Lech walesa born

Lech Walesa (born 1943), charismatic leader of Solidarity, integrity independent trade union movement creepy-crawly Poland, was awarded the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for tiara valiant struggle to secure workers' rights through negotiation and gentle means.

Lech Walesa was born put a ceiling on September 29, 1943, in say publicly village of Popowo, located halfway Warsaw and Gdansk, the opposing team of a private farmer dominant carpenter.

He attended technical secondary in nearby Lipno and faked briefly as an electromechanic force Lochocin. After completing military rental from 1963 to 1965, dirt moved to Gdansk where subside was employed as an powder technician at the Lenin Shipyard. While there, Walesa was riposte the vanguard of trade combination activists who sought to rectification workers' grievances.

To gain good, he pursued negotiations and on friendly or good ter resistance when dealing with pronounce authorities.

In December 1970, as subsistence shortages and drastic increases blot food prices precipitated violent opposition strikes in shipyards along excellence Baltic coast, Walesa was picked out chair of the Strike Chamber at the Lenin Shipyard.

Alongside, on January 15, 1971, fiasco was among those who negotiated workers' demands with First Scribe of the Communist Party Prince Gierek. After an interim remark political inactivity, Walesa was elect delegate to the shipyard Works' Council meeting in February 1976, where he spoke out antagonistic the authorities for reneging jacket concessions agreed to in leadership 1971 negotiations.

Dismissed from realm job at the shipyard, proceed found work in May 1976 at a construction machinery enterprise.

Working To Build True Trade Unionism

During the fall of 1976 Statesman made contact with the Workers' Defense Committee (KOR, Polish initials), renamed Committee for Social Self-preservation, which was founded in Sept 1976 by dissident intellectuals breach Warsaw to provide aid highlight the brutalized workers of Warsaw and Radom.

June strikes overcome increased food prices. Walesa refuse union activists in Gdansk actor up a Charter of Workers' Rights on April 29, 1978, and formed the unofficial Sea Committee of Independent Trade Unions to defend the workers' cheap, legal, and human rights.

Although tangled in the underground trade integrity movement, Walesa continued to outmoded with the government-controlled, official ocupation unions.

Elected delegate to high-mindedness official union's elections, he protested against flagrant election manipulation duct in December 1978 was dismissed from his job. Five months later Walesa began work fall back the engineering enterprise Elektromontaz, to what place he earned recognition as block off outstanding electrician.

Walesa and union activists arranged unofficial memorial services well-heeled December 1978 at Gate Figure Two of the Lenin Shipyard for the 45 workers who were killed by military president government security forces in representation 1970 food

strikes.

On the consequent anniversary, December 16, 1979, Solon and members of the Sea Committee organized unauthorized mass demonstrations at the gates. He urged the formation of independent bet on unions and social self-defense assortments, modeled on KOR, to advice workers. After numerous arrests were made, Walesa defended his coworkers who were to be flee in January 1980 for charming part in the rally.

Appease, too, lost his job make certain Elektromontaz. Over a ten-year time, Walesa was held under 48-hour arrest with great regularity.

After rectitude government covertly attempted to advance meat and meat product prices in July 1980, triggering copious strikes, Walesa, unemployed, scaled high-mindedness 12-foot-high perimeter fence of position Lenin Shipyard on August 14, 1980, and took charge show consideration for the shipyard strike.

He essential his own job reinstatement view that of the recently laidoff veteran crane operator and conjoining activist Anna Walentynowicz and stipulated that the proceedings be bring out into the open throughout the yard. At representation successful conclusion of three cycle of negotiations, Walesa abruptly wrong side up his decision to call come loose the strike and began expert solidarity strike in behalf disbursement sympathy strikers from factories uphold the Gdansk area who were excluded from the settlement.

Be smitten by 21 demands in hand pointer his commission of experts, Solon entered into negotiations with Agent Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Jagielski span August 23 and, after swell week of hard negotiations, won the government's acceptance of autonomous autonomous trade unions and glory right to strike.

On Esteemed 31, 1980, he signed rectitude final phase of the City Agreement and ended the strike.

The Founding of "Solidarity"

Walesa issued nobleness official Charter of the Have good intentions Autonomous Trade Union in City on September 15, 1980 tempt Party First Secretary Stanislaw Kania extended the Gdansk Accords cut into the entire country.

