Annotated Bibliography: Lech Walesa

Alexis Blum

PRIMARY SOURCES:

N/A. walesa Recalls Solidarity Triumph. BBC News. BBC,

29 Aug. 2005.
Web. 05 Jan 2015.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4194204.stm
This article is a reliable source since it is an interview with
Walesa himself. In this article he recalls and explains his victory in
Solidarity. He recalls moments before his presidency, explaining
how the strike started against Communism in Poland. It gives the
reader a good understanding of what it was actually like to lead a
victorious strike. Walesa further explains that a two-week strike
was not a short amount, and how he knew this would lead to the
downfall of Communism in Poland.
N/A. Excerpts from Debate Between Lech Walesa and
Alfred Miodowicz, 30
November 1988 | Making the History of 1989.
Excerpts from Debate Between Lech Walesa and
Alfred Miodowicz, 30 November 1988 | Making the
History of 1989. Roy Rosenzweig Center for History &
New Media, 2007. Web. 06 Jan. 2015.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/540
Just like the previous source, this one contains Walesas own
words as well. It is a debate he had held with another man named
Alfred Miodowicz. Miodowicz had challenged Walesa to a national,
love television debate. He expected to outdo Walesa, however,
despite his inexperience with political matters, Walesa reined
supreme. He kept Miodowicz on the defense throughout the
entire program. He did not cripple under the pressure of this
challenge, which proved to be quite the surprise. Among the 78%
of Polish citizens that watched this program, Walesa loomed now
more than ever in the efforts to push as the true alternative to
the regime. This source shows how Walesa was ahead of his time,
while providing examples of how clever he is.
N/A. lech Walesa: Poland Today Is Beyond Anything I
Could Have Imagined in

1989 CNN.com. CNN. Cable News Network, n.d.

07 Jan. 2015.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/06/world/europe/lech-walesapoland-today/
In this source, CNN interviews Walesa on how he feels about
Poland today, He states how the outcome of his strike is beyond
anything he could imagine. He talks about how pleased he is with
Polands progress because of his acitions. Walesa also goes into
how important it is for a countrys people to stick together during
times of hardship; how unity is important to efforts to change the
way something is. He furher claims that his strength to lead came
from his faith, but also how he did not want to repeat the same
mistakes made in 1970. In this article, he also elaborates on how
he wishes he did some things differently, but wouldnt change the
path he had taken. This source gives an inside look to how he has
reacted to his past self so to speak, and how Poland has changed
since he began his efforts to change things.
N/A. Lech Walesa Quotes. BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d.
Web. 05 Jan. 2015
http://brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lech_walesa.html
This source provides copious amounts of quotes from Lech
Walesa himself. They give a peak into Walesas thought process
during his movement. There is also insight to how well he could
speak. He has certain political views and beliefs and that is
clearly shown in his speech pattern. It provides nice examples as
to how he thinks and how well he knows how to represent
himself.
"Poland." Print. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
http://www.year1989.pl/y89/poland/history/8696,Poland.print
This source contains a good photo that depicts Walesas
victory at Solidarity. It depicts him being carried by what appears
to be the crowd of people who participated in the strike. The
photo is in black and white and shows Walesa smiling. Walesa is

also waving, most liking at the camera taking the photo. The date
is August 1980.

N/A. "From the Archive, 25 October 1980: Judge's Sting in

the Tail Mars
Solidarity's Triumph." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 9
Jan. 2015.
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/oct/25/solidaritylech-walesa-poland-1980
This source contains a photo depicting Walesa during the
strike at Solidarity. The first image that pops up appears to be
him standing on a platform, speaking to a crowd of people. Most
of the people are men, and he is holding papers. It appears as if
he may have written a speech for them. This source also doubles
as an article that goes into his victory. It describes what he
believed in and how the strikers felt as well.
"Lech Walesa, Revolutionary Free-Market Capitalist Who
Defeated Communism
In Europe, To Visit New York In Support Of Occupy
Wall Street - Home - The Daily Bail." Lech Walesa,
Revolutionary Free-Market Capitalist Who Defeated
Communism In Europe, To Visit New York In Support
Of Occupy Wall Street - Home - The Daily Bail. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
http://dailybail.com/home/lech-walesa-revolutionary-free-marketcapitalist-who-defeate.html
Finally, this is one of the articles that contains more than
one picture of Walesa as well as an article about him. The very
first picture that shows up resembles that of a celebration. There
is a cheering crowd, while holding flowers and grinning, is
carrying Walesa. Other photos include him giving a speech and a
couple more modern pictures of him smiling for the camera. This
source also contains a few quotes from him discussing what it
was like at Solidarity.

