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Independent Students' Association (, NZS) is a Polish student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the
Gdańsk Agreement The August Agreements () was a set of four accords reached between the government of the Polish People's Republic and the Strike action, striking shipyard workers in Poland. The accord, signed in late August 1980 by government representative Miecz ...
and the anti-government strike actions (see:
History of Solidarity Solidarity (, pronounced ), a Polish non-governmental trade union, was founded on August 14, 1980, at the Lenin Shipyards (now Gdańsk Shipyards) by Lech Wałęsa and others. In the early 1980s, it became the first independent labor union in an ...
). It was a student arm, or suborganization, of
Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
, and together with it, as well as other similar organizations, was banned after the implementation of
martial law in Poland Martial law in Poland () existed between 13 December 1981 and 22 July 1983. The Polish United Workers' Party, government of the Polish People's Republic drastically restricted everyday life by introducing martial law and a military junta in an a ...
(December 13, 1981). Some activists were arrested, and others organized an underground NZS. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the organization was recreated, and its focus was changed from political to cultural, although it still stands by its origins, as seen by Polish students’ support for the
Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...
in
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. It now is the largest independent student organization in Poland, with 90 chapters at Polish universities and a total of 20,000 members.


Beginnings

The first meeting of students demanding independent Association took place on August 27, 1980, in
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
. On September 2, the Temporary Founding Committee of the
University of Gdańsk The University of Gdańsk () is a public university, public research university located in Gdańsk, Poland. It is one of the top 10 universities in Poland and an important centre for the studies of the Kashubian language. History The Universi ...
was created, followed by similar bodies in other Polish cities, such as Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków. Between 18 and 19 October 1980, at the
Warsaw University of Technology The Warsaw University of Technology () is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe. It employs 2,453 teaching faculty, with 357 professors (including 145 titular professors). The student body ...
, a founding meeting of a newly created student organization took place, with 60 chapters, representing different Polish universities and colleges. At this point, the name Independent Students’ Association was approved. There were other suggestions for the name, such as Solidarity of the Association of Polish Students, but they were not popular. During the meeting, it was decided that the NZS would be seated in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, and the National Founding Committee was established, with eleven members (among them Maciej Kuroń, and Piotr Bikont). The NZS associated itself with the late 1970s organization,
Student Committee of Solidarity The Student Committee of Solidarity () was a student group created in Kraków in 1977 whose purpose was opposition to the Communist government in Poland.Michael H. Bernhard, "The origins of democratization in Poland: workers, intellectuals, and oppo ...
, created in 1977, following the murder of
Stanisław Pyjas Stanisław Włodzimierz Pyjas (1953–1977) was a Polish student of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, member of the anticommunist student movements. He died on 7 May 1977, in Kraków. The exact circumstances of Pyjas’ death are still a ...
. In 1980, the Association may have been viewed as a student equivalent of Solidarity, as it was created following the strikes of the so-called Polish August 1980. It led to the gathering of young people who wished to organize themselves independently of the Communist regime. They called for democratization of Polish universities, as well as respect for the Polish patriotic traditions of fighting for independence. The NZS was an alternative to the official Polish Students' Association (ZSP), which was subordinated to the
Polish United Workers' Party The Polish United Workers' Party (, ), commonly abbreviated to PZPR, was the communist party which ruled the Polish People's Republic as a one-party state from 1948 to 1989. The PZPR had led two other legally permitted subordinate minor parti ...
.


Legalization

The first request for legalization of the NZS was presented in the Provincial Court in Warsaw on October 20, 1980, but the Justice refused. On November 13, the Warsaw Court stated that only laborers were entitled to create trade unions. In response, strikes and protests were organized throughout the fall of 1980 and winter of 1980-1981, with the most extensive taking place at the
University of Poznań A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
(November 1980), and the
University of Łódź The University of Łódź (, ) is a public research university founded in 1945 in Łódź, Poland, as a continuation of three higher education institutions functioning in Łódź in the interwar period — the Teacher Training Institute (192 ...
(January - February 1981). Among those who took part in the Łódź strikes was an international soccer player, Stanisław Terlecki, who used his connections to get food for students. Desperate students of the Warsaw University began to occupy the college in late November 1980, but due to the mediation of rector
Henryk Samsonowicz Henryk Bohdan Samsonowicz (23 January 1930 – 28 May 2021) was a Polish historian specializing in History of Poland in the Middle Ages, medieval Poland, prolific writer, and professor of the University of Warsaw. In 1989–1990, he was the minis ...
, the protest was terminated.


