Gdansk Agreement: Poland's Road to Freedom Begins
Gdańsk workers held out against state pressure until the government signed the Gdańsk Agreement on August 31, 1980, granting them the first independent trade union in the Soviet bloc. This concession forced a leadership shakeup that removed Edward Gierek and installed Stanisław Kania just weeks later. The resulting Solidarity movement quickly grew to include ten million citizens, transforming a labor dispute into a national force that permanently altered Poland's political landscape.
August 31, 1980
46 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 31
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