On August 14, 1980, an electrician named Lech Wałęsa climbed over the fence of the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, and helped spark a movement that would change the course of history. The Solidarity trade union that emerged from those strikes became more than just a labor organization—it became a symbol of peaceful resistance against communist oppression and ultimately triggered one of the most significant waves of Polish immigration to the United States in the 20th century.
The Birth of Solidarity: A Nation United
Solidarity (Polish: Solidarność) was officially founded on September 17, 1980, following weeks of strikes that had paralyzed Poland’s Baltic coast. Led by Wałęsa, a charismatic shipyard electrician with a distinctive walrus mustache and unwavering determination, the movement quickly grew beyond anyone’s expectations. Within months, Solidarity had attracted over 10 million members—nearly one-third of Poland’s working-age population—making it the largest trade union membership in the world.
What made Solidarity different from other labor movements behind the Iron Curtain was its explicit political dimension. This wasn’t just about wages and working conditions; it was about fundamental human rights, freedom of expression, and national sovereignty. For the first time since World War II, Poles across the country—workers, intellectuals, students, and even some Party members—united under a single banner demanding change.
The movement embodied the same spirit of independence and resistance to oppression that had characterized Polish immigrants in the Gold Rush era—a refusal to accept tyranny and a willingness to fight for liberty at great personal risk.
The Crackdown: Martial Law and Mass Arrests
The Polish government, under pressure from the Soviet Union and increasingly alarmed by Solidarity’s growing influence, struck back with devastating force. On December 13, 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law. Tanks rolled through the streets of Warsaw and other major cities. Phone lines were cut. Borders were sealed. And in a coordinated nationwide operation, the security services arrested thousands of Solidarity activists.
Wałęsa himself was arrested and incarcerated for 11 months until November 14, 1982. The 38 regional delegates of Solidarity were jailed. Martial law, which would last officially until 1983 (though many restrictions continued for years), crudely interrupted the opportunity for peaceful change that Solidarity had seemed to promise.
For many Poles, the imposition of martial law represented a crushing betrayal. After 16 months of hope—16 months when it seemed that Poland might chart its own course toward freedom—the iron fist of authoritarianism had descended once more. The question facing millions of Poles became: Should we stay and continue the struggle underground, or should we leave and seek freedom elsewhere?
The Great Exodus: A Generation Chooses Freedom
The impact on emigration was immediate and dramatic. According to historical estimates, at least 150,000 Poles decided to stay in western countries following the imposition of martial law. Many of these were people who had been abroad when martial law was declared—tourists, students, sailors, and official delegations—who simply chose not to return.
After serving their prison terms, high-ranking members of Solidarity were offered one-way tickets to any country that would accept them, including Canada, the United States, and nations in the Middle East. This was a calculated move by the Polish government: removing opposition leaders while appearing to show mercy.
But the emigration wave wasn’t limited to political activists. The 1980s saw a broader exodus of Poles seeking freedom and economic stability. Between 1981 and 1989, tens of thousands of Poles applied for asylum in the United States. These weren’t the economic migrants of earlier waves or the post-WWII refugees fleeing devastated Europe—they were educated professionals, skilled workers, and activists fleeing political persecution.
The American Response: Rhetoric Versus Reality
The United States government’s response to Polish asylum seekers revealed a complex tension between Cold War rhetoric and immigration policy. President Ronald Reagan spoke eloquently about supporting Solidarity and condemning martial law. American politicians wore Solidarity buttons and praised Wałęsa’s courage. Yet the actual acceptance rate for Polish asylum applications told a different story.
During the first year after martial law, the United States accepted only 8 percent of Polish asylum applications. Over the following four years, acceptance rates averaged well under 30 percent. Many Poles who had expected America to welcome them with open arms found instead a bureaucratic maze of interviews, paperwork, and often, rejection.
Despite these challenges, a significant Polish immigration wave did reach American shores in the 1980s. Those who succeeded in gaining asylum joined existing Polish-American communities, bringing with them fresh memories of the struggle for freedom and a renewed commitment to supporting democratic change in their homeland.
Underground Resistance: Solidarity Survives
While thousands fled Poland, many more chose to stay and continue the fight. With Wałęsa and other leaders imprisoned and Solidarity officially banned, the movement went underground. An elaborate network of underground newspapers, secret meetings, and covert organizations kept the spirit of Solidarity alive during the darkest years of martial law.
Crucially, Wałęsa had foreseen the possibility of a crackdown. Two days before martial law was imposed, Solidarity activist Jerzy Milewski left Poland for a visit to the West. Following Wałęsa’s earlier instructions, Milewski established a Solidarity office in Brussels, Belgium, to represent the union’s interests abroad. This office became a vital link between the underground movement in Poland and supporters around the world.