1981 strikes in Łódź

On January 11, 1981, students of the Mathematics - Physics - Chemistry Department of the University of Łódź began a strike, which on January 21 spread across the whole college. According to NZS sources, it was the longest occupational strike of students in the history of Europe, with 10 000 students participating. On February 9,
University of Poznań A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
joined their Łódź colleagues, declaring a solidarity strike. On February 17, 1981, the government accepted registration of the Association, under the condition that it would abide by the Constitution. The following day, the strikes in Łódź ended. The government pledged to grant more autonomy to the students and agreed that the students would no longer be obliged to study the Russian language. Another concession was the elimination of compulsory Marxist-Leninist courses. The Government's decision to register the association was met by Łódź student's applause. The students stood up and sang the
Polish national anthem "Poland Is Not Yet Lost", also known in Polish as "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" (; ) and formerly the "Song of the Polish Legions in Italy", is the national anthem of Poland. The original lyrics were written by Józef Wybicki in Reggio Emilia, in No ...
. The Łódź Agreement is still regarded as the student equivalent of the Gdańsk Agreement. Furthermore, the student strikes in Łódź were mentioned by the Communist services as one of reasons for establishing the law.


Period of independence

Between 3–6 April 1981, at Kraków's
Pedagogical University The Maputo University () is one of Mozambique's principal universities. The name of the university is abbreviated to UniMaputo or UM. As a university, it was the first and the only public fully dedicated to teacher education in the country. Accor ...
, the First Meeting of NZS Delegates took place. It gathered 240 activists from 66 Polish colleges and universities (out of 89 such schools existing then nationwide). The National Coordinating Commission was elected, and the first chairman of the NZS was
Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...
's Jarosław Guzy. Statutes of the Association were written by a young student of law,
Jan Maria Rokita Jan Władysław Maria Rokita (, born 18 June 1959) is a Polish liberal conservative politician, a member of the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Parliament of Poland, Polish parliament. He was chairman of the parliamentary club of the Civic Platfor ...
. The Association quickly grew, reaching by May 1981 some 80 000 members. Its Coordinating Commission was planning to open an independent students’ magazine, but the government refused, explaining that there was "lack of paper". NZS was a very active association, which organized meetings with key members of the opposition movement (such as
Adam Michnik Adam Michnik (; born 17 October 1946) is a Polish historian, essayist, former Anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1989), dissident, Intellectual#Public intellectual, public intellectual, as well as co-founder and editor-in-chief of the P ...
,
Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...
,
Jacek Kuroń Jacek Jan Kuroń (; 3 March 1934 – 17 June 2004) was one of the democratic leaders of opposition in the People's Republic of Poland. He was widely known as the "godfather of the Polish opposition," not unlike Václav Havel in Czechoslovakia. Kur ...
). Furthermore, the Association was deeply engaged in political actions. On May 25, 1981, in several Polish cities, the students organized street marches in defence of political prisoners. In November 1981, 55 000 students of 81 Polish colleges declared a general strike to demand the ouster of a newly appointed rector at the Radom Engineering School. In late November and early December 1981, another important event took place. On November 25, students of Warsaw's School of Fire Service Officers went on strike to protest their college's being subjected directly to the Ministry of Interior and Administration versus the Higher Education Bill. The cadets demanded both an exemption from police duties, and academic rights.


