When someone tells you that the 80's protests in communist Poland were inspired by the US, pro-capitalist or any other similar bullshit, just have a look at this 1980 list of 21 Interfactory Strike Committee postulates.
@kravietz To be completely fair, anything that was anti-Soviet, regardless of how otherwise socialist it might have been, would have had Western support.
Also in France you had Jean-Paul Sartre who was diehard Stalin supporter until I think late 60's!
In Germany you had Rote Arme Fraktion (RAF) and their left-wing supporters who received direct support from Stasi and spent plenty of time hiding in Eastern Bloc after especially bloody attacks.
@kravietz NB: Not that I defend Reagan or Thatcher. It's simply that "the West" circa 1982 was defined by them.
> policy-makers
Here's the difference: in the West you didn't need to be a "policy maker" to make difference.
I remember in especially grim period of 80's my family was receiving humanitarian support parcels from Austria (or was it Germany?) with stuff like sweets, toys and clothes that looked from another universe.
@kravietz Independent small-scale action was possible, yes.
People were protesting in the streets, bombing buildings (and occasionally people), and of course, making full use of the Free Press.
But they Were Not In Charge.
This is the 3rd or 4th time I've attempted to make that point. It's on you to sort out what I'm trying to say here.
From less exciting examples: in 1920's British socialist dockers were able to block arms shipments to Poland, which was then fighting against Soviet invasion. In the UK they *could* do it. In USSR any such action would take them straight to GULag or mass grave.
@kravietz None of whom were effectual power-brokers or policy-makers on the geopolitical scene. They were bit players.
Keep your eye on the ball.