6 Flying to Gdańsk
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Gavin Rae
Abstract
Tadeusz Kowalik directly participated in one of the most momentous events in Poland’s post-war history: the strikes at the Gdańsk shipyards in 1980. Kowalik played a central role in the negotiations, instigating the formation of a delegation of experts to advise the strikers. In the years leading up to these strikes, Kowalik had turned to analysing the nature of socialism and was enticed by alternative models of socialism. He also analysed the relationship between the economy and society and began cooperating more directly with sociologists, believing that economics in Poland was fixated on specialist technical issues and had become dehumanised in a similar manner to neoclassical economics in the West. Issues of (de)alienation, self-management, coo-perative socialism etc. engrossed Kowalik. These also chimed with some of the demands put forward by striking workers at this time, who briefly embodied many of the themes running through Kowalik’s work. Kowalik believed in saving and reforming socialism, rather than working for its downfall, and tried to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between the strikers and ruling authorities. By the end of 1981, Kowalik’s hopes for such a compromise were severely damaged when martial law was introduced in an attempt by the ruling authorities to reassert their control in Poland.
Abstract
Tadeusz Kowalik directly participated in one of the most momentous events in Poland’s post-war history: the strikes at the Gdańsk shipyards in 1980. Kowalik played a central role in the negotiations, instigating the formation of a delegation of experts to advise the strikers. In the years leading up to these strikes, Kowalik had turned to analysing the nature of socialism and was enticed by alternative models of socialism. He also analysed the relationship between the economy and society and began cooperating more directly with sociologists, believing that economics in Poland was fixated on specialist technical issues and had become dehumanised in a similar manner to neoclassical economics in the West. Issues of (de)alienation, self-management, coo-perative socialism etc. engrossed Kowalik. These also chimed with some of the demands put forward by striking workers at this time, who briefly embodied many of the themes running through Kowalik’s work. Kowalik believed in saving and reforming socialism, rather than working for its downfall, and tried to facilitate dialogue and cooperation between the strikers and ruling authorities. By the end of 1981, Kowalik’s hopes for such a compromise were severely damaged when martial law was introduced in an attempt by the ruling authorities to reassert their control in Poland.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Preface viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- List of abbreviations xii
- Introduction 1
- 1 A tragic advance 18
- 2 Socialist pluralism 33
- 3 Krzywicki and friends 60
- 4 The political and intellectual ferment after 1956 76
- 5 Luxemburg, Kalecki and the crucial reform of capitalism 92
- 6 Flying to Gdańsk 107
- 7 Converging from socialism 129
- 8 The shock of betrayal 146
- 9 Varieties of capitalism 165
- 10 No left turn 180
- 11 Back to the future 196
- Afterword 214
- Index 218
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Preface viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- List of abbreviations xii
- Introduction 1
- 1 A tragic advance 18
- 2 Socialist pluralism 33
- 3 Krzywicki and friends 60
- 4 The political and intellectual ferment after 1956 76
- 5 Luxemburg, Kalecki and the crucial reform of capitalism 92
- 6 Flying to Gdańsk 107
- 7 Converging from socialism 129
- 8 The shock of betrayal 146
- 9 Varieties of capitalism 165
- 10 No left turn 180
- 11 Back to the future 196
- Afterword 214
- Index 218
