| | Solidarity Gdansk Poland |
 | | Established in September of 1980 at the Gdansk shipyards, Solidarity was an independent labour union instrumental in the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, and the primary catalyst that would transform Poland from a repressive communist satellite to the EU member democracy it is today. |
 | | The Solidarity movement received international attention, spreading anti-communist ideas and inspiring political action throughout the rest of the Communist Bloc, and its influence in the eventual fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe cannot be understated or dismissed. |
 | | The fall of communism in Poland thrust Solidarity into a role it was never prepared for, and in it's life as a political party it saw much infighting and a decline in popularity. |
| www.gdansk-life.com /poland/solidarity (2077 words) |