Taking Leave of Illusion
Solidarność and the Idea of a Society Free of Conflict
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Solidarność and its Communist opponent had one thing in common: the dream of a society free of conflict. But Solidarność was no more successful than the Communists in convincing Poland’s citizens of their model of society. In the 1980s, Solidarność was weakened by martial law and internal conflict. Most of the population turned its back on it and withdrew into the private sphere. After 1989, the struggle between the wings of the post-Solidarność camp continued. The dispute over the proper treatment of the past and the speed of transformation has split Polish society. To this day, the political trenches run through the camp of the former Solidarność movement.
(Osteuropa 2-3/2009, pp. 151–166)