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The Solidarity Movement emerged on August 31, 1980, amid the Gdansk Shipyard Strike of 1980. It was an anti-communist trade union that rapidly gained support in Poland. "The Story of the Solidarity Movement." Gdansk Life. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.gdansk-life.com/poland/solidarity. "
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In October of 1982, Solidarity was delegalized and banned. "The Story of the Solidarity Movement." Gdansk Life. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.gdansk-life.com/poland/solidarity.
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Martial Law was Declared in Poland, the entire country was under military rule. "The Story of the Solidarity Movement." Gdansk Life. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 May 2012. http://www.gdansk-life.com/poland/solidarity.
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On July 22, 1983, martial law was lifted, yet many restrictions on civil liberties and political life remained, as well as food rationing which would continue until the late 80s. (RFERL).
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Finally on August 26, the government announced it was ready to negotiate with Solidarity and met with Walesa, who incredulously agreed to call an end to the strikes. In preparation for an official negotiating conference with the government, a hundred-member committee was formed within Solidarity, composed of many sections, each of which was responsible for presenting specific demands to the government at the forthcoming talks. (Open Democracy).
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Though the members of Solidarity had no expectation of major changes, the Roundtable Talks would irreversibly alter the political landscape and Polish society
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On April 17, 1989, Solidarity was again legalised and the party was allowed to field candidates in upcoming elections. With its members immediately jumping to 1.5 million after legalisation, the party was restricted to fielding candidates for only 35% of the seats in the new Sejm. (Open Democracy).
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On August 19, President Jaruzelski asked journalist/Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to form a government, based in a parliamentary system of government similar to the United Kingdom, where the majority coalition or party forms the cabinet. (Soviethistory).
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On August 19, President Jaruzelski asked journalist/Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to form a government.
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September 12, the Sejm (Polish Congress) voted approval of Prime Minister Mazowiecki and his cabinet. For the first time in more than 40 years, Poland had a government led by non-communists. (RFERL).
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A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. This was done by rapidly changing Polish economics from a control economy to a market based capitalist economy. (Gdnask Life).
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In Decermber 1990, elections in poland saw a string of victories for anti-communist candidates. This set off a chain reaction of peaceful anti-communist revolutions. By December 1991, the USSR had ceased to exist. (Soviethistory).
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Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary were each invited to join NATO in 1997. Each country joined two years later, in 1999. (CIA Factbook).
