Twenty-five years ago, the first cracks in the Iron Curtain appeared

The 25th anniversary of the founding of Solidarity in Poland is approaching. Spiegel Online (the web site of a German magazine) has an interview with a French sociologist who was the confidante of many of the early leaders of the movement that resulted in the formation of Solidarity.

It can be argued that the Solidarity movement in Poland was the first crack in the Iron Curtain that ultimately resulted in the disintegration of the Soviet empire. As that age fades into history, it is important that we gain what understanding is possible of the time and the people in it.

It is important to learn from history; we repeat it often enough as it is.

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Cross-posted to Random Fate.