Gdańsk Agreement

The Gdańsk Agreement was a historic agreement signed in August 1980 between the Polish government and opposition leaders at the Gdańsk Shipyard. It ended a wave of strikes by workers protesting poor working conditions and lack of political freedoms. The agreement granted workers the right to form independent trade unions—most notably, Solidarity (Solidarność)—which challenged the Communist government's control. This marked a significant step toward political change in Poland and contributed to the decline of communist rule in Eastern Europe. It demonstrated that peaceful, organized protest could lead to meaningful reforms.