Banning and re-establishment

Polish students did not enjoy their freedom for long. Following the
martial law in Poland Martial law in Poland () existed between 13 December 1981 and 22 July 1983. The Polish United Workers' Party, government of the Polish People's Republic drastically restricted everyday life by introducing martial law and a military junta in an a ...
, the Association was banned on February 5, 1981, and many of its activists were arrested. The NZS was still active in the underground, especially in large population centers, such as Warsaw, Wrocław and Kraków. Some of its members, such as Teodor Klincewicz from Warsaw, were actively involved in various forms of anti-government protests. Also, students of the Law Department at Łódź University, in opposition to martial law, organized a sit-in, which was brutally broken by the riot police. Another strike was broken at Kraków's
Pedagogical University The Maputo University () is one of Mozambique's principal universities. The name of the university is abbreviated to UniMaputo or UM. As a university, it was the first and the only public fully dedicated to teacher education in the country. Accor ...
. At some point in the mid-1980s, the Association began cooperation with high-school students organization Federation of Fighting Youth. The NZS, which in the years 1984-1985 was in the decline, began to flourish, beginning in 1986, when a new generation of students replaced the old. The number of
self-published Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fr ...
magazines grew, new chapters were created, and finally, in September 1988, during the Third Meeting of NZS Delegates in Gdańsk, new leaders were elected. Soon afterwards, the Registration Committees were opened across the nation, and thousands of students joined the Association. During the round table talks, it was agreed that the NZS would be re-registered. However, the government did not keep this promise. This resulted in the creation of the National Student Strike Committee, which consisted of: Tomasz Ziemiński, Mariusz Kamiński, Przemysław Gosiewski, P. Nycz, W. Kiliński, Sławomir Skrzypek, R. Kosiorek,
Grzegorz Schetyna Grzegorz Juliusz Schetyna (; born 18 February 1963) is a Polish politician who was Leader of Civic Platform and Leader of the Opposition from 26 January 2016 to 25 January 2020. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland from 2014 ...
, B. Pichur, Artur Olszewski, Igor Wójcik, P. Janiszewski, A. Jasionowski, K. Zemler, R. Bitner, A. Szczepkowski and P. Swaczyna. As
Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...
later recalled, the Communists did not want to give up their monopoly of youth organizations. Most Polish colleges began a sit-in, and in Kraków, street fights erupted. During the historic semi-free June 1989 elections, the NZS actively helped Solidarity candidates. The Association was re-legalized on September 22, 1989, when Poland was already ruled by the oppositional government of
Tadeusz Mazowiecki Tadeusz Mazowiecki (; 18 April 1927 – 28 October 2013) was a Polish author, journalist, philanthropist and politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist Polish prime minister since 1946, hav ...
. In the 1990s, NZS limited its political activities, concentrating on cultural events, as well as entertainment. Across the years, NZS total membership has been around 180 000. Several of its activists are now public figures - politicians, journalists, businessmen, artists. Among the most prominent are
Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...
,
Grzegorz Schetyna Grzegorz Juliusz Schetyna (; born 18 February 1963) is a Polish politician who was Leader of Civic Platform and Leader of the Opposition from 26 January 2016 to 25 January 2020. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland from 2014 ...
,
Waldemar Pawlak Waldemar Pawlak (born 5 September 1959) is a Polish politician. He has twice served as Prime Minister of Poland, briefly in 1992 and again from 1993 to 1995. From November 2007 to November 2012 he served as Deputy Prime Minister and the Mini ...
,
Cezary Grabarczyk Cezary Stanisław Grabarczyk (born 26 April 1960) is a Polish politician. He was elected to the Sejm on 25 September 2005, getting 13,775 votes in the 11th Sieradz district. He stood for election as a candidate on the Civic Platform list. Ag ...
,
Bogdan Zdrojewski Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski (born 18 May 1957) is a Polish politician, mayor of Wrocław from 1990 to 2001, and Minister of Culture and National Heritage from 2007 till 2014. He has also been member of the Polish and of the European Parliament. ...
,
Maciej Płażyński Maciej Płażyński (; 10 February 1958 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative politician. Biography Płażyński was born in Młynary. He began his political career in 1980 / 1981 as one of the leaders of ...
,
Marek Jurek Marek Jurek (; 28 June 1960 in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland) is a right-wing politician and a Member of the European Parliament. Since 20 April 2007 he has been the leader of the aspirant party Right of the Republic. Politically, he is most kno ...
,
Włodzimierz Julian Korab-Karpowicz Włodzimierz Julian Korab-Karpowicz (born 24 October 1953) is a Polish philosopher and political theorist. Biography W. J. Korab-Karpowicz was born in Gliwice, Poland in 1953. He comes from a noble Polish family. Korab, included in his family ...
,
Jan Maria Rokita Jan Władysław Maria Rokita (, born 18 June 1959) is a Polish liberal conservative politician, a member of the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Parliament of Poland, Polish parliament. He was chairman of the parliamentary club of the Civic Platfor ...
, Maciej Kuroń,
Bronisław Wildstein Bronisław Wildstein (born 11 June 1952, Olsztyn, Poland) is a former Polish dissident, a journalist, freelance author and, from 11 May 2006 to 28 February 2007, was the chief executive officer of ''Telewizja Polska'' (Polish state-owned televisi ...
,
Marcin Meller Marcin Meller (born 23 October 1968) is a Polish journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Polish edition of Playboy magazine. Former member of the Independent Students' Union. He was born on 23 October 1968 in Warsaw as a son of Polish diplom ...
,
Paweł Piskorski Paweł Bartłomiej Piskorski (born 25 February 1968 in Warsaw) is a former Polish politician. He was Mayor of Warsaw from 30 March 1999 to 14 January 2002. In 1997 he was elected to the Sejm from the Freedom Union electoral list, and in 2001, aft ...
, Adam Bielan, Tadeusz Nowicki.


See also

*
Poznań protests of 1956 Poznań ( ) is a city on the River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair ...
* Polish protests of 1970 * 1980 Lublin strikes *
Rural Solidarity Rural Solidarity (full name ''Independent Self-governing Trade Union of Individual Farmers "Solidarity"'') is a trade union of Polish farmers, established in late 1980 as part of the growing Solidarity movement. Its legalization became possible ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1980 establishments in Poland Polish dissident organisations Solidarity (Polish trade union) Student wings of political parties in Poland Student organizations established in 1980