Word: polisher
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Polish patriotism has been closely bound up with religion ever since the baptism in 966 of the nation's first ruler, Prince Mieszko I. During occupation periods, the Catholic Church kept Polish language and culture alive and served as the main bastion of nationalism. After the 0 Communist takeover in 1945, the church provided a unique alternative to a "godless" Marxist regime. Going to Mass became not only a religious act but a quiet sign of rebellion against the state. Today, 75% to 80% of Poland's 36 million people are practicing Catholics. A deeply religious man, Walesa always wears...
Religion, patriotism and a tragic history fed a current of romantic fatalism that runs deep in the Polish character...
...national ideals that Walesa represents have their roots in more than 1,000 years of Polish history. "They are accustomed to liberty," wrote an anonymous Byzantine historian about the Slavs in the 6th or 7th century. Perhaps because they were so open to invasion by the Germans and the Russians, the Poles early developed a fierce sense of national unity. In addition to repeated foreign invasions, Poland suffered three partitions in the 18th century that wiped it off the map as a separate state until...
...intensity and vitality of all revolutions since 1789." Successive occupations and uprisings, moreover, gave Poles a deep-rooted mistrust of foreign-imposed governments and sharpened their skills at organizing broad-based conspiracies. It also increased their pride in the past. Many of Solidarity's buttons show the Polish eagle adorned with the crown that was banned by the Communists...
...right to strike and form unions, the Warsaw regime granted concessions extraordinary in a Communist country, including reduced censorship and access to the state broadcasting networks for the unions and the church. At a nationally televised ceremony, where strikers and government representatives stood side by side and sang the Polish national anthem, Walesa signed what became known as the Gdansk agreement with a giant souvenir pen bearing the likeness of John Paul...