Poland: A Fire in the Country

Walesa suddenly finds himself following his movement instead of leading it

Not since the tumultuous days of last August had so many protests erupted across Poland. From one end of the country to the other last week, hundreds of thousands of workers walked off the job. Farmers laid down their tools. Students staged sit-ins at scores of university campuses.

This time the walkouts were a challenge not only to Poland's Communist government, but to Solidarity, the independent labor union forged during last summer's unrest. The wildcat protests threatened to destroy Solidarity's hard-won unity and shatter the delicate detente between the union...

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