History of Solidarity History of Solidarity The history of Solidarity (, pronounced ), a Polish non-governmental trade union, began on August 14, 1980, at the Lenin Shipyards (now Gdańsk Shipyards) at its founding by Lech Wałęsa and others. In the early 1980s, it became the first independent labor union in a Soviet-bloc country. Solidarity gave rise to a broad, non-violent, anti-communist social movement that, at its height, claimed some 9.4 million members. It is considered to have contributed greatly to the fall of communism. Poland's communist government attempted to destroy the union by instituting martial law in 1981, followed by several years of
Solidarity Movement with Chile Supply Depot. Movement activists attempted to block the dock, and hung a "Junta No" banner from the Golden Gate Bridge in protest. In solidarity, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union obstructed the ship from entering the harbor. Solidarity Movement with Chile The Chile Solidarity Movement supported the election of Salvador Allende, president of Chile from 1970-1973. When a military coup ousted Allende from power in 1973, the Movement sought to end the dictatorship. American Leftist groups supported the democratic efforts to elect the Socialist Salvador Allende and showed continued support him during his presidency. In 1972, Eric Leenson, returned from