945-1991: Leaders and Other Important Figures in the United
States and Western Europe, Gale, 1992. Biography in Context,

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 http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1605000283/BIC1?u=dist214&xid=ca0b530b.
Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

A collection of staff members at the Gale Group, and educational publisher, summarizes
the life and biggest accomplishment of Lech Wałęsa. The authors write in the book
entitled The Cold War--1945-1991: Leaders and Other Important Figures in the United
States and Western Europe, an extremely detailed overview of Wałęsa’s life, where he
was able to overcome oppression brought by Communists stationed in Poland.

"Lech Walesa, President of Poland, 1990-- Chairman, Solidarity Trade Union, 1980--1981,
1990." The Cold War--1945-1991: Leaders and Other Important Figures in the United
States and Western Europe, Gale, 1992. Biography in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1605000283/BIC1?u=dist214&xid=ca0b530b.
Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

A collection of staff members at the Gale Group, and educational publisher, summarizes
the life and biggest accomplishment of Lech Wałęsa. The authors write in the book
entitled The Cold War--1945-1991: Leaders and Other Important Figures in the United
States and Western Europe, an extremely detailed overview of Wałęsa’s life, where he
was able to overcome oppression brought by Communists stationed in Poland.

"Shipyard workers demanding the return of Solidarity, today shut..." UPI Archive: International,
11 Oct. 1982. Global Issues in Context,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A450938764/GIC?u=dist214&xid=a6e06480.
Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

Though not having a clear author, the article is used in the United Press International
Archive. The article is relevant due it containing specific information about Solidarity
and the whereabouts of Wałęsa at this time in history.

Skinner, Curtis. "Lech Walesa." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002. Biography in
Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000102683/BIC1?
u=dist214&xid=daae1784. Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.

Curtis Skinner, a labor economist studying workforce development with PhD in

economics, writes the article in the book entitled Contemporary Authors Online, an
extremely detailed overview of Lech Wałęsa’s life, where he was able to overcome the
oppression brought by Communists stationed in Poland.

"Thousands of Poles Protest Arrest of Fugitive Solidarity Leader Bujak." Toronto Star (Canada),
02 June 1986. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nfh&AN=6FPTS198606025272917. Accessed 23 Feb. 2018.
Written by a group of staff at the Toronto Star, the leading news provider of Canada and
abroad, the article focuses how others reacted to Wałęsa’s actions and arrests. The article
is significant in that it shows the effect Wałęsa had on people, specifically the Pope of the
Catholic Church.