TY - JOUR TI - The French Left and Polish Solidarity AU - Heruday-Kiełczewska, Magdalena TI - The French Left and Polish Solidarity AB - The 1980 strikes in the cities on the Baltic coast of Poland and the birth of Solidarity stirred the public opinion of the Western world regardless of political views. From this moment on until the end of the 1980s, the French Left (i.e. the political parties, the press and the trade unions representing this orientation) observed the Solidarity. The press provided up-to-date coverage of the developments and commented on French attitudes. The French trade unions CFDT and FO quickly became interested in establishing contacts with Solidarity, which acquired special importance during the Martial Law in Poland. In the period after 13th December 1981, for the ruling Socialist Party the situation might have been especially complicated because ministers from the French Communist Party were present in the government, and the reluctance of the PCF leaders towards Solidarity contributed to a governmental crisis. This period is still very vividly remembered in France.   VL - 2015 IS - Issue 142 (4) PY - 2015 SN - 0083-4351 C1 - 2084-4069 SP - 713 EP - 723 DO - 10.4467/20844069PH.15.043.4078 UR - https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/prace-historyczne/article/francuska-lewica-a-solidarnosc KW - the Left in France KW - Solidarity KW - trade unions KW - press KW - Communists KW - Socialists KW - Martial Law KW - Poland KW - France