In 1981, American journalist David Ost attended an extraordinary meeting in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. Just decades earlier, it had been a majority German city, in the German empire and had a German name: Bromberg. Two world wars, the Holocaust, mass movement of people and two border realignments had seen it end up behind the proverbial iron curtain in 1945. The meeting was organized by a group named Solidarity which became the first legally sanctioned trade union in the Warsaw pact. It was a remarkable concession by a communist regime whose authority was based on the fact the country was controlled by the workers, to acknowledge there was even a need for such a group. This minor freedom had been hard fought but it was short lived. Within months, Solidarity had been banned and the whole of Poland was subjected to martial law. In this episode I talk to David Ost, Hobart and William Smith professor of politics about Solidarity and Poland’s arduous journey from communism to today. David Ost Professor of Politics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1986 B.A., SUNY Stony Brook, 1976. David Ost: The Defeat of Solidarity: Anger and Politics in Postcommunist Europe If you enjoyed this episode you will also enjoy the following episodes: Romania 1989East GermanyPutin’s False Flag: The 1999 Moscow Apartment Bombings This episode is sponsored by World History Encyclopedia, one of top history websites on the internet. I love the fact that they’re not a Wiki: Every article they publish is reviewed by their editorial team, not only for being accurate, but also for being interesting to read. The website is run as a non-profit organization, so you won’t be bombarded by annoying ads and it’s completely free. It’s a great site; and don’t just take my word for it they’ve been recommended by many academic institutions including Oxford University. Go check them out at WorldHistory.org or follow this link: World History Encyclopedia Music: Pixabay