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Originally published in 1983, this is a detailed and hard-headed analysis of events in Poland from summer 1980 to December 1981, the period in which the efforts of Solidarity to achieve a free trade union and some degree of autonomy for working people were met with a final clampdown by the authorities. It was the first major academic study of the crisis and emphasizes the dichotomy between public and media opinion, and the views held by academics.

The book deals with a key feature of the crisis - the possibility of a peaceful solution. Most political analysts of the time agreed that the Soviet leadership and the Red Army would not permit the downfall of the communist regime in Poland that that therefore military rule was inevitable. The author, who wrote widely on Polish affairs, challenges this stance and studies the internal politics of Poland to see if a peaceful solution was possible, and if not, why not.