From Strikes to Solidarity: The Diffusion of Protests in Poland in the Summer of 1980
From Strikes to Solidarity: The Diffusion of Protests in Poland in the Summer of 1980

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the wave of strikes that flooded Poland in 1980 and their effect on the birth of a social movement. It retraces the process of emerging protests and their spread throughout factories and regions. It also discusses the role of the Interfactory Strike Committees and shows the mechanisms of circulation of newsletters and leaflets published by strikers. The article demonstrates how the spread of information influenced the rate and scale of mobilization. The author focuses on the role of social networks and the mechanisms that enabled diffusion of the elements of this social movement. The spread of the protests to other cities relied largely on direct contact between individual factories but was also facilitated by the independent press and audio recordings. The analysis also addresses the role of “brokers,” that is, people who disseminated information about the strike and increased the range of the protests. These “political tourists” observed the protests while on vacation or on business at the seaside and, on returning home, reported what they had seen, often bringing back strike-related information leaflets. The other group comprised “political emissaries” or people who intentionally established contact between individual protest centres. The article thus retraces the emergence of Solidarity starting from spontaneous strikes to the formation of a nationwide organization.

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