Polish Solidarity was a phenomenon combining a trade union, a social movement and general ideas of freedom and solidarity. Led by Lech Walesa it contributed greatly to the evolution of the old system and to its final collapse in 1989, followed then by the end of the communist regimes in all of Central Europe. Today we celebrate the 25 anniversary of these peaceful revolutions. What is left of Solidarity? What is still important? How did it evolve and how did it contribute to the collapse of the old system, and to the building of the new? These are the questions the authors, leading specialists on social movements, institutions, structures and social change address in this book.

Andrzej Rychard, is a sociologist, Full Professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences and Director of the the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His main areas of research are sociology of political and economic institutions and post-communist transformation.
Gabriel Motzkin is the Director of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and an emeritus Professor of the Hebrew University. He held the Ahad Häam Chair in Philosophy, and was also a member of the Departments of History and German Literature. He served as the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Director of the Franz Rosenzweig Center for German-Jewish Literature and Cultural History. He has also been a Fellow at the Siemens Foundation, the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge, the Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science, the Einstein Forum, the Wiener Institute at Tel Aviv University, the Max-Planck-Institute for History, the Wissenschaftskolleg (Berlin), and the Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung (Bielefeld).

Contents: Henryk Domanski: Solidarity and Patterns of Contentious Politics in the 2000s in Europe - Marcin Frybes: The Many Lives and Deaths of the Solidarity Movement - Ireneusz Krzeminski: The Solidarity Movement - Hard Work and Hopes for Democracy - Jack Bielasiak: The Paradox of Solidarity's Legacy: Contested Values in Poland's Transitional Politics - Andrzej Rychard: Solidarity: Its Evolution and Legacy. How did it happen that a populist movement introduced the market economy and democracy? - Marek Ziólkowski: Fulfilled Promises and Unexpected Results: Solidarity's double-edged legacy. How a social movement fighting for democracy helped to build liberal market capitalism - François Bafoil: East European Civil Societies in the 90's: A Legacy of Solidarity or Completely Different Historical Paths? - Jan Kubik: Solidarity's Afterlife: Amidst Forgetting and Bickering - Shmuel N. Eisenstadt: The Velvet and the Classical Revolutions - A Comparative Analysis.