Polish Solidarnosc Movement - Presentation for Erasmus+

Created for the educational purposes of the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange, called Human Rights and Democracy in the Age of Information Warfare

For more information about other European mobilities for young people, see the link below:

https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-organisations/learning-mobility-of-individuals/young-people-and-youth-workers

1. Solidarność: The Polish Workers' Movement That Defied
Totalitarianism

2. Historical Context of Soviet
Totalitarianism in Poland
•Poland, a nation long oppressed by foreign
powers, endured the brutal Soviet occupatio
n
following World War II. The communist regime,
imposed by Moscow, sought to crush Polis
h
national identity and impose a totalitarian
system of control. This repressive environmen
t
set the stage for the rise of the Solidarnosc
movement, as the Polish people yearned for
freedom and self-determination.

3. The Role of Art and
Culture in the
SolidarnośćResistance
•Solidarnośćr ecognized the power
of art and culture to mobilize the
public and challenge the
oppressive communist regime.
•Writers, musicians, and visual
ar
tists became key voices in the
resistance, using their work to
express Polish identity, protest
injustice, and inspire hope.
•Iconic posters, undergroun
d
publications, and subversive
performances to circumvent state
censorship were playing a huge
role in sustaining the Solidarność
movement

4. Examples of
Famous Artists
and Key Figures

5. •CzesławM -poet, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1980)
•RyszardK
–poet, writer member of th e
"New Wave“, involved in underground publishing
•Andrzej Wr
–painter, depictions of wartime and post-war
trauma
•Jan L
–surrealist painter, hidden messages of resistanc e
and critique of totalitarianism

6. •Krzysztof Ki
(filmmaker, allegorica
l
works that explored the
human condition under
totalitarian rule)
•JózefS
(theatre
director, avantgarde
,
former prisoner in
Auschwitz
•Lech W
(iconic
politicalleader of th
e
movement)

7. •The movement was uniting
d
iverse sectors of Polish society,
from workers to intellectuals
•It supported the non-v
iol ent
solution and oppositio
n the
regime
•Among the key factors of
the
success of this movement, w
e
can find as well:
•1. Global support of political
l
eaders across the West rallying
behind the Polish people's
struggle for freedom
•2. Instability of the undemocratic
s
ystem in Soviet satellite states.
Movements like Solidarność
helped to end the communist era
and introduce democratic ideals

8. Legacy of Solidarność Movement
•The legacy of the Solidarność
m
ovement extends far beyond
Poland's borders thanks to it
s
commitment to non-violen
t
resistance and its triumph over
totalitarianism have served as
a
beacon of hope for pro-democracy
movements globally
•This legacy continues to shape Polis
h
national consciousness a sense of
freedom for Polish citizens

9. Thank you for your
attention !