The underground Solidarity received substantial financial support from two powerful allies: the Vatican, under Pope John Paul II (himself Polish), and the United States government, which channeled funds through various covert channels. This support helped keep the movement alive during years when open opposition seemed impossible.
Polonia Responds: The Diaspora Mobilizes
The Solidarity era marked a transformational moment in the relationship between Poland and the Polish-American diaspora (Polonia). Polish Americans organized extensive support networks for the pro-democracy movement, sending financial aid, smuggling communications equipment, and providing a platform for exiled activists to spread their message.
Churches became centers of Solidarity support, with Polish-American parishes holding special masses for political prisoners and organizing fundraising drives. This renewed connection between Polonia and the homeland reinvigorated Polish-American communities, reminding a younger generation of the ongoing struggle for Polish independence and inspiring them to embrace their Polish-American identity more fully.
Polish Americans also lobbied American politicians to maintain pressure on the Polish government and support Solidarity activists. This period demonstrated how Polish Americans had evolved from marginalized immigrants to influential participants in American political life, capable of shaping U.S. foreign policy toward Poland.
The Long Road to Victory
The story of Solidarity doesn’t end with martial law. Operating underground throughout the 1980s, the movement maintained its organization and gradually rebuilt its strength. International pressure, economic crisis, and the reform-minded policies of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eventually forced the Polish government to negotiate.
In 1988, new waves of strikes demonstrated that Solidarity remained a potent force. This led to the historic Round Table Talks between the government and the Solidarity-led opposition, which began in February 1989. These negotiations produced an agreement for semi-free elections on June 4, 1989.
The results shocked the communist authorities: Solidarity won 99 of 100 Senate seats and all 161 contested seats in the Sejm (lower house). This electoral landslide made it impossible for the communists to form a government without Solidarity’s participation. By August 1989, Poland had its first non-communist prime minister since World War II. Lech Wałęsa would go on to become President of Poland in 1990, and in 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership of the peaceful resistance movement.
Legacy: A Wave That Changed Two Nations
The Solidarity movement and the immigration wave it inspired had profound effects on both Poland and Polish America. In Poland, Solidarity’s eventual triumph demonstrated that peaceful resistance could overcome even the most entrenched authoritarian systems, inspiring democratic movements across Eastern Europe and contributing to the fall of communism.
In America, the Solidarity-era immigrants brought fresh energy and perspectives to Polish-American communities. Unlike earlier waves who had left Poland primarily for economic reasons, the Solidarity-era immigrants were political refugees who had witnessed firsthand the power of grassroots organizing and peaceful resistance. Many remained politically engaged, supporting democratic development in post-communist Poland and contributing to American civic life.
Today’s Polish-American community reflects the contributions of all these immigration waves—from the political exiles of the Gold Rush era to the displaced persons after World War II to the Solidarity-era refugees of the 1980s. Each wave brought its own character, but all shared a common commitment to freedom, dignity, and the preservation of Polish cultural identity.
When we gather for Traditional Polish Christmas celebrations, enjoy Perfect Pierogi, or observe All Saints’ Day traditions, we’re participating in a cultural continuity maintained across generations and immigration waves. The Solidarity movement reminded us that Polish identity isn’t just about preserving the past—it’s about standing up for justice and freedom in the present.
The legacy of Solidarity lives on in Polish communities around the world, including the Bay Area’s vibrant Polonia. It reminds us that ordinary people, united in a common cause, can achieve extraordinary things—whether that’s challenging a totalitarian government or building a thriving community in a new homeland while maintaining connections to ancestral traditions like Polish Name Day Traditions and Polish Wedding Customs.
The story of Solidarity and the immigration it inspired is ultimately a story of courage—the courage to resist oppression, the courage to leave everything behind for freedom, and the courage to maintain cultural identity while building new lives in America.
References
- “Solidarity (Polish trade union)” - Wikipedia
- “History of Solidarity” - Wikipedia
- “Lech Wałęsa” - Wikipedia
- “Poland’s Solidarity Movement (1980-1989)” - International Center on Nonviolent Conflict
- “Polish Immigration to the U.S. since 1980 as a Political Question” - West Virginia University Research Repository
- “Polish Americans’ reception of the ‘Solidarity’ immigration cohort” - Studia Migracyjne
- “History of Poles in the United States” - Wikipedia
Tagged polish-history, immigration, solidarity, cold-war, lech-walesa, 1980s