Opposition in the 1970s: the Workers’ Defense Committee

The Workers’ Defense Committee was the first open opposition organisation in the Communist Poland which spoke up against the repressions by the authorities
and allayed Poles' fears of the communist dictatorship. It was established in 1976, when Edward Gierek's policy based on loans from the West collapsed.
From our video you'll learn about the circumstances in which the Committee was founded and about its main goals. You'll also find out about the Committee's major activists and its achievements, including the creation of semizdat, which allowed for publishing books without the interference of censorship.
The video is intended for the 8th grade of the primary school and for the secondary school.
The core curriculum
- the 8th grade:
Section 39. Poland during years 1957-1981
Point 5. The student can discuss the beginning and activities of the political opposition during years 1976-1980
- the secondary school
Section 57. Poland during years 1957-1981
Point 4. The student can discuss and evaluate activities of the political opposition during years 1976-1980 (the basic level).
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Dear Teachers,
We've been closely cooperating with you over the last four years, preparing offers for schools and giving lessons and classes accordingly. Today we cannot have you in the museum, but education still remains for us the most important matter. And that is why we decided to prepare special video content based on the Polish core curriculum at different educational stages, and we hope it will come in handy during the difficult time of online teaching and learning. Our videos are inspired by our two permanent exhibitions so you can expect topics on the setting, plot and characters of "Pan Tadeusz" along with the historical context of the poem. There will also be videos on the post-war history of Poland. We do hope that such an unusual visit to our museum will support teaching subjects such as Polish, history and civics to your students.