"Rebellion" is a fascinating, multi-threaded story about how revolutions unfold. The story begins when the communist authorities in Poland promise a better life after the bloody suppression of strikes in December 1970. The availability of goods tempo rarily increased, and for a time the outside world seemed closer. Just a decade later, however, rebellion arrived nonetheless. This book provides the full story of the Great Strike of August 1980, the centre of which was the Gdan'sk Shipyard. This strike was a fight not only for bread, but also for dignity of the striking workers. The authori ties were faced with the choice of either calling for assistance from Soviet troops or seeking a compromise. Many days of negotiations with the strikers resulted in an agreement that began a new chapter in Polish history and opened the way to demise of the communist system in Eastern Europe.