Solidarity The Great Workers Strike of 1980

In the summer of 1980, the eyes of the world turned to the Gdansk shipyard in Poland where the workers had gone on strike. The strike was orchestrated by the members of Solidarnosc (Solidarity) an underground free trade union. Despite fears of a violent response from the Polish authorities, the strikes spread to more than 750 sites around the country. Faced with crippling strikes and with the eyes of the world on them, the Polish signed three landmark accords formally recognizing Solidarity as the first free trade union in a Warsaw Pact country. In a widespread and inspiring demonstration of nonviolent protest, the members of Solidarity managed to bring about real and powerful changes.Solidarity: The Great Workers Strike of 1980 tells the story of this pivotal period in Poland's history from the perspective of those who lived it. Through personal interviews with the individuals who helped breathe life into the Solidarity movement, Michael Szporer brings home the momentous impact these events had on the people involved. This movement, which began as a strike, grew into something that no one could have foreseen at the start. In this book, the individuals who shaped history speak with their own voices about the strike that changed the course of history.

Michael Szporer is professor of communications, arts, and humanities at the University of Maryland University College.