In the spotlight:Lech Wałęsa
Solidarity was established 25 years ago in August, as a result of the world-famous strike in the Gdańsk Shipyard, led by Lech Wałęsa. The moment was one of the turning points in the history of Poland as it spawned the whole process of political system change, leading finally to the creation of the democratic Republic of Poland.
"Please do not treat my decision as an act against Solidarity. My movement was more a special movement. The current Solidarity is so much different. We do not fit to each other," Wałęsa explained at the start of the anniversary celebrations. The former President revealed he would now concentrate on promoting solidarity in building the European Union. According to a poll by Rzeczpospolita, unemployment and corruption are considered the greatest failures of Solidarity. At the same time, the public claims that freedom of speech and Poland's membership in the EU are the movement's largest successes.
Lech Wałęsa was born in September 1943. Educated as an electrician, he worked in the Gdańsk Shipyard in the periods of 1967-1976, 1980-1981 and from 1983. Being the informal opposition leader, he was interned when Martial Law was imposed. After being awarded the Nobel Prize in 1983, the trade-union activist was under the constant scrutiny of the police. The roundtable negotiations in 1989 were the apogee of Wałęsa's popularity as the defeater of communism and freedom fighter. He was the official coordinator of the event, while at the same time representing Solidarity. Between 1990 and 1995 Wałęsa was the head of the Republic of Poland. After being defeated by Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the presidential elections in 1995 and 2000, Wałęsa announced his political retirement.
"Please do not treat my decision as an act against Solidarity. My movement was more a special movement. The current Solidarity is so much different. We do not fit to each other," Wałęsa explained at the start of the anniversary celebrations. The former President revealed he would now concentrate on promoting solidarity in building the European Union. According to a poll by Rzeczpospolita, unemployment and corruption are considered the greatest failures of Solidarity. At the same time, the public claims that freedom of speech and Poland's membership in the EU are the movement's largest successes.
Lech Wałęsa was born in September 1943. Educated as an electrician, he worked in the Gdańsk Shipyard in the periods of 1967-1976, 1980-1981 and from 1983. Being the informal opposition leader, he was interned when Martial Law was imposed. After being awarded the Nobel Prize in 1983, the trade-union activist was under the constant scrutiny of the police. The roundtable negotiations in 1989 were the apogee of Wałęsa's popularity as the defeater of communism and freedom fighter. He was the official coordinator of the event, while at the same time representing Solidarity. Between 1990 and 1995 Wałęsa was the head of the Republic of Poland. After being defeated by Aleksander Kwaśniewski in the presidential elections in 1995 and 2000, Wałęsa announced his political retirement.
