
From China to Poland, Lessons From June 4, 1989
On June 4, Poles celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first free elections since the end of World War II. In 1989, the Polish język polski Solidarity opposition won a landslide, capturing all but one contested seats in both the upper and lower houses of the parliament. This victory led to the appointment of the first non-communist prime minister and a unity government where former political dissidents sat together with their former oppressors. In this powersharing pact the government moved forward to dismantle the Polish język polski communist system and initiate a peaceful democratic transition well before the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and the Soviet Union collapsed.
Originally published on Waging Nonviolence
June 4, 2014