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Lessons From Polish Resistance Forty Years On

Posted on Wednesday, December 13, 2023
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by Ben Solis
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AMAC Exclusive – By Ben Solis

Monument of Polish free trade union activist Anna Walentynowicz.
Monument of Polish free trade union activist Anna Walentynowicz in Gdansk, Poland.

As the world faces down more threats from creeping socialist influences at home and brutal communist dictatorships abroad in countries like Cuba, Russia, China, and North Korea, we can look to the example of the Polish Solidarity movement for instruction on how to undermine Marxist ideology through a Christian ethic and a unity that arises from a commitment to the truth over lies. December 13 marks the 42nd anniversary of the Moscow-backed Polish Communist Party imposing martial law, installing a military junta as the new head of government to crack down on the Solidarity movement that was stirring up resistance to Soviet rule.

The conflict between the Soviet regime and the Solidarity movement in some ways represents the apogee of the Cold War in Eastern Europe. While the junta attempted to forcefully uphold a Marxist vision of the world in Poland, one where each person was only a cog in a machine built to serve the state, Solidarity proposed a Christian worldview, one where each person is an individual made unique in the image of God and therefore imbued with inherent worth.

Solidarity, then, posed a grave threat to communist rule not because it threatened a violent military revolution, but because it did precisely the opposite: the ten million Polish workers of the Solidarity trade union rejected the socialist notion that war and conflict are the immovable foundations of human society.

As the late philosopher Leszek Kolakowski, a one-time Marxist who later became one of Marxism’s foremost critics, told me back in 2002, “stripped of all slogans, Marxism teaches social salvation by bringing the morals of war into the peacetime relations of men.” Every member of society, Kolakowski said, is, according to communism, a soldier. Workplaces, whether they be schools, hospitals, or offices, are combat fronts where any dissent to communist orthodoxy must be identified and destroyed.

In accordance with this combat ethic, the Polish Communist Party did not tolerate “soulful ravings,” expelling members for mentioning things like “love,” “humanity,” “justice,” and even “morality.”

The Solidarity movement was the antithesis of this ideology. It drew heavily from the leadership of religious figures like Pope John Paul II (formerly Karol Józef Wojtyła) who, before his election in October 1978 as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, had served as the Cardinal Archbishop of the Polish city of Krakow and consistently taught believers that they should reject the devaluation of human life inherent in the Marxist view of the world.

“God created the human person to dialogue with Him and his fellow man,” Wojtyła said in a sermon after the communist-controlled Polish army killed shipyard workers in Gdansk in December 1970. “Man should always build for and never against another person; man is called to sow and cultivate solidarity.”

The Solidarity movement promoted a different kind of unity than the one enforced by the Soviet regime. While Moscow attempted to force every man, woman, and child to adhere to Marxist doctrine, the Solidarity movement harnessed a natural unity that arose from a shared commitment to values like individual liberty, the rule of law, and an adherence to moral and biblical truths.

This commitment to the truth was perhaps best displayed by Anna Walentynowicz, one of the unsung heroes of the Solidarity movement. As just one example, in 1980 when the Polish Communist Party unveiled a monument to those workers killed in a shipyard uprising in 1970, she refused to recognize it as a “reconciliation memorial,” saying instead that it must be a tribute to the fallen and a reminder of the crime against the Polish people perpetrated by the communist regime.

In the lead-up to the imposition of martial law, the Soviet regime rejected any attempts at a dialogue with the Solidarity movement, adhering to their combat ethic that any dissent must be destroyed. They falsely told the families of communist party members that the Solidarity members wanted to attack and even kill them. When the communist secret police arrested Solidarity leaders on the night of December 13 before declaring martial law, the party arranged for theatric evacuations of party officials’ families to “protect” them from the enemy.

The junta continued a purge of the Solidarity movement – but this only stiffened their resolve further. The movement went underground, continuing to rally resistance to the Soviet regime and undermining the authority of the junta.

Finally, in the late 1980s Solidarity leaders entered into negotiations with the Soviet government. In 1989, Poland held the first semi-free pluralistic elections since 1947, resulting in Lech Wałęsa, one of the prominent figures in the Solidarity movement, becoming president.

This stunning occurrence lit the fuse that just a few months after the Polish elections resulted in the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Two years later, the Soviet Union itself dissolved and disappeared from the map of Europe.

A year before the Polish elections, inspired by the progress being made by the Solidarity movement and the teachings of Pope John Paul II, a group of Catholics in Cuba led by the late Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas founded the Christian Liberation Movement. In the group’s publication “Pueblo De Dios,” they called for solidarity and Christian dialogue based on truth to achieve justice that would ensure liberties for all, drawing from the rhetoric of the Solidarity movement.

