Independent Students Union
Encyclopedia
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement
Gdansk Agreement
The Gdańsk Agreement was an accord reached as a direct result of the strikes that took place in Gdańsk, Poland...
and the anti-government strike actions (see: History of Solidarity
History of Solidarity
The history of Solidarity , a Polish non-governmental trade union, begins in August 1980, at the Lenin Shipyards at its founding by Lech Wałęsa and others. In the early 1980s, it became the first independent labor union in a Soviet-bloc country...
). It was a student arm, or suborganization, of Solidarity, and together with it, as well as other similar organizations, was banned after the martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
, (December 13, 1981). Some activists were arrested, others organized an underground NZS. After the fall of communism in 1989, the organization was recreated, and its focus changed from political to cultural, although it still stands by its origins as seen by Polish students’ support for the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It now is the largest independent student organization in Poland, with 90 chapters at Polish universities and a total of 20,000 members.
Beginnings
The first meeting of students demanding independent Association took place on August 27, 1980 in GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
. On September 2, the Temporary Founding Committee of the University of Gdańsk was founded, followed by similar bodies in other Polish cities, such as Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków.
Between 18 and 19 October 1980, at the Warsaw University of Technology
Warsaw University of Technology
The Warsaw University of Technology is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland, and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors . The student body numbers 36,156 , mostly full-time. There are 17 faculties covering almost all fields of...
, a founding meeting of a newly created student organization took place, with 60 chapters, representing different Polish universities and colleges. It was there that the name Independent Students’ Association was approved. There were other suggestions for the name, such as Solidarity of the Association of Polish Students, but they did not gain popularity. During the meeting, it was decided that the NZS would be seated in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, also the National Founding Committee was established, with eleven members (among them Maciej Kuroń
Maciej Kuroń
Maciej Kuroń , was a Polish journalist and culinary publicist. He was a host of television culinary shows, which made him very popular in Poland...
, and Piotr Bikont
Piotr Bikont
Piotr Bikont is a Polish journalist, publicist, culinary critic and a theatre director. He translated Art Spiegelman's "Maus" to Polish.-References:...
). The NZS was a follower of the late 1970s organization Student Committee of Solidarity, which had been created in 1977, after the murder of Stanislaw Pyjas
Stanislaw Pyjas
Stanisław Pyjas was a Polish student of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, member of the anticommunist student movements. He died on May 7, 1977 in Kraków. The exact circumstances of Pyjas’ death are still an unsolved mystery and his case, which is still disputed, shook public opinion in Poland...
.
In 1980, the Association was in some way a student equivalent of Solidarity, as it was created following the strikes of the so-called Polish August 1980. It gathered young people who wished to organize themselves independently of the Communist regime. They wanted democratization of Polish universities as well as respect for Polish patriotic traditions of fighting for independence. The NZS was an alternative to the official Polish Students' Association
Polish Students' Association
Polish Students' Association is the oldest of Polish student societies. It was created in 1950 in communist Poland. Currently it has about 10,000 members in about 100 academic institutions....
(ZSP), which was subordinated to the PZPR.
Legalization
The first request for legalization of the NZS was presented in the Provincial Court in Warsaw on October 20, 1980, but the justice refused. On November 13, the Warsaw Court stated that only laborers were entitled to create trade unions. In response, strikes and protests were organized throughout fall of 1980 and winter of 1980-1981, with the biggest taking place at the University of Poznań (November 1980), and the University of Łódź (January - February 1981). Among those who took part in the Łódź strikes was a famous soccer player Stanislaw TerleckiStanislaw Terlecki
Stanisław "Stan" Andrzej Terlecki is a retired Polish association football player.In 1981, Terlecki move to the United States where he signed with the Pittsburgh Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League. He spent two seasons with Pittsburgh then transferred to the Golden Bay Earthquakes of the...
, who used his connections to get food for students. Desperate students of the Warsaw University began to occupy the college in late November 1980, but due to the mediation of rector Henryk Samsonowicz
Henryk Samsonowicz
Henryk Bohdan Samsonowicz is a Polish historian specializing in medieval Poland, prolific writer, and professor of the University of Warsaw...
, the protest was terminated.
1981 strikes in Łódź
On January 11, 1981, students of the Mathematics - Physics - Chemistry Department of the University of Łódź began a strike, which on January 21 spread across the whole college. According to NZS sources, it was the longest occupational strike of students in the history of Europe, with 10 000 students participating. On February 9, University of Poznań joined their Łódź collegaues, declaring a solidarity strike.On February 17, 1981, the government accepted registration of the Association, under the condition that it would abide by the Constitution. Next day, the strikes in Łódź ended. The government pledged to grant more autonomy to the students and agreed that the students would no longer be obliged to study the Russian language. Another concession was the elimination of compulsory Marxist-Leninist courses. The Government's decision to register the association was met by Łódź students with applause. They stood up and sang the Polish national anthem. The Łódź Agreement is still regarded as student equivalent of the Gdańsk Agreement. Furthermore, the student strikes in Łódź were mentioned by the Communist services as one of reasons of establishing the martial law.
