The news about strike was sent to Gomulka. Meanwhile in Gdansk there were more and more demonstrating people. Militia detachments attacked. There was a heavy fight between MO and demonstrators. Strikers set fire to the printing-office in Province Committee building. In the evening Militia arrested ordinary people, who were locked in police offices. They were beaten and later taken to different prisons. This kind of terror was used during December events in towns and cities, in which people protested.

The shipyard is empty as if everybody left it.

Next day the strike in Gdansk spread to other institutions. People from other parts of Poland knew nothing about the situation in Gdansk. Once again there was a demonstration in the shipyard. The members of it went to the Province Committee edifice and afterwards - to the main province militia station, where there again were heavy fights. Militia used tear-gases, canes. In this situation the party management and the government decided to introduce the martial law in Gdansk and police-hour from 6 pm to 6 am. They gave permission to Militia and army to use the weapons if there were some attacks or arsons. In the meantime demonstrators set fire to the edifice of "Voivodeship Council of Trade Unions". The edifice of NOT (a scientific organization) was burned as well.

On December 15th in Gdansk Gomulka formed a local headquarters, which had to liquidate the conflict. There were some members of Political Office: Kliszko, Kociolek, Loga-Sowinski, Korczynski.

Strikes broke out also in other cities like: Gdynia, Elblag, Szczecin, Slupsk. And once again the army, which occupied Gdansk, attacked. Soldiers started to shoot. Two people were killed and some were injured.

Kliszko decided to close the shipyard. In the same time Kociolek, who knew nothing about it, called shipyarders to return to work. And that is why they arrived at the station thinking about going to work, but the army was there. Nobody knew what was going on. However workers went to the shipyard and then soldiers started to shoot, they used tanks and helicopters. A few people were killed.

Szczecin - December 17th 1970

Strikes spread over to seven provinces. In the effect of fights 9 people were killed in Gdansk, 18 in Gdynia , 16 in Szczecin and 1 person in Elblag. 1165 people were injured, about 3 thousand people were arrested. On December 18th 1970 the Political Office got a letter from the USSR government, in which they advised their "Polish friends" to solve the problem by political methods, not by terror. It meant that Gomulka had lost the USSR's support. He had to resign.

On December 20th there was a meeting of Polish United Workers' Party leaders in Warsaw. They accepted Gomulka's resignation. Edward Gierek took his place. The closest collaborators of Gomulka: Kiliszko, Spychalski, Strzelecki, Jaszczuk were dismissed from the Political Office. Their places were taken over partly by adherents of Gierek and partly by people from Moczar's team.