A Pointless History of the 80s

Join Joe & Cal as we continue our deep dive into the life of Lech Walesa and the Solidarity Union. We left Lech riding high after orchestrating the 1980 strikewave that secured the Gdansk Accords, allowing Solidarity as the first free trade union in the Soviet Union. Our story doesn't end there, however, as we follow the fortunes of Solidarity and Lech through the declaration of Martial Law in December 1981 and the long underground period where Solidarity was outlawed, all the way up to 1989, where they secured another historic victory, sweeping to power in the first semi-free elections in Poland's history. We then look at how Lech and Solidarity fared in government and how the job of running a country on its knees differed from leading the charge against the former regime. Finally we discuss how seriously we should take Joe's claims that Lech has ADHD. Check out the timestamps below if you want to search for anything specific!

Timestamps 

3:00 - Intro and recap

5:00 - The Gdansk Accords

5:30 - Martial law 

13:15 - The underground period

15:45 - Gorbachev’s reforms

19:55 - Solidarity’s transition into power

21:00 - round table talks and first elections

25:45 - Solidarity in government and neoliberal restructuring

30:40 - The fate of the Gdansk shipyard

33:25 - Diagnosing Lech with ADHD

42:38 - Pro or anti?

44:25 - Summing up

References/further reading:

Lech Biopic - Man of Hope (2013)

Lech Wałęsa and the Solidarity Era - Michael Szporer

From solidarity to division: An analysis of Lech Wałęsa's transition to constituted leadership - Danielle N. Lussier

Eastern Europe: Stalinism to solidarity - Anthony Kemp-Welch

Join Joe & Cal as they discuss Gdansk LAD, Lech Walesa, and the Solidarity Union. Lech and his merry men (AND WOMEN) formed the Solidarnosc Union in the Lenin Shipyard, sparking a strike wave that swept through Poland in 1980. The general strike involved over 1 million workers and at its peak the union represented 10 million members, over half the working age population of Poland. The strikes crippled the economy and forced the Soviet authorities to give into Solidaity's demands, becoming the first free trade union in the Soviet Union. If you don't know what any of that means, never fear, as Joe explains the intricacies of trade unions and Soviet Communism to Cal, as well as discussing the factors that made Poland ripe for resistance against the Soviets and how Catholicism shaped the Solidarnosc movement (and also which Communists had the best facial hair, and whether Lech even was a Communist).

Special thanks to Colin Sugg (and his mum).

Lech Biopic - Man of Hope (2013)

Timestamps

3:35 - Preamble chat 

7:30 - Intro to topic

12:50 - Overview 

21:20 - Definitions (communism 21:20, 22:25 soviet communism, 23:30 free trade unions, 30:50 satellite state)

28:15 - Context on Gdansk

31:50 - Communism and polish nationalism

34:30 - Lech Walesa and 1970 strike wave

38:30 - Music and cultural context

43:05 - 1980 strike

46:40 - 14th august, the strike begins 

52:10 - Poland and Catholicism

57:00 - Solidarity’s demands

1:01:50 - Was lech a communist?

1:03:40 - Aftermath of the 1980 strike

1:06:00 - Summing up

1:08:00 - Pro or anti?

Pointless History returns for series 2! We're kicking off the series with a really fun episode discussing "the most iconic sporting event to ever take place" - the nailbiting 1985 World Snooker Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor, which was one of the most watched TV moments of the decade. We also discuss the wider history of snooker, the haphazard origins of the sport's world championship, along with the wider 'snooker boom' of the 80s, and how the entrepreneurial spirit that drove snooker into the mainstream ties into the wider landscape of Thatcherism. 

