Gdansk Agreement
The Government is forced to negotiate the Gdansk Agreement
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1980 in Poland
Explore 24 historical events and records for Poland in 1980.
Historical records for Poland in 1980
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 24 of 24 unique records.
24Unique records
1 of 1Page
12Named events on this page
3Named people on this page
3Places on this page
August
Gdansk Agreement
Workers have the right to strike & organise independent unions
Reform of Political System
The Government is forced to negotiate the Gdansk Agreement
Solidarnosc
Workers have the right to strike & organise independent unions
Strike
The Government is forced to negotiate the Gdansk Agreement
Civil Rights
Led by electrician Lech Walesa, the workers take control of the shipyard and demand labor reform and greater civil rights including the freedom of expression and religion, and the release of political prisoners
Solidarnosc
16,000 strike for political freedom & lower food prices
Solidarnosc
Led by electrician Lech Walesa, the workers take control of the shipyard and demand labor reform and greater civil rights including the freedom of expression and religion, and the release of political prisoners
Solidarnosc
Solidarnosc, the independent trade union that emerged from the Lenin Shipyard strike, becomes a labor movement representing workers led by chairman Walesa
Strike
16,000 strike for political freedom & lower food prices
Strike
Led by electrician Lech Walesa, the workers take control of the shipyard and demand labor reform and greater civil rights including the freedom of expression and religion, and the release of political prisoners
Strike
Solidarnosc, the independent trade union that emerged from the Lenin Shipyard strike, becomes a labor movement representing workers led by chairman Walesa
Strike
The Communist Government authorizes the increase in food prices for the summer of 1980, a revival of labor disturbances erupts throughout Poland, workers in the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk go on strike
September
Lenin Shipyards
Solidarity was founded at the Lenin Shipyards, where Lech Walesa and others formed a broad anti-communist social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church to members of the anti-communist Left
Solidarity
Solidarity was founded at the Lenin Shipyards, where Lech Walesa and others formed a broad anti-communist social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church to members of the anti-communist Left
Other events (month unknown)
Congress of Solidarity
Solidaritys first national congress elect Lech Walesa as a president and adopts a republican program, the "Self-governing Republic"
Dismissal
Dismissed & replaced by Kania
Economy of Poland
Price rises, food shortages & debt force Poland to reform the economy
Legislation
Forced to grant legal status to Solidarity
Party Chairman
Appointed Party Chairman
Solidarity
Forced to grant legal status to Solidarity
Solidarity
Forced to grant legal status to Solidarity
Solidarity
Solidaritys first national congress elect Lech Walesa as a president and adopts a republican program, the "Self-governing Republic". Solidarity is organized as an industrial union, according to the One Big Union principle, along the lines of the Industrial Workers of the World and the Spanish Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo (workers in every trade was organized by region)
Solidarity
An independent & democratic trade union by the end of the year has over 10,000 members
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.