R1620thand21st

The Solidarity movement in Poland is an example of political protest, reform, and revolution because it triggered Poland to rebel quietly against their communist overlords using the threat of a nationwide strike to give them the edge in negotiations regarding the issues of the right to form trade unions, freedom of speech, release of political prisoners, and economic reforms. Lead by a Lenin Shipyard’s worker, Lech Walesa, the Solidarity movement was a non-force revolution, as if Polish communists lost control over the actions of their citizens, the Brezhnev doctrine of intervention would undoubtedly be applied to Poland, and that would mean the end of their movement. However, after Walesa settled the threat of revolution only after minor government concessions, criticism upon Walesa grew, blaming him for Poland’s sudden economic collapse, and for General Wojciech Jaruzelski to outlaw Solidarity in Poland to “save” the nation. However, the government’s reluctance to not press full scale terror upon Solidarity allowed for it to stay alive underground, influencing more people as the economy continued to collapse after Solidarity’s public downfall. Thus the movement kept the Polish citizens in high spirits, and it became the key to lasting change in Eastern Europe. (1031 – 1032)

McKay, John P. __A History of Western Society__. 7th ed. New York City: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.