Which Polish trade union movement led by Lech Wałęsa contributed to the end of communist rule in Poland?

Which Polish trade union movement led by Lech Wałęsa contributed to the end of communist rule in Poland?

• A. The Polish Workers' Front
• B. The August Movement in Poland
• C. Solidarity led by Lech Wałęsa
• D. The Warsaw Pact Dissolution Movement

Answer: (C)

Solidarity was a trade union movement led by Lech Wałęsa that grew into a nationwide reform movement and helped bring down communist rule in Poland. It began at the Gdańsk shipyard in 1980, where workers organized to demand basic rights and better working conditions. The movement built a broad base by uniting workers from many industries, and it drew support from Catholic social networks, intellectuals, and international sympathizers. Its power came from mass, peaceful resistance—strikes, protests, and persistent organization—that pressured the government to negotiate rather than crush the movement outright. The turning point came with the Round Table Talks in 1989, where Solidarity and the government worked out an agreement for partial political liberalization and semi-free elections. The results of those elections weakened the ruling communist party and set Poland on a path to a democratic government, marking a key moment in the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe. The other options don’t correspond to the real movement associated with Wałęsa and the 1989 transition.

Solidarity was a trade union movement led by Lech Wałęsa that grew into a nationwide reform movement and helped bring down communist rule in Poland. It began at the Gdańsk shipyard in 1980, where workers organized to demand basic rights and better working conditions. The movement built a broad base by uniting workers from many industries, and it drew support from Catholic social networks, intellectuals, and international sympathizers. Its power came from mass, peaceful resistance—strikes, protests, and persistent organization—that pressured the government to negotiate rather than crush the movement outright.

The turning point came with the Round Table Talks in 1989, where Solidarity and the government worked out an agreement for partial political liberalization and semi-free elections. The results of those elections weakened the ruling communist party and set Poland on a path to a democratic government, marking a key moment in the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe. The other options don’t correspond to the real movement associated with Wałęsa and the 1989 transition.