Solidarity Roundtable

Topic:  The Fall of Communism in Poland

Committee Profile

The Polish Round Table Talks of 1989 were a bilateral negotiation format that brought together Poland’s two main political forces: the communist Government and the opposition labour union Solidarity. Faced with a multidimensional political and economic crisis that threatened the nation’s stability, the two diametrically opposed groups sat down to determine Poland’s future. Issues discussed ranged from political party registration and electoral systems to press freedom and labour relations. The agreement reached by the two sides set the groundwork for Poland’s transition to democracy and capitalism, and its ramifications influence Polish society to this day.