Time Stamps

Topic intro - 3:30

Setting the scene - 10:20

Cultural Context - 16:48

The Match Itself - 27:36

Post Match Interviews - 35:42

Post Match Effects - 41:47

The Snooker Boom - 45:00

History of Snooker - 48:45

World Championship Origins - 52:30

Colourful Characters - 57:30

Barry Hearn - 1:02:45

Summing up - 1:18:18

Pro or Anti? 1:20:50

Join us for part 2 as we discuss the aftermath of the wedding of the century, along with the rest of Diana's life up to (spoilers) 31st August 1997. We're joined again by Shane for more great insights on the Queen of Our Hearts, enjoy!  

Join us this week as we discuss the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, featuring one of Cardiff's leading Diana experts and friend of the pod, Shane! 

Join Joe & Cal as they dive into the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, struggle to understand nuclear engineering, and ask whether bullying is justified if you eat chicken kievs for dinner every day. Please note *HEAVY* spoilers for the TV show Chernobyl (2019) as we discuss it in detail (and because it's based on a real historical event).

N.B: This episode was recorded in Summer 2021, long before the invasion of Ukraine (The modern day country where Chernobyl is located), so remarks about the situation in Ukraine are referring to the 2014 invasion of Crimea etc.

Interview with the big man Serhii Plokhy: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VoXbOXrQGkHNEfMWQ1Z5j?si=Orvzb9O-Q2-T6KeHzRonlg

Join Joe & Cal as they discuss The Right to Buy Scheme and examine its effects on UK housing policy up to the present day. Find out about how Thatcher's flagship policy of discounted homeownership led to the current housing crisis, why your landlord won't let you put up a shelf, and whether Cal would rather see Russel Howard or Russel Kane live. 

Introductory article: https://www.theguardian.com/housing-network/2017/oct/11/housing-crisis-england-scrap-right-to-buy-help-to-buy

LSE Report on Rent Controls, with some of the statistics on housing tenures since 1900: https://www.lse.ac.uk/business/consulting/assets/documents/assessing-the-evidence-on-rent-control-from-an-international-perspective.pdf

Russel Kane's Right to Buy Podcast: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/seriously/russell-kanes-right-to-buy-JET3IKjFVik/

In this episode we look at the Women's peace camp set up at RAF Greenham Common in September 1981 to protest against the decision to store American nuclear weapons there. We go through the entire history of the protest from its origins in Cardiff to its closure in 2000, asking who the protestors were, what they achieved and whether it would've been better to get John Cooper Clarke to do one of his poems instead. Joe & Cal also discuss Dr. Strangelove, the prospects for nuclear war, and why the women dressed up as teddy bears on Aprils Fool's Day 1983. 

LINKS:

Reclaim the Night sung by the women of Greenham Common - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ZqvuPEy85bGTrfoB8Kczy?si=QSnXho9JSDGKhtnZSLpb2Q

Interview with Jan, one of the Greenham Women - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TNmJD2PmeIRmOqXh6SX3s?si=11dd3069f121467c

Interviews compiled from over 100 Greenham women - https://open.spotify.com/episode/00YbHNVOBWmXnZEXhLSrAj?si=a3fbd67e4d974382

It's FINALLY here! Series 1 of Pointless History Pod kicks off in 1981 (in Aries Season) with the assassination of Ronald Reagan. Join Joe & Cal as they discuss who they'd like to assassinate, whether a fringe could save your life, and the insanity of watching Taxi Driver 20 times in theatres. 

Join Joe & Cal for this errata extravaganza as they clear up any errors in the full Falklands episode, and discuss what we didn't have time for - like whether the Falklanders speak with an Argentine accent, and whether the sinking of the Belgrano actually *was* a war crime!

After much hype it's finally here! Join Joe as he teaches Cal all about the Falklands War - learn who?, what?, when?, where?, and most importantly why? Was it all John Lennon's fault? Listen and find out! 

We're kicking off the series with a look back at one of the most bemusing armed conflicts of the 20th century - the Falklands War! So come one, come all; whether you're a history buff or a bygones bumpkin, there's something for everyone. Full episode coming soon to all good podcast services.