Editor's Pick

On 15 November 1982, Lech Wałęsa was released after spending nearly a year in prison. He is seen here with his wife, Danuta, and the photographers Michel Setboun, Arnaud de Wildenberg, François Lochon and Wojciech Laski at his apartment in Gdańsk.

An electrician by profession, Wałęsa worked at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk and had been part of several protests against Poland’s communist government. On 14 August 1980, Wałęsa joined a protest at the shipyard against an increase in food prices and headed negotiations with the management. While the management agreed to their demands in three days, workers striking in other enterprises in Gdańsk asked Wałęsa to continue the strike in solidarity. This led to the formation of the Interfactory Strike Committee, which Wałęsa headed. The government agreed to the ISC’s demand to form independent trade unions on 31 August 1980.

The ISC’s strike led to the establishment of Solidarność—Solidarity—a national federation of unions, with Wałęsa elected as its chairman, on 22 September 1980. The union grew stronger the following year and conducted a series of strikes demanding free elections, economic reforms and the participation of trade unions in national decision-making. The Polish government, led by Wojciech Jaruzelski, imposed martial law on 13 December 1981 to suppress Solidarność and arrested several political dissidents and Solidarność leaders, including Wałęsa. The Polish government formally dissolved Solidarność on 8 October 1982, and Wałęsa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983.

Solidarność continued to operate underground until a fresh wave of strikes in 1988 led to its recognition again, in April 1989. The union was allowed to participate in elections and formed a government with the Polish United Workers’ Party. On 15 November 1989, Wałęsa addressed a joint session of the US Congress, thanking the United States for sending aid to Solidarność during its underground years, and requested greater structural and economic support to help Poland move towards a market-based economy. In December 1990, Wałęsa was elected president of Poland and led the country through industrial privatisation. He was narrowly defeated in 1995 and managed just over one percent of the vote in 2000. In the wake of this defeat, he quit politics.