At the end of the 1980s, there was ubiquitous stagnation and uncertainty in Poland. The communist system was clearly in decline, and misunderstandings between the authorities and the opposition only added fuel to the fire. Then a proposal was made to settle the dispute during a debate between Alfred Miodowicz and Alfred Miodowicz, who initiated the meeting.
The authorities set the conditions for the Wałęsa-Miodowicz debate. The opposition had no choice
Initially, the opposition was not particularly happy about this fact. In one of the interviews, Adam Michnik admitted that many people were afraid that the leader of “Solidarity” would fall in a clash with a high-ranking communist and the chairman of the All-Polish Alliance of Trade Unions. However, the decision was made and there was no turning back. Intensive preparations for the debate began, but the authorities quickly made it clear – the meeting would only take place if the oppositionists agreed to the conditions. And so it happened.
A studio was chosen as the venue for the debate. Despite many concerns, Wałęsa approached the topic honestly, spending long hours on preparations. Suggestions came from all sides as to what he should say and how he should say it, but he tried to find a golden mean and balance in it all.
Wałęsa defeated Miodowicz during the debate. There was a nervous atmosphere among the communists
As agreed, on the evening of November 30, 1988, he appeared at the TVP studio, accompanied by Krzysztof Pusz and the driver. The first slogan he threw at his rival were the words “I will destroy you.” Miodowicz did not hide his surprise, but he did not let himself be thrown off balance. The debate, instead of political topics, started with insults about appearance. Eventually, however, the conversation took the right track, during which the leader of “Solidarity” could show off. He usually responded to his interlocutor’s observations with a retort, as when Miodowicz praised the successes and numerous achievements of communism. – You go to modernity step by step, on foot, but here the world travels by car – Wałęsa said wryly, who in the eyes of citizens was the undisputed winner of this clash and the hope for a better tomorrow.
However, the politician had a different opinion about his speech. He was absolutely convinced that he could not cope, for which he even apologized to his colleagues. Only a phone call to his wife confirmed his belief that it was much better than he thought. – We went inside and immediately called Gdańsk to find out what Mrs. Danuta Wałęsowa thought. She was happy. This calmed Lech down, Bronisław Geremek said years later. Miodowicz had slightly different feelings: he was extremely satisfied with the way he presented himself, but the older communists did not share this opinion. They claimed that he had let the devil out of the bottle with this debate, and the only way to stop it was to convene a Round Table.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
