Lindsay's Lessons

Dawn of a New Era? Nope… Martial Law.

             By the dawn of the 1980s people living under Communist rule in Poland were growing tired of deteriorating living conditions. Those who have publicized their recollections of this era recall ration cards, constant food shortages and even potatoes being a luxury (in a country that specialises in potatoes) (Mercer, 2022). In what sounds more Keynesian than Marxist, Poland “had borrowed enormous sums of hard currency on Western capital markets to fund industrial development and subsidize domestic consumption” during the latter half of the 1970s (Bartel, 2017, p. 73). Between the shortages, poor working conditions and a horrible winter in 1979 – people were on the verge of collectively snapping. Social movements in Poland such as Catholic Church and the Solidarity trade union were disruptive forces that led the charge toward change in the latter part of the decade.

The borrowing and spending binge that Edward Gierek’s government went on in the 1970s had come home to roost as by the end of the decade. By 1980 Western banks and governments had lost confidence in Poland’s ability to repay debts (Bartel, 2017). Poland was essentially broke.  Around this time, Edward Gierek had outlived his usefulness to the Polish United Workers’ Party (Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, or PZPR) and he was replaced by Stanisław Kania — who did not last long either. Enter General Wojciech Jaruzelski towards the end of 1981, who was put in power right as things were getting ugly. Price hikes for food in 1980 were the final straw, and strikes began in Gdansk, led by the social movement — later political party “Solidarity.”  Social movements were an important factor in pushing change in Poland in the 1980s; however, they were briefly handcuffed by the advent of crackdowns and eventual martial law in 1981.

Previously, social movements that had opposed Poland’s communist government were not well organized and therefore did not succeed (Novak, 2021). Since they were not united, they also lacked the power and global reach of the Catholic Church In 1978, Karol Wojtyła was elected as Pope John Paul II — the first Polish Pope — becoming a symbol of hope for Poles who finally had a figure to rally around, as their current leadership certainly did not spark any inspiration. Almost immediately after being installed as Pope, Wojtyla led masses in his homeland in 1979 in Warsaw, Kraków, and Częstochowa (Bartkowski, 2009). Millions of Poles stood united in their faith when Pope John Paul II held these masses and there was nothing the communist party could do to prevent these massive gatherings. The Soviet leadership tried to pressure the Polish leadership to cancel the Pope’s visit, and to his credit Edward Gierek held firm (Editorials, 2025). The regime could arrest dissidents, but the Pope was untouchable.

The Solidarity Trade Union was the next largest muck raker in Poland during the 1980s. Solidarity began as a trade union but morphed into a movement and eventually a political party as the decade progressed. The movement was born out of a sentiment of  “We’re all fed up with all of this”–according to workers in the Gdansk Lenin Shipyard (“How Did Solidarność (Solidarity) Come To Be?,” n.d.). Through strikes and information campaigns, Solidariity was able to challenge the communist regime enough so that Polish authorities had to declare martial law in December of 1981. General Jaruzelski was put in a no-win situation as the perceived threat of Soviet tanks rolling over the border to quell the unrest was real. Phone lines were cut. Curfews were imposed and big brother was definitely watching.

Political leaders and states can shape policy by law — and sometimes by force — but social movements can shape policy with pressure and protest. Mikayla Novak, who authored the book Freedom in Contention: Social Movements and Liberal Political Economy, describes social movements as “collective actors intentionally pushing for some preferred arrangements or states of the world” (Novak, 2021, para. 4). Both the Catholic Church and Solidarity were the drivers of change in Poland in the 1980s. The Pope spoke openly about human rights during the open‑air masses in 1979, which was a direct challenge to the communist government (Bartkowski, 2009). “Solidarity was an extraordinary mobilization of citizens from all walks of life united in protest against living in a communist lie.” (Bartkowski, 2009, “Strategic Actions” section, para. 2) – this direct quote is used to describe this movement because it perfectly encompasses the mood of Poles by this point in the communist era. They were over it. They wanted human rights and to stop pretending that this communist system was working.

The communist system installed in Central and Eastern Europe after WWII was clearly not working and by the 1980s there was not enough of anything to cover the cracks that were glaringly obvious. Soon enough, the whole system would come crumbling down — but first, Solidarity and its friends had to go underground to keep their movement alive. 

References:

Bartel, F. (2017). Fugitive Leverage: Commercial Banks, Sovereign Debt, and Cold War Crisis in Poland, 1980–1982. Enterprise & Society, 18(1), 72–107. ProjectMUSE (edspmu.S1467223517100023).

Bartkowski, M. (2009, December). Poland’s Solidarity Movement (1980-1989). CNCR. https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/polands-solidarity-movement-1980-1989/

Editorials. (2025, August 4). The Great Days of Poland June 2–10, 1979. PolandWeekly. https://polandweekly.com/2025/08/04/the-great-days-of-poland-june-2-10-1979/

How Did Solidarność (Solidarity) Come To Be? (n.d.). Europejskie Centrum Solidarności. Retrieved August 21, 2026, from https://ecs.gda.pl/en/how-did-solidarnosc-solidarity-come-to-be/

Mercer, D. B. (2022, September 1). The Harsh Realities of a Communist Childhood in Poland. Edge. https://apuedge.com/the-harsh-realities-of-a-communist-childhood-in-poland/

Novak, M. (2021, July 27). Social Movements and Liberal Political Economy—Centre for the Study of Governance & Society. Social Movements and Liberal Political Economy – Centre for the Study of Governance & Society. https://csgs.kcl.ac.uk/liberal-political-economy-insights-into-social-movements/