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Memoirs of Lech Walesa
| Article
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14123 |
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Section : |
BOOK WORLD
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| Issue
Date : |
1 / 1988 |
3,875 Words |
| Author
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Jan Gross
Jan Gross teaches sociology at Emory. His books include Polish
Society Under German Occupation and Revolution From Abroad. He
is from Poland. |
Revolutions foster creativity, and Solidarity is no exception. Solidarity's most important invention is, of course, civil society, which was effectively suspended in the countries where communist parties came to power and implemented "real socialism." Since 1945, Poland has experienced a steady erosion in the spontaneous and independent evolution of its social fabric. Every decade, the compression put upon society by the policies and social engineering of the ruling elite has proven unbearable and strikes or student demonstrations have erupted, bringing about a political crisis and a change of personnel in the ruling clique. But the events of 1980 were different. From the very beginning, the social upheaval in the Gdansk shipyards that gave birth to Solidarity was no mere challenge to the regime or simple vote of nonconfidence in its politics. Rather, it was a "constitution of liberty" establishing a space where people could take charge of their destinies and everyday lives.
The strike
People who visited Gdansk during the strike unanimously reported an unusual and exhilarating experience: They felt they had stepped into a zone with a distinctly different atmosphere. While the rest of the country was unsettled the laced with fearful anticipation, Gdansk was serene, calm, confident. Unbelievably, as one approached the shipyards the atmosphere kept improving. And at the center of it all stood Lech Walesa. In the eye of the storm he was reassuring. His incomprehensible yet miraculously contagious composure and quiet optimism were recorded in a documentary filmed in the shipyards, Workers '80, and described in countless eyewitness accounts.
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