N/A. "My Torment Living with Lech Walesa: Wife of Polish

Solidarity Legend
Reveals Her Loneliness and Jealousy as He Rose to
Power from the Shipyard."DailyMail. N.p., 19 Nov.
2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063344/My-tormentliving-legend-Lech-Walesa-Wife-Polish-Solidarity-hero-revealsloneliness-jealousy-rose-power-shipyard.html
While this source is mainly about Walesas wife speaking on
how the strike had put a strain on their marriage, there are
photos. One in fact includes him and his wife! There is another,
which appears to be him marching during the strike at the
shipyard he used to work at. He is followed by many of his fellow
workers. Walesas wife also explains how their family had
practically been torn apart by the media in Poland. It was a gain
for their country, but a loss for their family.
"Nobel Winner 1983: Lech Walesa, Solidarity
Founder." BBC News. BBC, 09 Dec.
2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-11954721
This source contains an audio interview that includes Lech
Walesas son. A boy who had a first hand experience with
Walesas strikes efforts. He talks about how their family life had
been strained, especially when he was arrested. Walesas wife
had been left alone with seven children, and his son explains how
she toughed through it. The man also explains Walesas psyche.
He tells the listener how Lech would not have gotten violent, it
wasnt his style.
"Photo Gallery: The Father of Solidarity." SPIEGEL ONLINE.
N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Jan. 2015.
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/photo-gallery-the-father-ofsolidarity-fotostrecke-48595.html

This source contains numerous photos of Walesa during his

strike at Solidarity. The first depicts him standing in front of a
crowd of people, giving what appears to be a speech. Another
shows him with a stern face being carried by a crowd of people.
As the photos progress in this collection, a clear idea that Walesa
knew what he was doing is shown. He appears to know exactly
what vibe he wants to give off and how he knows exactly what he
wants. One of the photos includes him giving a speech at a
podium, he is talking about Solidarity and Marshall Law.
"Letter by Lech Walesa to the Council of State | Making
the History of
1989."Letter by Lech Walesa to the Council of State |
Making the History of 1989. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan.
2015.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/1989/items/show/76
This source contains excerpts from a letter Walesa wrote to
the Council of State, requesting that Marshall Law must come to
an end. It is important to remember that the Council of States is
the most powerful branch of government in Poland, and that
writing this letter took guts. He argued that both were vital to
Poland's political and economic wellbeing. Walesa declared his
mandate based on his election as the chairman of Solidarity. At
the same time, he sought to reassure the Council of State that
Solidarity did not plan its overthrow. Walesa did indeed become
Polands post-socialist president and chairman.
MLA style: "Lech Walesa - Nobel Lecture". Nobelprize.org. Nobel
Media
AB 2014. Web. 14 Jan 2015.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1983/wal
esa-lecture.html
This source is a lecture Walesa wrote himself when it was
time to accept his Nobel Peace Prize. He goes into how he feels
about Poland, to him how the country's past has looked. He
mentions that Poland has such a bitter past, and that because
they won the strike, there was a beacon of hope. He also claims
that he is not worthy of the award given the fact he is only one of

the men who founded the strike union.

N/A. "SPIEGEL ONLINE Interview with Lech Walesa: 'It's Good That
Gorbachev
Was a Weak Politician' - SPIEGEL ONLINE." SPIEGEL ONLINE.
SPIEGEL
ONLINE, 6 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/spiegel-onlineinterview-with-lech-walesa-it-s-good-that-gorbachev-was-a-weakpolitician-a-659752.html
In this interview, Walesa is asked on how he feels about the
20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. He claims that
it does not matter if he is looking forward to the occasion or not.
He says it is important for him to be there since he is a politician.
Lech claims that he believe the fall of Communism began in the
shipyards, with their strikes. Later he goes into how he believes
politicians behave. He says they count everything from their
weapons to their soldiers; how when the masses finally start to
rebel some politicians will be confused and not know what to do.
This interview provides great insight to Walesa's thought process.
SECONDARY SOURCES:
Simkim, John. Spartacus Educational. Spartacus
Educational. Spartacus
Educational, Sept. 1997. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.
http://spartacus-educational.com/POLwalesa.htm
This source goes into Walesas earlier life. It tells us as the
readers where
he was born, where he lived and a bit of his journey to becoming
the politician he is today. It states that he was involved in an
industrial dispute in 1970, as he became the chairman of the
shipyards strike committee. Afterwards, this article states that he
kept finding temporary jobs, organizing himself in Communistfree trade unions. Then the author further goes into, that because
of the strike, Walesa was imprisoned. Only to be released in 1982,
with considerable restrictions to his personal freedoms. This

passage allows the reader to catch a glimpse to Walesas life

before his presidency.
N/A. Business Investment in Poland. C-SPAN.org. CSPAN TV Network, n.d.
Web. 06 Jan. 2015.
Http://www.c-span.org/video/?9962-1/business-investment-poland
This video is about Business in Poland. Walesa does make
an appearance that takes place the day after he had addressed a
joint meeting of Congress. Walesa reiterates the central theme of
his U.S. visit. He states business investment in the west is needed
to build an economic foundation for the new democracies in
Poland and Eastern Europe. While this video is not about the
strike, it demonstrates an inside look on Walesas thoughts.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britiannica. Lech Walesa |
Biography President
of Poland. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Ecyclopedia Britannica, 23 July 2014. Web. 03 Jan.
2015.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/634519/Lech-Walesa
This tiny source gives me a sort of briefing over Walesa. It
turns out to be this way because the information is locked and
must be paid for. While this is a nuisance, it provides some
information. It says that Walesa is the proud owner of a Nobel
Peace Prize. Previously this information had not been known.
KilKelly, Katie, and Sarah Miller. Walesa. Walesa. N.P.,
n.d. Web. 06 Jan.
2015.
http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/backer_moder
n/baker_kk_sm_p1/walesa.htm
A source that is obviously student made, goes into Walesa
during the strike. It gives historical facts on what he did during
the strike and how he led the movement against Communism at
Solidarity. The passage also mentions Walesas time as president

