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| Photography by Anna Rok |
After having spent the previous day at the memorial site in Treblinka, many of us were probably still digesting the impressions we obtained at this former Nazi German extermination camp. On the third day of the Warsaw 2012 programme though, we made a rather big leap and had the possibility to listen to first-hand experiences from courageous people who have been involved in, or supported, the Polish Solidarity movement.
From the very beginning on of his eyewitness account, one could see that Mr Andrzej Wielowieyski, a journalist and politician having been deeply involved in the Solidarity Movement, has always been, and still is, a fighter.During his speech, he would often clench his fist telling us about his taking part in the resistance movement in Communist-ruled Poland. But his “career” as an activist started much earlier: during World War II he fought as a partisan against the Nazis and was part of the Democratic Opposition Movement. After the Communists took over Poland, he dedicated his life to fighting against the new oppressors, accepting his firing from the Finance Ministry due to his non-conformity. A devout Catholic, he was active in the Opposition Movement, which consisted of several societal groups, amongst them the Catholic Youth. In August 1980, the new independent trade union Solidarity organised strikes at the Gdańsk Shipyard, which soon spread around the country. Mr Wielowieyski actively took part in this mass movement as a member of the striking committee, which claimed the 21 Points of Solidarity. In his report, he emphasized the important role women and the Catholic Church played in the movement and also the importance of secretly-produced bulletins as a means of communication with supporters all over Poland. In the end, Solidarity managed to provoke a peaceful transformation that would eventually lead to the fall of communism. For me personally, his report was the highlight of the day and inspired me in a lot of ways.
Our second speaker, Professor Andrzej Rychard, from the Graduate School for Social Research, was deeply involved and convinced in the Solidarity mass movement. He gave us an understanding of the transformation processes that began taking place in Poland after 1989. The definitions of transformation and transition, and what term could be applied for the Polish case, triggered a controversial discussion later on during our fellows discussion. Particularly interesting for me was his conviction that we can only understand the Polish democratic system nowadays if we know what the communist system and even the pre-war conditions were like. He also talked about Poland’s special role, having generally had a more liberal communist system compared to other regimes during this time. At the end of his speech, Professor Rychard also talked about the Polish society becoming less and less homogeneous while acknowledging its minorities more. It was interesting to learn that some minority political parties already exist. However, they have not entered mainstream politics yet.
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| Photography by Anna Rok |
Our third speaker, Mr Zbigniew Nosowski, sociologist and Catholic activist, was telling us more about the Jewish-Christian relations and the role of the Catholic Church in Poland, which has always been a kind of unifying factor for the Poles during different periods of occupation. At the end, the question of what role the Catholic Church will play in the future was raised. Will the Church remain powerful as Polish society becomes increasingly modernised, or will Poland become more secularized? This is a question we can ponder on even after the eventful day.
- Melanie Hudler (German Fellow)
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