Policy Contestation: The KGB’s Role in the Soviet Response to the Solidarity Protests in Poland in 1980-1981

• In Event: Between States and Nations: Contesting Sovereignty in the Era of Collapse, 1980s-1990s

Abstract

This study delves into how authoritarian intelligence agencies, like the Soviet KGB, impact foreign policy decisions, using the Soviet handling of Poland's Solidarity protests as a key example. The research uncovers the KGB's internal debates and shifting strategies, driven by the career motivations of Andropov, the ongoing Soviet misadventure in Afghanistan, and Brezhnev’s failing health, which eventually led to support for a military coup in Poland. By analyzing historical records from Poland and Lithuania, this paper argues against the simplistic view of autocratic intelligence agencies as mere instruments of oppression, offering a more detailed perspective on their role in policy-making and sovereignty negotiations.

Author

• Suzanne Freeman, MIT