Abstract
Poland was one of the first countries of the socialist camp which started the fight against the totalitarian regime through civil society activation.
The article studies the influence of “Solidarity” on democratization of Poland as well as on the perception of these processes abroad. The research describes the structural changes in the organization and the impact of their leader Lech Wałęsa on the formation and functioning of the structure. The article determines the reasons of the internal conflict within the self-governed trade union and its role in the formation of an independent democratic Poland. These reasons include: personal conflict between the leaders of “Solidarity” and different vision on the development of the state. Even though there are quite ambiguous views on the personality of Lech Wałęsa we may definitely state that he played a significant role in the formation of the present-day Poland and in the democratization of the whole political system of the country.
The transformation of political composition of Poland has been highlighted. “Solidarity” became not only the symbol of victory over the communist regime in the country, but also the synonym of the democracy in Poland, development of economy, return to international political cooperation. As a proof of this, we may see the resemblance between the tourist logo of Poland and the logo of “Solidarity”, as it caused positive associations with the Republic of Poland abroad.
The study proves that “Solidarity” was not only a trade union, but also a great social movement, which influenced the formation of the international image of the Republic of Poland.