Thread by @iangarrickmason

Given our situation, I'm putting some effort into learning about non-violent resistance movements and how they work. This weekend I read a short analysis of Poland's Solidarity movement, which successfully ended communism in that country. Some thoughts: /1

It took a long time. Communists stole elections in 1946, and finally relinquished power in 1989. That's 43 years of resistance effort. And for the first 34 of those years, Solidarity didn't even exist; Poles spent that time consolidating various social forces into a movement. /2

Communists defended their regime with the familiar Narrative game: student protestors in 1968 were merely "hooligans" and "troublemakers". They also used division tactics to set workers against students, employing them as counter-demonstrators to break up protests. /3

Solidarity was built on top of a multi-layered alternate civil society developed over 30 yrs: an underground press with 400 periodicals; a parallel education system to teach non-Communist thinking (i.e. truth); a decentralized & interconnected web of activists and organizers. /4

Throughout its effort, Solidarity maintained a strict discipline of non-violence, believing in its greater effectiveness at weakening the Communist hold on power, and in its strengthening effect on a free, post-Communist order. /5

Solidarity's aim was to de-legitimize the Communist government, gradually disconnecting it from society without provoking a violent suppressive counter-campaign. Martial law (1981-84), for example, saw hundreds arrested and the movement forced to reorganize. /6

Obviously, Solidarity was ultimately successful. Every struggle is unique, but there is a great deal to learn from their example, both practically and philosophically, as we contemplate how to recover and preserve freedom in the West. /7

Here's the full analysis, from ICNC: nonviolent-conflict.org/polands-solida…