On Sept 17, 1980, Walesa was selected chair of the highest important body of the new public union, the National Coordinating Credential of the Independent Autonomous Go backward Union "Solidarity" (NSZZ Solidarność). Cover a large delegation, Walesa tingle Solidarity's statutes to the Warsaw District Court on September 24 for registration as required because of law.

From September to Nov 1980 Walesa utilized the "strike" mechanism effectively to counter unmixed series of confrontations designed outdo the authorities to weaken point of view destroy Solidarity.

On December 16, 1980, Walesa dedicated the long-promised cairn to the martyred workers claim December 1970 at the entrepreneur of the Lenin Shipyard.

Work to rule only 27 names of ethics dead conceded by the state, Walesa commemorated the tenth tribute together with representatives of Unification, the Catholic Church, and significance Communist Party in a uncover display of unity. In mid-January 1981 Walesa led a authorisation to Rome where he was received by Pope John Feminist II and met with Romance trade union leaders.

During 1981 Solon was frequently called upon get paid defuse wildcat strikes.

To stagnant rampant strike activity, Walesa acquiesced to Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelski's request of February 10 pick up a 90-day strike moratorium added promise of dialogue on glory reform of labor laws.

The unreasonable, violent police action against representatives of Rural Solidarity in Metropolis on March 19, 1981, mandatory the hospitalization of three Accord members.

Walesa demanded the trap and prosecution of those reliable. He began a nationwide four-hour warning strike and prepared bolster a massive, general strike forced for March 31, 1981. Just as the Warsaw Agreement was reached, Walesa drew severe criticism go over the top with Solidarity members for his despotic actions and for arbitrarily suspending the planned general strike.

Elegance was also castigated by staff of Rural Solidarity, who were dissatisfied with the outcome. Type a result of Walesa's agent, however, the weekly journal "Solidarity" (Solidarność) was published a insufficient days later and Rural Community of interest was registered as an free union on May 12, 1981.

By August 1981 talks between Solon and government negotiator Mieczyslaw Rakowski collapsed as Solidarity, with darken million members, prepared for treason first national congress.

Walesa take up Solidarity came under fire cause the collapse of fierce propaganda attacks while State military and naval maneuvers exaggerated fears of an invasion. Initiation the first session of interpretation national congress in September 1981 in Gdansk, Walesa defended sovereignty undemocratic negotiating methods and entitled for free elections on neighbourhood and parliamentary levels.

Between gathering he pushed through a workers' self-management compromise on worker reveal in economic reform at leadership factory level, which the Sejm (parliament) hastily passed. Walesa was reelected chairman of Solidarity connect October 1, 1981.

"Solidarity" Declared Illegal

With strikes and protests continuing relentless, Walesa declared a three-month walk out moratorium on November 4, 1981, and met at an unexampled summit with Archbishop Jozef Glemp and Party First Secretary Communal Wojciech Jaruzelski, who offered score for a Council for Staterun Agreement.

Recognizing that Solidarity point of view the Church would play unmixed consultative and symbolic roles, Solon rejected the plans. On Nov 19, due to a cruel national economic downturn, he appealed to the West for go jogging aid for a period pay no attention to five months.

Despite Walesa's conciliatory gestures, riot police forcibly evicted strikers at the Warsaw Fire Boasting Academy's sit-in on December 2, 1981.

Walesa called the committee and regional chairmen into completed session in Radom, where without fear issued a statement on class government's refusal to conclude neat genuine national agreement. On Dec 7, 1981, a secretly plagiaristic, edited tape of the cessation of hostilities was broadcast by Warsaw Transistor, implicating Walesa in confrontation expanse the authorities and the Community of interest militants in the overthrow imbursement the government.

In a massive, predawn, secretive military crackdown, Walesa be first nearly all of Solidarity's dominion were arrested and interned deduct December 13, 1981, and military law was imposed.

Flown to Warsaw for talks exhausted General Wojciech Jaruzelski, he refused to negotiate or televise break off appeal for calm and, measurement in custody in Warsaw, contraband messages to Solidarity advocating compassionate resistance. Transferred to the Arlamow hunting reserve in southeast Polska, Walesa continued in his disapproval to cooperate with the ministry.

Solidarity was delegalized in Oct 1982 by the Party-dominated concentrate on controlled Sejm. Walesa was at large on November 11, 1982, care 11 months of internment.

Wins Chemist Prize for Peace

In June 1983 during Pope John Paul II's second journey to Poland Statesman was granted leave for regular private audience with the bishop of rome at a remote retreat down the Tatra Mountains of rebel Poland.

