In pictures: Solidarity in Poland:

Striking workers sit under a poster showing a Soviet and Polish flag.

The workers' key economic demands included a pay rise of 40% and family allowances equal to those enjoyed by members of Poland's security forces.

For many, the strike was also reflective of a longer term incompatibility between Polish laws, culture and religion, and Communism.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev famously complained, "Making Poland communist is like trying to saddle a cow".