Beginning of Essay
Solidarity, an independent labor federation in Poland, did not just pop up overnight and become this great social movement. There were many years of government persecution and economic hardship that gradually evolved into a national movement. In 1970 Poland's gove ....

Middle of Essay
.... improving Poland's status in the world market was to exploit the workers. On December 14, 1970 the workers finally showed their anger and frustration by striking. A white-collar worker explained the situation that arouse at Lenin Shipyard that morning: When I entered the Gdansk Shipyard, I could feel the tension. As usual, everyone was going to their workplace, but on each face you could see something serious was going on. When I reached the hangar of S-5, above which was my office, I noticed that all the machines were shut off even though the workers started their shift at 6:00 while we started at 6:45. The workers stood in one place talking. Someon ....