On August 31, 1980, the first independent trade union in the history of the Soviet bloc was born. Forged in two weeks of nationwide strikes, Poland’s Solidarity union became a reality after 25 years of struggle culminated in the signing of the Gdansk Accords between Lech Walesa and the Polish government. But victory was not that close, and this program follows the threat of Soviet military intervention, the struggle by Polish farmers for the same rights as industrial workers, the political career of Lech Walesa, Jaruzelski’s get-tough policy with Solidarity and Archbishop Glemp’s support of the union, violence and the dissolution of Solidarity, the Pope’s visit to Poland, and the end of Communist Party rule in Poland as Stevie Wonder sings at a Solidarity campaign meeting—and Poland’s economic woes deepen. (18 minutes)