as well as his winning of a Nobel Peace Prize. Overall, the article

is like a in depth briefing of Lech Walesa.
Lech Walesa Facts. Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB
2014. Web. 6 Jan 2015.
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1983/wal
esa-facts.html
This article goes into how Lech went about receiving his
Nobel Peace Prize. First, it states a few small stats such as
birthdate, role in the strike, beliefs, etc. It states that Lech had
started this shortly after he had been released from prison for his
previous movement at the shipyard he used to work at. During
the strike, apparently, he was able to march into Lenin Yard and
discuss negotiations with authorities. This did in fact end with his
victory at Solidarity.
Kreis, Steven. Lech Walesa. The History Guide. Steven
Kreis, n.d. Web. 04 Jan
2015.
http://historyguide.org/europe/walesa.html
This massive wall of text is like a compressed timeline of
Lech Walesas history. It does in fact go into his life before the
shipyard strike as well as his time in prison. It also gives the dates
for each of his movements. The article addresses some of his
accomplishments during his movement at Solidarity. Towards the
end, it goes into how Walesa went about becoming the President
of Poland and how he feels about all this today.
N/A. "From the Archive, 25 October 1980: Judge's Sting in
the Tail Mars
Solidarity's Triumph." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 9
Jan. 2015.
http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2012/oct/25/solidaritylech-walesa-poland-1980
This source contains a photo depicting Walesa during the
strike at Solidarity. The first image that pops up appears to be

him standing on a platform, speaking to a crowd of people. Most

of the people are men, and he is holding papers. It appears as if
he may have written a speech for them. This source also doubles
as an article that goes into his victory. It describes what he
believed in and how the strikers felt as well.
"Lech Walesa, Revolutionary Free-Market Capitalist Who
Defeated Communism
In Europe, To Visit New York In Support Of Occupy
Wall Street - Home
The Daily Bail." Lech Walesa, Revolutionary FreeMarket Capitalist Who Defeated Communism In
Europe, To Visit New York In Support Of Occupy
Wall Street - Home - The Daily Bail. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Jan. 2015.
http://dailybail.com/home/lech-walesa-revolutionary-free-marketcapitalist-who-defeate.html
This is one of the articles that contains more than one
picture of Walesa as well as an article about him. The very first
picture that shows up resembles that of a celebration. There is a
cheering crowd, while holding flowers and grinning, is carrying
Walesa. Other photos include him giving a speech and a couple
more modern pictures of him smiling for the camera. This source
also contains a few quotes from him discussing what it was like at
Solidarity.
"Lech Wasa: II. Jnos Plt Az g Kldte VIDEVAL." Lech Wasa: II. Jnos
Plt Az g Kldte. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2015.
http://www.magyarkurir.hu/hirek/lech-walesa-ii-janos-palt-az-egkuldte-videoval
This entire article is written in Hungarian so the browser did
have to translate the text. Essentially it goes into Lechs influence
over Solidarity and how he had even managed to get attention
from the Pope. In fact, this passage includes some excellent
photos displaying his time during the strike at Solidarity. This
article manages to go into his faith (stating that he is a Roman

Catholic) and how he relied on faith to help him through these

troubling times.
N/A. "My Torment Living with Lech Walesa: Wife of Polish
Solidarity Legend
Reveals Her Loneliness and Jealousy as He Rose to
Power from the Shipyard."DailyMail. N.p., 19 Nov.
2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2015.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063344/My-tormentliving-legend-Lech-Walesa-Wife-Polish-Solidarity-hero-revealsloneliness-jealousy-rose-power-shipyard.html
While this source is mainly about Walesas wife speaking on
how the strike had put a strain on their marriage, there are
photos. One in fact includes him and his wife! There is another,
which appears to be him marching during the strike at the
shipyard he used to work at. He is followed by many of his fellow
workers. Walesas wife also explains how their family had
practically been torn apart by the media in Poland. It was a gain
for their country, but a loss for their family.
"Solidarity (Polish Trade Union)." Princeton University. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Jan. 2015.
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Solidarit
y_%28Polish_trade_union%29.html
Massive article that includes a numerous amount of key
points regarding Solidarity. It specifies what Solidarity was, how it
originated and what kind of movement it was. It specifies what
political parties fought with it as well. This article also goes into
The Round Table Talks. How those talks helped Solidarity and
eventually how Walesa was elected president.