Solidarity (Solidarność) at Forty: Memories and Influences on Contemporary Poland - Does Solidarity Still Matter?

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Brother Leo V. Ryan, C.S.V., who passed away in 2016.

Abstract

Part I of the paper is a retrospective on the origins of the Solidarity Movement in Poland and the economic program it introduced after its assumption of power in 1989. Part II outlines various challenges faced by Polish society in light of current political configurations and discusses Solidarity’s contemporary relevance on the political and economic calculus of Poland. This retrospective is based on more than thirty-five years of research and analysis on the Polish economic and political scenes.

Keywords: Poland, Polish Economy, Solidarity Movement,

JUST REMEMBER: STALIN HIMSELF WAS REPORTED TO HAVE STATED THAT “SOCIALISM WOULD FIT POLAND LIKE A SADDLE WOULD FIT A COW.”

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-23-12

Publication date: August 31^st 2019