Diego Lopez Liranzo
22 September 2014
AP European History
Form VI
Analyse the factors that contributed to the emergence of a workers’ opposition movement in Communist Poland in the period 1956-1981.
After World War II, the official communist party dominated all aspects of Polish politics, which soon became an issue with not only the working class of the country, but also the intellectual and educated Polish community. Between 1956 and 1981, there was an emergence of workers’ opposition against the communist party in Poland due to the blatant oppression and desperate living conditions of many of the Polish workers and their families. Workers demanded rapid change in policy from the party because the workers believed the government had
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(Doc 4) The intellectual and party member support helped the workers’ movement gain serious momentum. A major factor in the emergence of the workers’ opposition movement also was the support of the Catholic Church and the Pope specifically. In September of 1976, the bishops of the Catholic Church in Poland called for the government and party to “fully respect civil rights and conduct a real dialogue with society” while also demanding that they stop all repression of workers involved in the protests of June 1976. (Doc 5) The fierce and somewhat scolding tone in which the demands are made show the Catholic Church’s unwavering support for the Polish workers’ opposition. It is not surprising, however, that a group of Catholic bishops would demand better treatment for the Polish workers because, as members of the church, they would naturally be in favour of social justice. The value of having the Catholic Church support the movement manifests itself in the fact that the Polish communist party begins to require all teachers to tell students that the pope is “an enemy” and “dangerous” man who only wishes to charm the crowd. (Doc 7) This response to the pope’s support demonstrates that the party itself realised that the church could have tremendous impact on the turnout of the opposition. By the 1980s, a coalition of independent trade unions, known as Solidarity, was established in Gdansk. The photograph of Lech Walesa and other
Leah Griffin 3/6/15 HIST 121 Document Analysis Paper World War I played a key role in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. After the devastating war, Germany was viewed as the main instigator and the European Allied Powers decided to impose strict treaty obligations upon Germany. This treaty, also known as the Treaty of Versailles, was signed by Germany and went into effect in June 1919 (“Treaty of Versailles, 1919” 1). The treaty forced Germany to give up the land it seized from multiple countries during the war and also forced Germany to recognize the independence of several others (“The Treaty of Versailles – 1919” 37-43). The treaty also forced Germany to agree to many other humiliating terms that did not rest easy with the German public
At the end of World War 2, most countries in Europe were in a wreck. Cities were decimated and economy was failing, it was the time to rebuild. The European Union was an effective way to help Europe rebuild. The EU first started as just a common market for steel and coal, but quickly grew into a union of countries united as one. It is a great opportunity for countries in Europe as the it was created for the sole purpose of preserving peace and preventing another World War on the rebuilding continent. The EU is also very beneficial to countries as it has the best economy in the world, for the peace efforts and the ability to support its members.
During the nineteenth century, many economic changes took place in Europe due to the Industrial Revolution. They dramatically increased the number of European industrial workers. The changes completely altered the conditions under which they lived and worked. How to improve these lives was where the conflict was. The opinions varied from some people believing the government should intervene, some believing it would better if the government didn’t interfere and also some believing the workers should improve their own lives.
These events of protest occurred in 1999. Protesters around the world gathered in places like Seattle, India, and all over Europe p rallied against capitalism. At these events, people asked for a peaceful change from capitalism to communism. Even though these places stayed capitalist, many people still believe that there should be governments using the communist ways. Although these protests didn’t reach their goal, the debate is still fought over(Patricia Levy).
Just as one small spark can start a blazing wildfire, one simple bomb on the fateful day at Haymarket Square triggered an explosion in the labor movement that no one had expected. With tension growing exponentially in the workers’ rights area of United States reform in the 1800s, scattered riots inevitably broke out among restless workers, but no previous outbreak could compare to the impact of the notorious Haymarket Riot. The explosion in the crowd of workers battling police officers on that spring day in Chicago mirrored the explosion that occurred for laborers across the nation, with a combination of both beneficial and harmful outcomes to last the rest of history.
