Category 10
Lech Walesa
By Jakub K.
History
In August 1980 Walesa led the Gdansk shipyard strike which gave rise to a wave of strikes over much of the country with him seen as the leader. The primary demands were for workers' rights. The authorities were forced to capitulate and to negotiate with Walesa the Gdansk Agreement of August 31, 1980, which gave the workers the right to strike and to organise their own independent union.
In September 1981 he was elected Solidarity Chairman at the First National Solidarity Congress in Gdansk.
Wałęsa held his position until 13 December 1981, when General Jaruzelski declared martial law. Wałęsa, like many other Solidarity leaders and activists, was arrested
In November 1982 Walesa was released and reinstated at the Gdansk shipyards. Although kept under surveillance, he managed to maintain lively contact with Solidarity leaders in the underground. While martial law was lifted in July 1983, many of the restrictions were continued in civil code. In October 1983 the announcement of Walesa's Nobel prize raised the spirits of the underground movement, but the award was attacked by the government press.
In December 1988, Wałęsa co-founded the Solidarity Citizens' Committee. Theoretically it was merely an advisory body, but in practice it was a kind of political party and won the parliamentary elections in June 1989 . Wałęsa was one of Solidarity's most public figures; though he did not run for parliament himself, he was an active campaigner, appearing on many campaign posters. In fact, Solidarity winners in the Sejm elections were referred to as "Wałęsa's team" or "Lech's team," as all those who won had appeared on their election posters together with him.
In December 1990 in a general ballot he was elected President of the Republic of Poland. He served until defeated in the election of November 1995.
The greatest achievements
Establishment of of the first non-communist trade union behind the Iron Curtain in 1980.
Round-table talks that led to the first partially free elections in June 1989
NSZZ Solidarność Trade Union
It was created by an agreement concluded in 1980 between Lech Walesa (Delegate workers) and representatives of the Communists. This ended a wave of strikes in August 1980
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