CBSE Class 9 Answered

After the Gdansk Agreement was signed between the government and the workers led by Lech Walesa, workers' right to form independent trade unions was officially recognised. As a result, a new trade union called 'Solidarity' (Solidarnosc in Polish language) was formed which swept across Poland and recruited as many as one crore members. It was the first independent trade union to be formed anywhere in the communist states. As conditions deteriorated in Poland, the communist government imposed martial law in December 1981. Thousands of Solidarity members were imprisoned and freedom to organise, protest and express opinions was suppressed. In response, Solidarity members organised another wave of strikes starting in 1988. This time, the Polish government had been weakened, the support from Soviet Union was uncertain and the economy was in decline. Another round of negotiations took place with Walesa which resulted in an agreement for free elections. Solidarity contested all the 100 seats of the Senate and won 99 of them. This was followed by Poland's first Presidential elections which saw Walesa being elected to the post. Thus, Solidarity not only helped bring democracy in Poland but eventually also participated in the democratic process and strengthened it.