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FORMATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION AND ITS SUCCESSES

After demonstrations on June 15th 1976 the opposition started to be formed. In July many people signed the letters of protest against the behaviour of the governmental forces during the strikes. Warsaw opposition got in touch with the families of arrested and those who lost their jobs. They started to help the residents of Ursus and later Radom, too.
 
Jacek Kuron
On September 23rd 1976 Committee of Workers' Protection was founded, which announced its help for all people who needed it, collecting information related to reprisals and publishing it. The main purpose of the Committee was to help set free all the arrested, give them back their jobs and punish guilty of breaking the law. There were fourteen founders of the committee: Jerzy Andrzejewski, Stanislaw Baranczak, Ludwik Cohn, Jacek Kuron, Edward Lipinski, Jan Jozef Lipski, Antoni Macierewicz, Piotr Naimski, Antoni Pajdak, Jozef Rybicki, Aniela Steinsbergowa, Adam Szczypiorski, priest Jan Zieja, Wojciech Ziembinski.

The Committee was treated as an illegal organization. Security Servants started to persecute its members and tried to frighten them. During this time they still helped workmen and printed "Komunikat", in which they openly wrote about reprisals. In November the Committee appealed to the society for sending some letters to Seym with demand for forming commissions, which would look through law regulations. These letters were signed by a few thousands of people. However the authority did not resign from reprisals.

On February 3rd 1977 in Ursus Edward Gierek announced acts of grace for arrested and sentenced after June events but he did not criticize the behaviour of policemen and judges.

From the beginning the authority ignored the Committee. There were searches of the members' houses, threats, workmen were made redundant. Gierek said that the opposition was an enemy not only of socialism but also of all Polish people because of serving foreign forces.

Since April the relations between KOR and the government were getting worse. There were some demonstrations. In the answer to it, arrest started. The members of KOR decided to begin a hunger strike. On July 22nd 1977 the act of amnesty was announced. The government (without SB) was taking a passive position in the face of KOR.

On September 29th 1977 KOR changed into Committee of Social Self-defence (Komitet Samoobrony Spolecznej "KOR"). In the committee there were above thirty members of KOR. Their purpose was to protect civil rights and democracy. On March 26th 1977 "Ruch Obrony Praw Czlowieka i Obywatela" was established , which had the same purpose, which KOR had. They wanted to bring back independence.

On September 1st 1979 Leszek Moczulski founded "Konfederacja Polski Niepodleglej". It was a political party with radical independent and anti-communist program.
 
Lech Walesa as a boss
of MKS in Gdansk.
Opposition hoped for political turning-point when the pressure of society on authority appeared. Then many new political groups were founded: "Komitety Zalozycielskie Wolnych Zwiazkow Zawodowych", "WZZ Wybrzeze".