“Marxism is foreign to our roots. It has no connection with our birth as a nation,” they said. The government responded with persecution and long-term imprisonment.

To this day, the Christian Liberation Movement, Ladies in White, and dozens of other Cuban opposition groups are continuing to be faithful to the principles of the Solidarity movement by offering proposals, petitioning, praying, and organizing peaceful protests while rejecting the socialist language of war and degrading Marxist ideology.

The free world now also faces a resurgent Russia, led by a man who longs for a restoration of the Soviet Union, communist China, and communist North Korea. There has additionally been in recent years a dangerous resurgence of socialist-sympathies and behavior corresponding with the communist logic of war throughout the West, including in the United States.

In confronting these threats, we would do well to look to the Solidarity movement for inspiration. Like the Poles a generation ago, the West today should recognize the power of Christian faith in countering the dehumanizing and destructive worldview put forth by modern socialists. Moreover, freedom-loving peoples everywhere can look to the Solidarity movement as an example of how even the most authoritarian government regime is no match for the unified yearning of a people to be free.

Ben Solis is the pen name of an international affairs journalist, historian, and researcher.

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Peter
Peter
9 months ago

Marxist ideology portrays the world as a war field. The goal of the war is the unending destruction of everything on the path in the name of “change.” This change, however, does not say what should replace the ruins. Thus, Marxism is an evil system, which is another name for destruction and nothing else.

Yes, as the author said, it also destroys those who fight, turning them against each other or when the opponent is defeated. Marx described it in his writings while his followers attempted to realize it, ending with hundreds of millions of innocents killed, deprived of their heritage, ruined, and turned into slaves.

Marxism is a deadly danger to all humanity because, pretending to bring freedom, it spreads neo-slavery – misery, suffering, despair, and death. It is what Biden and Democrats want for America.

It is time to stand for Donald Trump, he follows Poland’s Solidarity example.

Rob citizenship
Rob citizenship
9 months ago

This article is a very good guide for those who are interested in dealing with difficult situations – a guide for people dedicated to maintaining freedom . You covered the history of the Solidarity movement , Lech Walesa, Annna Walentynowicz , Pope John Paul the second very well Mr. Solis , in a way that showed the sequence of developments during that period that increased understanding of Poland and the spirit of Polish people . What happened then was a profound victory for freedom for not only Poland but for other countries that were influenced by the good prevailing over evil situation. This is very important to remember Ben , Well done with what you wrote here. With respect.

Roger
Roger
9 months ago

Obviously, it is not a story about Poland anymore but about America. It is how I see it. The similarities here are evident. It is good to remember that war mentality is Marxist. In Reagan’s time, our politics was not so combative because we remembered it was political discourse, not a war. I remember that media deception, distorted reports, and even fabricated news were not a rarity like today.

anna hubert
anna hubert
9 months ago

Poles are fiercely and proudly nationalistic and have a very troubling history with Russia They also were homogenous No immigrants there then It was much easier to unify in the Solidarity movement We do not have that There are too many who do not feel any affiliation with the country at all and many who only recognize the faith as unifying factor All results of multi culti and diversity all introduced by dems Trojan horse

Julia
Julia
9 months ago

Americans are facing the same Marxism as Poles and Cubans. Some Dems even praise Castro and his regime. BLM rioted and vandalized cities to portray Trump as racist and guilty of riots. All of this is similar to what happened there. We may not have an organized movement like them, but we have our groups, media, and much more freedom. What we need is more of that Christian attitude the author described. I like what this Polish female leader achieved and how she defended that monument standing for truth. Encouraging.

Helen R Corey
Helen R Corey
9 months ago

Polish children were not easily converted to Russian propaganda. They were faithful to their religious beliefs. When Russian Soviet Union soldiers came to their classrooms to inspect, children put Russian text books on their desks and acted like good Stalinists. As soon as Stalinists left, children pulled out their Polish textbooks to study Polish history, Catholicism, Polish songs. That is how Poland remained Poland. Even today Poland is smart enough to recognize the insanity of continuing to help Ukraine.

Melinda
Melinda
9 months ago

Marxism rears its ugly head every few years, but in between works quietly to recruit followers. It would be a wonder if we could finally realize the death of this ideology, but I’m doubtful. We just have to keep fighting it.

David Millikan
David Millikan
9 months ago

Very educational article. A very important article.

Morbious
Morbious
9 months ago

Undiluted Catholicism is powerful medicine against the cancer of communism all the more so with an uncompromisingly fearless leader at the helm.

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