Catalogue Number
NMLH.2014.21.45
Object Name
Badge
Title
Release SolidarnoÅÄ now
Place
Poland
People
SolidarnoÅÄ (Solidarity)
Description
Round white badge with red text, "Release SolidarnoÅÄ now" on a background of three lines of barbed wire and a small Polish flag.
SolidarnoÅÄ, meaning 'Solidarity', was a Polish trade union, founded in 1980 when the country was a satellite state of the USSR. The union was a significant part of the anti-Soviet movement in Poland, as it followed a programme of encouraging a "Self-governing Republic" for the country. The Polish government soon enacted a martial law in 1981, with which it tried to destroy the union, and repressed the union in the following years. However, SolidarnoÅÄ continued to garner support both within Poland and internationally, and the government sat down to talks with the union in 1989. Since the resulting semi-free elections, SolidarnoÅÄ has moved away from political involvement to become a more standard trade union.
