The Polish revolution cover

The Polish revolution

by Timothy Garton Ash

The author was with the strikers in the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk. He witnessed the defiance of the workers and the emergence of an improbable leader and hero in Lech Walesa. This book, therefore, acts as an eyewitness account of the occurances cited but also it provides an analysis of the powers ranged against Solidarity and of their pyrrhic victory. The author describes Solidarity's long underground struggle, its triumphant return in 1989 and the ironies of its subsequent disintegration.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?