| How did Solidartiy come to power in Poland? |
| Or |
| How did Poland become a democracy? |
Answer:
(a) In 1980, the workers led by Lech Walesa signed the Gdansk Agreement which gave the workers the right to form independent trade unions and the right to strike. Following this, a new trade union called Solidarnose (meaning solidarity) was formed. (b) This was the first independent trade union to be formed in a communist nation and within a year its membership reached ten million. (c) Rising discontent due to widespread corruption and mal -administration led the government to impose martial law. Thousands of Solidarity members were put into prison and political freedoms were withdrawn. (d) This led to a wave of strikes led by Lech Walesa. A weak ineffectual government, a declining economy and lack of support from the Soviet Union led the government to agree to hold free elections. In the elections that followed Solidarity secured 99 seats in Senate. In October 1990, Lech Walesa became the first popularly elected President and Poland became a democracy.
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