Lech Walesa, Solidarity, and the Trump Era
The Polish former political prisoner who went on to win his country's presidency and the Nobel Peace Prize offers lessons on how to resist authoritarianism.
In August 1980, Lech Walesa was a young electrician with a bristling mustache, trapped in the stultifying dictatorship of Communist Poland.
He climbed over a security fence at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk and led a strike that gave rise to the independent labor union, known as Solidarity.
Soon the group’s goals expanded.
Lech Walesa offers lessons on how to resist authoritarianism.
Author summary: Lech Walesa's story offers lessons on resisting authoritarianism.