Solidarity was officially registered on the 10th of November 1980 after merging over twenty Inter-factory Founding Committees at a congress on the 17th of September 1980. The movement originated from strikes led by Anna Walentynowicz and Alina Pienkowska starting on the 14th of August 1980.
The Central Intelligence Agency transferred around $2 million yearly in cash to Solidarity from 1982 onwards for a total of $10 million over five years. All money was channeled through third parties with no direct links between CIA officers and Solidarity leaders.
Lech Wałęsa stated that Pope John Paul II's 1979 visit to Poland was a significant factor in the creation of Solidarity. The Pope is named as one of the main causes of the downfall of the Polish regime and Communism as a whole in Europe due to his status as a Poland native beyond the reach of the Communist regime.
Lech Wałęsa served as chairman from 1980 to 1991 followed by Marian Krzaklewski who led from 1991 to 2002. Janusz Śniadek held the position from 2002 to 2010 and Piotr Duda has been chairman since 2010.
At its highest the Union had over 10 million members which became the largest union membership in the world. By 2010 thirty years after its founding the union had lost more than 90% of its original membership leaving it with more than 400,000 members.