Period of independence
Between 3–6 April 1981, at Kraków's Pedagogical UniversityPedagogical University of Cracow
Pedagogical University of Cracow , located in Kraków, Poland, was founded on May 11, 1946, as the National Higher College of Teacher Training and since gained notoriety for training highly-qualified teaching staff for the local educational...
, First Meeting of NZS Delegates took place. It gathered 240 activists from 66 Polish colleges and universities (out of 89 such schools existing then nationwide). The National Coordinating Commission was elected, and the first chairman of the NZS was Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
's Jarosław Guzy
Jarosław Guzy
Jarosław Guzy is a Polish politician and businessman, first chairman of the Independent Students Union.From 1975–1981, Guzy studied sociology at the Jagiellonian University, cooperating in late 1970s with oppositional organization Student Committee of Solidarity...
. Statutes of the Association were written by a young student of law, Jan Maria Rokita.
The Association quickly grew, reaching in May 1981 some 80 000 members. Its Coordinating Commission was planning to open an independent students’ magazine, but the government refused, explaining that there was "lack of paper". NZS was a very active association, it organized meetings with key members of the opposition movement (such as Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik
Adam Michnik is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland...
, Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa
Lech Wałęsa is a Polish politician, trade-union organizer, and human-rights activist. A charismatic leader, he co-founded Solidarity , the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland between 1990 and 95.Wałęsa was an electrician...
, Jacek Kuroń
Jacek Kuron
Jacek Jan Kuroń was one of the democratic leaders of opposition in the People's Republic of Poland. Kuroń was a prominent Polish social and political figure; educator and historian; an activist of the Polish Scouting Association; co-founder of the Workers' Defence Committee; twice a Minister of...
). Furthermore, the Association was deeply engaged in political actions. On May 25, 1981, in several Polish cities, the students organized street marches in defence of political prisoners. In November 1981, 55 000 students of 81 Polish colleges declared a general strike to demand the ouster of a newly appointed rector at the Radom Engineering School.
In late November and early December 1981, another important event took place. On November 25, students of Warsaw's School of Fire Service Officers went on strike to protest their college's being subjected directly to the Ministry of Interior and Administration
Ministry of Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland
Ministry of the Interior and Administration is an administration structure controlling main administration and security branches of the Polish government. Current Minister is Jerzy Miller.-History and function:...
instead of the Higher Education Bill. The cadets demanded exemption from police duties and academic rights.
Banning and re-establishment
Polish students did not enjoy their freedom for long. Following the martial law in PolandMartial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
, the Association was banned on February 5, 1981, and many of its activists were arrested. The NZS was still active in the underground, especially in larger centers, such as Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków. Some of its members, such as Teodor Klincewicz from Warsaw, were actively involved in various forms of anti-government protests. Also, students of Law Department at Łódź University, in opposition to martial law, organized a sit-in, which was brutally broken by the riot police. Another strike was broken at Kraków's Pedagogical University
Pedagogical University of Cracow
Pedagogical University of Cracow , located in Kraków, Poland, was founded on May 11, 1946, as the National Higher College of Teacher Training and since gained notoriety for training highly-qualified teaching staff for the local educational...
. Some time in the mid-1980s, the Association began cooperation with high-school students organization Federation of Fighting Youth
Federation of Fighting Youth
The Federation of Fighting Youth was a radical anticommunist organization of Polish youth, existing in the mid and late 1980s. It was founded in June 1984 in Warsaw's district of Grochów by a group of high school students....
.
The NZS which in the years 1984 - 1985 was in the decline, began to flourish since 1986, when a new generation of students replaced the old one. Number of self-published
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
magazines grew, new chapters were created, and finally, in September 1988, during the Third Meeting of NZS Delegates in Gdańsk, new leaders were elected. Soon afterwards, the Registration Committees were opened across the nation, and thousands of students joined the Association.
During the round table talks
Polish Round Table Agreement
The Polish Round Table Talks took place in Warsaw, Poland from February 6 to April 4, 1989. The government initiated the discussion with the banned trade union Solidarność and other opposition groups in an attempt to defuse growing social unrest.-History:...
