Lech Wałęsa was born on 29 September 1943 in Popowo, Lipno county, during the Nazi German occupation of Poland. His father, Bolesław Wałęsa, was a carpenter who died shortly after the war. Wałęsa's mother, Feliksa, remarried and had additional children. He graduated as a qualified electrician in 1961 and began working at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk in 1967.Wałęsa became involved in trade union activism early in his career, participating in protests against government policies. He was dismissed from the shipyard in 1976 due to his activism and faced ongoing persecution from the government, including surveillance and arrests. In August 1980, he played a key role in the Gdańsk Agreement, which allowed workers to form an independent trade union, Solidarity. Under his leadership, Solidarity grew to over ten million members.After martial law was declared in December 1981, Wałęsa was arrested and imprisoned for 11 months. Following his release, he continued to advocate for Solidarity and was instrumental in the Round Table negotiations that led to semi-free elections in 1989. Solidarity won a significant victory in these elections, leading to the formation of a non-Communist government in Poland.Wałęsa was elected president of Poland in December 1990, becoming the first democratically elected president since 1926. His presidency focused on transitioning Poland to a free-market economy and establishing new foreign relations. He supported Poland's entry into NATO and the European Union. However, his confrontational political style and difficulties in managing his administration led to declining popularity.In 1995, Wałęsa lost the presidential election to Aleksander Kwaśniewski and subsequently withdrew from active politics. He founded the Lech Wałęsa Institute in 1995 to promote democracy and civil society. Throughout his life, Wałęsa received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and was recognized globally for his contributions to the Solidarity movement and the fight against Communism.Wałęsa's early life was marked by hardship, and his activism was driven by a commitment to workers' rights and democratic principles. His leadership in Solidarity and subsequent presidency played a crucial role in Poland's transition from Communism to democracy.