Poland

This chapter discusses the fall of communism in Poland, where the process of dismantling of the communist system started. In this chapter the specific situation in Poland is described, where the communists made concessions to society, where the special role of the Catholic Church was maintained and collectivisation was not introduced. The Solidarity movement in 1980 was the first challenge to the communist system, which, though bowed by Martial Law in 1981, played a crucial role in the Roundtable Talks and elections in June 1989 that overthrew the communist regime in Poland.