Description

The names of the union Solidarność and its leader Lech Walesa are inseparably connected in many people's minds. This paper will show how many much broader the movement that brought Poland freedom was: It will give an overview into the rise of Solidarność from an outlawed trade union and strike organizing body to one of the central pillars of Poland's democratic development. A focus will be on the union's strategy of not mainly confronting the Polish regime head on, but creating free spaces for the Polish society, thus undermining the party's total grip and finally preparing the country's transition to democracy. Dealing with the woes of the 1980s cold war, it is necessary to analyze western reactions to the events in Poland as well. Being separated by the iron curtain and thus the western country closest to Poland, West Germany played a special role in this. As an example, the coverage from West Germany's weekly news magazine of record, Der Spiegel, will be reviewed.