How To Make Hunting Cakes

The mythical power of Solidarity

From Stettin with abbodandanti five hours by train, I arrived in Gdansk. Fifth chapter of the journey to the east. Dedicated, in large part to the myth of Solidarity, the largest union led by Lech Walesa (here's a brief bio on the website of the Nobel Peace Prize) who led the revolt in Poland and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. But Solidarity was something more than a trade union ( this link takes you to the beautiful site, sponsored by the Polish government, history solidarnosciana, with photos, dates, numbers and various stories). Risorgimento was a movement. A political force, social and cultural coagulated throughout Poland: workers, intellectuals, clerics, anarchists, patriots, liberals, social democrats, students, peasants. All, in short. All those who wanted a better Poland, free, independent.
In the Baltic city, entering the shipyard, the place where Solidarity was born in August 1980, I took a ride in history. But even in this raid. The point is that until recently the former Lenin workshops - this is the name of the yards, under communism - were with the water in the throat. Without a penny and with the risk, tangible, and bankruptcy. The reason: a dispute with the EU state aid. Too complicated to explain. However, the crack has been avoided ( here is the happy ending). In the name of history, the fact that the yards have given birth to Solidarity, a mythical power that he wrote not only the history of Poland and Eastern Europe. But he helped - a pity that in the west find it hard to recognize - to the entire continental history. That free and unified Europe. At least in geographical terms. Why the political point of view there is still a lot of work. Further west than the east, I guess. But we do not do too much argumentative. Below, some photos of construction sites. In the book, then you will find an interview with Karol Modzelewski ( here are my own piece, published by Europe, where their questioning Modzelewski), Polish historian and dissident thinking head of Solidarity. There is also another long talk with Bogdan Olszewski, a number of Solidarity - which now has only union function - in Gdansk, which led me on a time machine and told me many secrets of the Polish transition.