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Independent Students' Association
Independent Students' Association (Polish: Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów, NZS) is a Polish student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement and the anti-government strike actions (see: History of Solidarity). It was a student arm, or suborganization, of Solidarity, and together with it, as well as other similar organizations, was banned after the implementation of martial law in Poland (December 13, 1981). Some activists were arrested, and others organized an underground NZS. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the organization was recreated, and its focus was changed from political to cultural, although it still stands by its origins, as seen by Polish students’ support for the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. It now is the largest independent student organization in Poland, with 90 chapters at Polish universities and a total of 20,000 members.
The first meeting of students demanding independent Association took place on August 27, 1980, in Gdańsk. On September 2, the Temporary Founding Committee of the University of Gdańsk was created, followed by similar bodies in other Polish cities, such as Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków.
Between 18 and 19 October 1980, at the Warsaw University of Technology, a founding meeting of a newly created student organization took place, with 60 chapters, representing different Polish universities and colleges. At this point, the name Independent Students’ Association was approved. There were other suggestions for the name, such as Solidarity of the Association of Polish Students, but they were not popular. During the meeting, it was decided that the NZS would be seated in Warsaw, and the National Founding Committee was established, with eleven members (among them Maciej Kuroń, and Piotr Bikont). The NZS associated itself with the late 1970s organization, Student Committee of Solidarity, created in 1977, following the murder of Stanisław Pyjas.
In 1980, the Association may have been viewed as a student equivalent of Solidarity, as it was created following the strikes of the so-called Polish August 1980. It led to the gathering of young people who wished to organize themselves independently of the Communist regime. They called for democratization of Polish universities, as well as respect for the Polish patriotic traditions of fighting for independence. The NZS was an alternative to the official Polish Students' Association (ZSP), which was subordinated to the Polish United Workers' Party.
The first request for legalization of the NZS was presented in the Provincial Court in Warsaw on October 20, 1980, but the Justice refused. On November 13, the Warsaw Court stated that only laborers were entitled to create trade unions. In response, strikes and protests were organized throughout the fall of 1980 and winter of 1980-1981, with the most extensive taking place at the University of Poznań (November 1980), and the University of Łódź (January - February 1981). Among those who took part in the Łódź strikes was an international soccer player, Stanisław Terlecki, who used his connections to get food for students. Desperate students of the Warsaw University began to occupy the college in late November 1980, but due to the mediation of rector Henryk Samsonowicz, the protest was terminated.
On January 11, 1981, students of the Mathematics - Physics - Chemistry Department of the University of Łódź began a strike, which on January 21 spread across the whole college. According to NZS sources, it was the longest occupational strike of students in the history of Europe, with 10 000 students participating. On February 9, University of Poznań joined their Łódź colleagues, declaring a solidarity strike.
On February 17, 1981, the government accepted registration of the Association, under the condition that it would abide by the Constitution. The following day, the strikes in Łódź ended. The government pledged to grant more autonomy to the students and agreed that the students would no longer be obliged to study the Russian language. Another concession was the elimination of compulsory Marxist-Leninist courses. The Government's decision to register the association was met by Łódź student's applause. The students stood up and sang the Polish national anthem. The Łódź Agreement is still regarded as the student equivalent of the Gdańsk Agreement. Furthermore, the student strikes in Łódź were mentioned by the Communist services as one of reasons for establishing the law.
Between 3–6 April 1981, at Kraków's Pedagogical University, the First Meeting of NZS Delegates took place. It gathered 240 activists from 66 Polish colleges and universities (out of 89 such schools existing then nationwide). The National Coordinating Commission was elected, and the first chairman of the NZS was Jagiellonian University's Jarosław Guzy. Statutes of the Association were written by a young student of law, Jan Maria Rokita.
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Independent Students' Association
Independent Students' Association (Polish: Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów, NZS) is a Polish student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement and the anti-government strike actions (see: History of Solidarity). It was a student arm, or suborganization, of Solidarity, and together with it, as well as other similar organizations, was banned after the implementation of martial law in Poland (December 13, 1981). Some activists were arrested, and others organized an underground NZS. After the fall of Communism in 1989, the organization was recreated, and its focus was changed from political to cultural, although it still stands by its origins, as seen by Polish students’ support for the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. It now is the largest independent student organization in Poland, with 90 chapters at Polish universities and a total of 20,000 members.
The first meeting of students demanding independent Association took place on August 27, 1980, in Gdańsk. On September 2, the Temporary Founding Committee of the University of Gdańsk was created, followed by similar bodies in other Polish cities, such as Warsaw, Poznań, and Kraków.
Between 18 and 19 October 1980, at the Warsaw University of Technology, a founding meeting of a newly created student organization took place, with 60 chapters, representing different Polish universities and colleges. At this point, the name Independent Students’ Association was approved. There were other suggestions for the name, such as Solidarity of the Association of Polish Students, but they were not popular. During the meeting, it was decided that the NZS would be seated in Warsaw, and the National Founding Committee was established, with eleven members (among them Maciej Kuroń, and Piotr Bikont). The NZS associated itself with the late 1970s organization, Student Committee of Solidarity, created in 1977, following the murder of Stanisław Pyjas.
In 1980, the Association may have been viewed as a student equivalent of Solidarity, as it was created following the strikes of the so-called Polish August 1980. It led to the gathering of young people who wished to organize themselves independently of the Communist regime. They called for democratization of Polish universities, as well as respect for the Polish patriotic traditions of fighting for independence. The NZS was an alternative to the official Polish Students' Association (ZSP), which was subordinated to the Polish United Workers' Party.
The first request for legalization of the NZS was presented in the Provincial Court in Warsaw on October 20, 1980, but the Justice refused. On November 13, the Warsaw Court stated that only laborers were entitled to create trade unions. In response, strikes and protests were organized throughout the fall of 1980 and winter of 1980-1981, with the most extensive taking place at the University of Poznań (November 1980), and the University of Łódź (January - February 1981). Among those who took part in the Łódź strikes was an international soccer player, Stanisław Terlecki, who used his connections to get food for students. Desperate students of the Warsaw University began to occupy the college in late November 1980, but due to the mediation of rector Henryk Samsonowicz, the protest was terminated.
On January 11, 1981, students of the Mathematics - Physics - Chemistry Department of the University of Łódź began a strike, which on January 21 spread across the whole college. According to NZS sources, it was the longest occupational strike of students in the history of Europe, with 10 000 students participating. On February 9, University of Poznań joined their Łódź colleagues, declaring a solidarity strike.
On February 17, 1981, the government accepted registration of the Association, under the condition that it would abide by the Constitution. The following day, the strikes in Łódź ended. The government pledged to grant more autonomy to the students and agreed that the students would no longer be obliged to study the Russian language. Another concession was the elimination of compulsory Marxist-Leninist courses. The Government's decision to register the association was met by Łódź student's applause. The students stood up and sang the Polish national anthem. The Łódź Agreement is still regarded as the student equivalent of the Gdańsk Agreement. Furthermore, the student strikes in Łódź were mentioned by the Communist services as one of reasons for establishing the law.
Between 3–6 April 1981, at Kraków's Pedagogical University, the First Meeting of NZS Delegates took place. It gathered 240 activists from 66 Polish colleges and universities (out of 89 such schools existing then nationwide). The National Coordinating Commission was elected, and the first chairman of the NZS was Jagiellonian University's Jarosław Guzy. Statutes of the Association were written by a young student of law, Jan Maria Rokita.
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