, it was agreed that the NZS would be re-registered, but the government did not keep this promise, which resulted in creation of National Student Strike Committee consisted of: Tomasz Ziemiński, Mariusz Kamiński, Przemysław Gosiewski, P. Nycz, W. Kiliński, Sławomir Skrzypek, R. Kosiorek, Grzegorz Schetyna
Grzegorz Schetyna
Grzegorz Juliusz Schetyna is a Polish politician. He was elected to the Sejm as a candidate of the Civic Platform on September 25, 2005 after receiving 14,978 votes in 1 Legnica district...
, B. Pichur, Artur Olszewski, Igor Wójcik, P. Janiszewski, A. Jasionowski, K. Zemler, R. Bitner, A. Szczepkowski i P. Swaczyna. As Lech Kaczyński
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
later recalled, the Communists did not want to give up their monopoly of youth organizations. Most Polish colleges began a sit-in, and in Kraków street fights erupted. During the historic semi-free June 1989 elections, the NZS actively helps Solidarity candidates.
The Association was re-legalized on September 22, 1989, when Poland was already ruled by the oppositional government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Tadeusz Mazowiecki
Tadeusz Mazowiecki is a Polish author, journalist, philanthropist and Christian-democratic politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist prime minister in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.-Biography:Mazowiecki comes from a Polish...
. In the 1990s, NZS limited its political activities, concentrating on cultural events, as well as entertainment. Since 2008, its secretary has been Piotr Wiaderny from Bydgoszcz. Across the years, NZS total membership has been around 180 000. Several of its activists are now public figures - politicians, journalists, businessmen, artists. Among most prominent are Donald Tusk
Donald Tusk
Donald Franciszek Tusk is a Polish politician who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2007. He was a co-founder and is chairman of the Civic Platform party....
, Grzegorz Schetyna
Grzegorz Schetyna
Grzegorz Juliusz Schetyna is a Polish politician. He was elected to the Sejm as a candidate of the Civic Platform on September 25, 2005 after receiving 14,978 votes in 1 Legnica district...
, Waldemar Pawlak
Waldemar Pawlak
Waldemar Pawlak is a Polish politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Poland, briefly in 1992 and again from 1993 to 1995. Since November 2007, he has been Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy. Pawlak is the only person who held the office of Prime Minister twice during the...
, Cezary Grabarczyk
Cezary Grabarczyk
Cezary Stanisław Grabarczyk is a Polish politician.He was elected to the Sejm on September 25, 2005, getting 13,775 votes in the 11th Sieradz district. He stood for election as a candidate on the Platforma Obywatelska list...
, Bogdan Zdrojewski
Bogdan Zdrojewski
Bogdan Zdrojewski is a Polish politician who was the first president of Wrocław after the fall of communism in Poland, and held the seat from 1990 to 2001. Afterwards he was a senator and member of the Polish Sejm. Since November 2007, he has been the Minister of Culture and National...
, Maciej Płażyński, Marek Jurek
Marek Jurek
Marek Jurek is a Polish right-wing politician, who does not have a parliamentary seat. Since 20 April 2007 he has been the leader of the aspirant party Right of the Republic, which does not have any MPs....
, Jan Maria Rokita, Maciej Kuron
Maciej Kuroń
Maciej Kuroń , was a Polish journalist and culinary publicist. He was a host of television culinary shows, which made him very popular in Poland...
, Bronisław Wildstein, Marcin Meller
Marcin Meller
Marcin Meller is a Polish historian, journalist and editor-in-chief of the Polish edition of Playboy magazine. Former member of the Independent Students' Union....
, Paweł Piskorski, Adam Bielan
Adam Bielan
Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping....
.
See also
- Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
- Soviet EmpireSoviet EmpireDuring the Cold War, the informal term "Soviet Empire" referred to the Soviet Union's influence over a number of smaller nations who were nominally independent but subject to direct military force if they tried to leave the Soviet system; see Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and Prague Spring.Though...
- Poznań 1956 protestsPoznan 1956 protestsThe Poznań 1956 protests, also known as Poznań 1956 uprising or Poznań June , were the first of several massive protests of the Polish people against the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland...
- Polish 1970 protestsPolish 1970 protestsThe Polish 1970 protests were protests that occurred in northern Poland in December 1970. The protests were sparked by a sudden increase of prices of food and other everyday items...
- Lublin 1980 strikesLublin 1980 strikesThe Lublin 1980 strikes were the series of workers’ strikes in the area of the eastern city of Lublin , demanding better salaries and lower prices of food products. They began on July 8, 1980, at the State Aviation Works in Świdnik, a town located on the outskirts of Lublin...
- Rural SolidarityRural SolidarityRural Solidarity is a trade union of Polish farmers, established in late 1980 as part of the growing Solidarity movement...