Today in 1982, the Polish Government freed the leader of the outlawed Solidarity movement, Lech Wałęsa, after 11 months of internment.  His release came only two days after riot police used tear gas, water cannon and phosphorous rockets to disperse big pro-Solidarity demonstrations in Warsaw and other cities.  The freeing of the shipyard electrician was seen by the Polish people as a sign the Communist government was preparing to lift martial law, which was imposed almost a year ago to curb the growing influence of the Solidarity trade union and put off the threat of armed intervention from the Soviet Union.  Since his arrest Wałęsa had been held in isolation at a remote government hunting lodge in Arlamowo, south-east Poland, close to the Soviet border.  Wałęsa rose to prominence as one of the leaders of the shipyard workers in Gdansk.  In 1980 he was one of the key men behind the Gdansk shipyard strike which gave rise to a wave of disputes over much of the country.  The primary demands were for workers' rights.

The authorities were forced to give in and negotiate with Wałęsa.  Under the terms of the Gdansk Agreement of 31 August 1980, workers were given the right to strike and to organise their own independent union, Solidarity.  But the country's brief period of relative freedom ended with the declaration of martial law in December 1981 and the suspension of Solidarity.  Martial law was eventually lifted in July 1983 and in October 1983, Wałęsawas awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which raised the spirits of the underground movement in Poland.  General Jaruzelski's regime became more unpopular as economic conditions worsened and eventually it was forced to negotiate with Solidarity.  The result was parliamentary elections and the establishment of a non-communist government.mmAs head of Solidarity, Wałęsa became the elected President of Poland in 1990 - a post he held until defeat in 1995.  In 2000 he announced he was retiring from Polish politics after his party’s poor showing in the elections.