Crackdown on Polish Protests

Date: December 17, 1970 • Location: Gdynia, Poland

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1970–1971.

Polish soldiers fired at workers (memorial pictured) emerging from trains in Gdynia, beginning the government's crackdown on mass anti-communist protests across the country.

The December 1970 protests in Poland, also known as the December 1970 events, December events, December revolution, and the Coast Massacre, occurred in northern Poland from 14–19 December 1970. The protests were sparked by a sudden increase in the prices of food and other everyday items while wages remained stagnant. Strikes were put down by the Polish People's Army and the Citizen's Militia, resulting in at least 44 people killed and more than 1,000 wounded.