Since the moral protest to the game of power : the evolution of attitudes and behaviors the dissidents in communist Poland (until 13. December 1981)

In 1956-1980, the anti-communist movements in the Peoples Republic of Poland assumed two, initially different paths. The first one constituted spontaneous outbreaks of social protest, such as protests in December 1970, Ursus, Radom and Płock in 1976 and the most extensive, both spatially and socially, protests of August 1980. They were sparked by social and existential issues. The second path constituted minor circles of opposing intellectuals and their public appeals with restrained criticism towards certain practices in the “real socialism.” At first, they had the form of open letters addressed to the governing power. In the mid- 1970s, dissidents began operating in a morę maturę way. Apart form morał motives, as in the case of the founding of the Workers’ Defence Committee (Polish: Komitet Obrony Robotników) in autumn 1976, one could also observe calling for reforms and changes in the political system. The main motivation was the awareness of accumulating threats. The manner of their under- standing by different environments and the hierarchy of values imposed goals and strategies. There were three leading slogans: defence of independence, nation and democracy. However, these demands had their limits delineated by the interests of the Moscow Empire. Following the creation of the Solidarity movement, the oppositionists defined its main programme and organisation which consisted in the “self-limiting revolution.” However, in late autumn 1981, the Independent Self-governing Trade Union “Solidarity” (Polish: Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy “Solidarność,” NSZZ) was preparing for the battle for power with the Polish United Workers’ Party (Polish: Polska Zjednoczona Partia Robotnicza, PZPR)