Gdansk Agreement: Poland's Road to Freedom Begins
Polish workers at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk went on strike on August 14, 1980, demanding the reinstatement of fired crane operator Anna Walentynowicz. Within two weeks, the strike had spread across the country, paralyzing the Polish economy. On August 31, the government signed the Gdansk Agreement, granting workers the right to form independent trade unions for the first time in any Soviet bloc country. Lech Walesa, a 37-year-old electrician, led the negotiations and became chairman of the new Solidarity movement, which swelled to 10 million members within a year. The agreement cracked the foundation of communist control in Eastern Europe. Martial law crushed Solidarity in 1981, but the movement reemerged to win free elections in 1989.
August 31, 1980
46 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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