Pope John condemned communism but not the communist person. He criticised governments of their treatment of their society by observing their health and living standards. Even before John was Pope he has always believed in equal rights and these prior beliefs significantly shaped his future actions.. In 1909, Roncalli backed Bishop Tedeschi in Church support of a strike by 800 textile workers in a factory just outside Bergamo. Pope John XXIII was always a humble man of which he lived a life for the people. ‘The priest who lives in the light of the teachings of the Gospel cannot pass by on the other side of the road… Christ’s preference goes to the disinherited, the weak and the
The workers had began to rise up; this event seemed to be the final piece to push society together. It was shown that every citizen yearned for their slice of equality and freedom. The authors of Mechanics’ Union Preamble had started the first pretion to raise workers wages, regain the respect of craftsmen embedded in the desensitization from the Market Revolution and obtain equality for all manual laborers. The workers wages were below a sustainable lifestyle, they were unable to support their families or buy the clothes they produced. The low pay came from the business owners taking a large portion of the profits to live in luxury. This separation between luxury and poor started a shift in republican values. The shift caused a feeling of disconnect and inequality in all of the citizens builded from the advancement of technology. When taxes were implemented, the price of travel and food grew. The business owners pockets grew but the worker never received a pay raise. This large divide along side hours of working created tired and unhappy citizens. It also disconnected the workers from their families from long days and exhaustion. The Ten-Hour circular petitioned in the want of ten hour days for happiness and higher quality products. Except the business owners had begun to slander works; saying that more free time will allow their workers to become “drunkards” and
Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto was most appealing to and revolutionary for the industrial workers of 1848 (and those to come after that time). The call for unification of the proletariat and abolishment of the Bourgeoisie was an urgent one during a time of rapid progress in all aspects of industrial life. This urgency of The Communist Manifesto and the desire for change of political ideologies (to match the exponential rate of progress of wealth and industry) created not only a spate of revolutions, but a long lasting change in political ideas for industrialized European nations. The Communist Manifesto created a sense of unity and class awareness throughout the
As the strength of business leaders and corporations grew, the unskilled laborers were finding themselves in unbearable working conditions. Many workers, including women and children, were working ten to twelve hour days, six days a week, at low wages. Prior to the Civil War, the labor movement was unorganized. However, there were small labor organizations known as Workingmen's Parties, which were the first attempts to organize disgruntled workers during the 1820's and 1830's. Skilled laborers in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago joined workingmen's parties in order to try to control municipal politics in order to protect their interests. Controlled by the middle and upper-class leaders, these groups believed that the workers had the power
This common ground inspired people to amass in order for their voice to be heard. Some of these people went on strike, while others formed new political parties and others formed/joined unions. One party was the new Populist Party which stood to “restore the government of the Republic to the hands of the “plain people,” with which class it originated. We assert our purposes to be identical with the purposes of the National Constitution…” (Populist Party, 1892) the others that formed unions decided to due to the fact that “two millions of their fellows are unemployed, and though willing and able, cannot find the opportunity to work, in order that they may sustain themselves, their wives and their children.” (Gompers, 1894) None of the responses was wildly successful but the idea of these responses would lead to later successes.
Communism is not some unverifiable, otherworldly entity, but “itself a Power” (218) already in Europe. The power of communism does not come from arbitrary political systems set up by the bourgeois, but from the natural power of labor and workers.
To begin with, technological advancement, immigration and the political power of corporations had played direct roles on the insignificant nature of workers’ movements leading up
The unions for laborers have been around for many years, long enough to show that the organization makes a positive difference to lower class workers. In fact, “The Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx written in 1848 describes the formation of the wage workers. As Marx’s notes “Thereupon the workers begin to form combinations (Trades
Start by narrowing the historical literature down into three main schools of thought so you can take a closer look at how social movements are born, why some succeed, and others fail. (Clearly, using a broad brush to paint a simplified scope of the topic, but this will help to centralize the data in a more digestible context.) The main schools of thought in this paper have been grouped in the following types of action: Collective Action, Economic/Political, and Leadership Centered.
This section argues that the lower classes are under pressure of their owners and that the lower class can be able to achieve their goals to overcome their problems by the formation of unions or riots. It also states the capitalism should be overthrown because communision is the only way for equality among the people. In the third section of the Communist Manifesto, “Socialist and Communist Literature,” the authors discuss the differences of communism and other socioeconomic systems. In their conclusion, “Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Opposition Parties,” briefly discusses countries that were taking action toward becoming a communist country. It ends with the authors calling for the communist revolution.