New Year’s Day -- U2
Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy „Solidarność,” or Independent Self-governing Trade Union "Solidarity," was founded on this day in 1980. For one glorious instance Solidarity shined like a beacon of hope and progress in an oppressive night before being compromised by internal infighting and conflicting political goals, providing evidence for that old saw that few things are so fatal to a revolution as success.
The nominal raison d'être of a Communist state is to provide for the needs of the working class, promote the fairness, needs, and freedom every working man and woman merits. Unfortunately, reality universally fell far, far short of that lofty goal. Like its polar cousins on the far right extremes of the political spectrum, fascism and National Socialism, Communist leaders too often viewed themselves as the vanguard of a revolutionary movement, striving to reach some utopia which, as in Achilles pursuit of Zeno’s tortoise, always remained tantalizingly just out of reach. To reach paradise demanded a bit more sacrifice, again and again, from the supposed beneficiaries -- one more Five Year Plan, perhaps a Great Leap Forward -- and when these inevitably failed, more sacrifice was demanded, more rights curtailed, always for the greater good of course. Among those rights always lost for some nebulous benefit in some unseen future was the right to unionize.
Oh, unions existed to be sure, but free trade unions as with which we of the Open Society are familiar were a thing unknown. Unions in the Communist bloc were creatures of the state, not aggressively advocating for the rights and security of workers, but serving as a facade for the Party propaganda machine.but on this day, 17 September in 1980, a true labor union was born.
The nominal raison d'être of a Communist state is to provide for the needs of the working class, promote the fairness, needs, and freedom every working man and woman merits. Unfortunately, reality universally fell far, far short of that lofty goal. Like its polar cousins on the far right extremes of the political spectrum, fascism and National Socialism, Communist leaders too often viewed themselves as the vanguard of a revolutionary movement, striving to reach some utopia which, as in Achilles pursuit of Zeno’s tortoise, always remained tantalizingly just out of reach. To reach paradise demanded a bit more sacrifice, again and again, from the supposed beneficiaries -- one more Five Year Plan, perhaps a Great Leap Forward -- and when these inevitably failed, more sacrifice was demanded, more rights curtailed, always for the greater good of course. Among those rights always lost for some nebulous benefit in some unseen future was the right to unionize.
Oh, unions existed to be sure, but free trade unions as with which we of the Open Society are familiar were a thing unknown. Unions in the Communist bloc were creatures of the state, not aggressively advocating for the rights and security of workers, but serving as a facade for the Party propaganda machine.but on this day, 17 September in 1980, a true labor union was born.
Before 1980, Gdańsk was best known as being, under its German name of Danzig, Hitler’s pretext for plunging the half the globe into World War. Now it would become famous for being the birthplace of the first free workers’ union in any Warsaw Pact nation.
On 7 August 1980, only five months before her scheduled retirement, Anna Walentynowicz was fired from her position at the Gdańsk Shipyard for illegal union activities. Learning of her plight, workers in other Gdańsk shipyards staged illegal sympathy strikes on her behalf in addition to demanding better compensation and working conditions. There was a time when any sign of dissent in any Soviet satellite state would be immediately crushed. Leaders would be arrested, shot if necessary, and if that did not quiet the unrest, tanks would roll. This time, it was the government which crumbled. On 31 August 1980, Poland’s Communist government made legal the rights of Gdańsk shipyard workers to unionize. Just under three weeks later, on 17 September, several of these emerging unions united to form Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy „Solidarność,” -- Solidary.
Solidarity's success was nothing less than phenomenal. In short order, it became a symbol of resistance to Poland’s Communist order. People from across Poland eagerly joined its ranks. Workers from across the Warsaw Pact saw Solarity as a model to emulate. People from across the world saw the growing cracks in Poland’s repressive government. Realizing the danger to the Communist regime, the Polish government, regretting its decision to recognize a free trade union, declared martial law on 13 December 1981. Protests and riots erupted across Poland, the largest occurring on 31 August 1981, the second anniversary of the government's broken promise to allow free unions. Thousands were arrested, and several people, perhaps as many as nearly 100 were killed in protests and street fights with security police. But eventually the government realized that once more, it had been defeated by unionized workers. On 22 July 1983, martial law ended. Most political prisoners were released although some remained incarcerated until 1986.
By now, Communism had lost the ideological will once driving it. A Lenin, a Stalin, or a Brezhnev would have shot the union leaders and brutalized the union membership into abandoning the movement: The Polish government, on the other hand attempted to bribe union leaders with bribe consisting of a one way ticket to the country of their choice. But in this instance, the government again caved and began negotiating with Solidarity.
On 7 August 1980, only five months before her scheduled retirement, Anna Walentynowicz was fired from her position at the Gdańsk Shipyard for illegal union activities. Learning of her plight, workers in other Gdańsk shipyards staged illegal sympathy strikes on her behalf in addition to demanding better compensation and working conditions. There was a time when any sign of dissent in any Soviet satellite state would be immediately crushed. Leaders would be arrested, shot if necessary, and if that did not quiet the unrest, tanks would roll. This time, it was the government which crumbled. On 31 August 1980, Poland’s Communist government made legal the rights of Gdańsk shipyard workers to unionize. Just under three weeks later, on 17 September, several of these emerging unions united to form Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy „Solidarność,” -- Solidary.
Solidarity's success was nothing less than phenomenal. In short order, it became a symbol of resistance to Poland’s Communist order. People from across Poland eagerly joined its ranks. Workers from across the Warsaw Pact saw Solarity as a model to emulate. People from across the world saw the growing cracks in Poland’s repressive government. Realizing the danger to the Communist regime, the Polish government, regretting its decision to recognize a free trade union, declared martial law on 13 December 1981. Protests and riots erupted across Poland, the largest occurring on 31 August 1981, the second anniversary of the government's broken promise to allow free unions. Thousands were arrested, and several people, perhaps as many as nearly 100 were killed in protests and street fights with security police. But eventually the government realized that once more, it had been defeated by unionized workers. On 22 July 1983, martial law ended. Most political prisoners were released although some remained incarcerated until 1986.
By now, Communism had lost the ideological will once driving it. A Lenin, a Stalin, or a Brezhnev would have shot the union leaders and brutalized the union membership into abandoning the movement: The Polish government, on the other hand attempted to bribe union leaders with bribe consisting of a one way ticket to the country of their choice. But in this instance, the government again caved and began negotiating with Solidarity.
On 24 August 1989, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, one of Solidarity’s founders, became Poland’s first non-communist prime minister since 1946 and the first prime minister of any Eastern European nation in 40 years. But that was in the future. In 1983, the future of Polish workers and freedom was uncertain and doubtful. On 28 February of that year, the Irish band U2 released their third album, War. On it was this song commemorating the Solidarity movement.
Yeah...
All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
I will be with you again
I will be with you again
Under a blood red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspapers says, says
Say it's true it's true...
And we can break through
Though torn in two
We can be one
I...I will begin again
I...I will begin again
Oh...
Maybe the time is right
Oh...maybe tonight…
I will be with you again
I will be with you again
And so we're told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes
On New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
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