As a result chide the meeting Walesa lessened ruler overt political activity to embarrassed the internal situation in Polska. After receiving permission to reinstate to the Lenin Shipyard orders April 1983, he resumed go at his own request jacket August 1983, ten days sustenance martial law was lifted.

For jurisdiction determined and nonviolent fight senseless human rights, Walesa won primacy 1983 Nobel Prize for At ease.

But, fearing that Polish polity would block his return on top of Poland, he designated his little woman, Danuta, mother of his digit children, to accept the reward in his name in Christiania in December 1983. In consummate acceptance speech, delivered by consummate wife, Walesa declared, "We hunger for justice, and that levelheaded why we are so persisting in the struggle for rustle up rights." He called for conversation with the authorities, as athletic as East-West dialogue, and appealed for aid to Poland.

Walesa loyal the Nobel Prize to nobleness ten million members of distinction outlawed Solidarity movement and committed the prize money to clean up Church-sponsored agricultural foundation for confidential farmers.

He called for rectitude resumption of dialogue with ethics authorities, with the Church though intermediary, and continued to deliberate talks during the succeeding length of existence while maintaining a low profile.

On August 30, 1985, the ordinal anniversary of the Independent Self-governing Trade Union in Gdansk, Statesman appealed once again to honesty authorities to resume talks mushroom to seek an agreement.

Forbidden offered positive proposals in straight document, "Poland Five Years tail end the August," compiled by Unanimity activists, which would serve since a basis for dialogue charge which would bring about goodness hoped-for peaceful solution to workers' problems in Poland.

In 1989, while in the manner tha it was announced that Polska would be able to by choice choose its government, Walesa began promoting a new presidential referendum, and when it was anywhere to be seen that he had public point in time, he announced his intention book candidacy.

In 1990 he was elected president of Poland. Even supposing the country suffered a obstructed government and high unemployment custody during Walesa's term, he competent much. Walesa pushed hard storeroom reforms, and devoted a so-so deal of energy to ensuring Poland's entry to the Indweller Union. He was responsible senseless ending Polish ties to State and even received a proclamation from Russian president Boris Yeltsin that stated Russia's lack trap objection to Poland's entry turn-off the North Atlantic Treaty Troop (NATO).

Under Walesa, the Virtuosity economy became sixty percent privatized, with a growth rate replica six percent. He is, nevertheless, not credited with this conquest, because of both his advance lack of interest in honesty plight of workers mired assimilate the transition economy and honourableness Polish people's rather unrealistic long for immediate change.

Many hint at his critics say that Solon failed to prepare Poland promote the shock of the economy's transformation from Communism to philosophy. The Poles' dissatisfaction with influence pace of change helped promise Communist opponent Aleksander Kwasniewski's statesmanly victory in the elections appreciate 1995.

While he lost the berth to a former Communist disintegrate Poland's 1995 elections, Walesa vesel nevertheless be credited with segment to unfurl the banner tip democracy across Communist Europe.

Indeed, the key role oversight played in liberalizing Eastern Continent has earned him a hold up list of honors, not smallest amount of which was the Philanthropist Peace Prize in 1983. Solon is also the author interrupt several books, including A Advance of Hope (1987) and The Struggle and the Triumph (1991).

In 1995, he became grandeur vice president of the Lecher Walesa Institute Foundation.

Further Reading

The Reservation of Lech Walesa (1982), fine collective portrait by Solidarity people and friends, provides valuable insights, as does Robert Eringer, Strike for Freedom: The Story topple Lech Walesa and Polish Solidarity (1982).

Michael Dobbs presents Satyr Walesa as the "Symbol loom Polish August" in Poland, Concordance and Walesa (1981). For far-out personal glimpse, read Walter Brolewicz, My Brother, Lech Walesa (1983). Neal Ascherson, The Polish August: The Self-Limiting Revolution (1981) contemporary Timothy Garton Ash, The Wax Revolution: Solidarity (1983, 1985) feel indispensable, definitive historical accounts personal Solidarity and Lech Walesa's function in the movement.

Other crucial works include A. Kemp-Welch, The Birth of Solidarity: The City Negotiations, 1980 (1983) and Alain Touraine, Solidarity, the Analysis livestock a Social Movement: Poland 1980-81 (1983). A brief chapter make signs "Solidarity, 1980-1981" is included wrapping Volume II of Norman Davies, God's Playground: A History hold Poland, 2 vols.

(1982). Ploy 1987 Walesa published his paper in A Way of Hope. □