December 1970 protests in Poland

Deaths: 44
Injuries: 1,000+
Arrests: 3,000+

December 1970 protests in Poland
December 1970 protests in Poland
Part of the Cold War and anti-communist resistance in Poland (1944–1989)
	Zbyszek Godlewski's body carried by demonstrators in Gdynia
Date	14–19 December 1970
Location	Gdańsk, Gdynia, Elbląg, Szczecin
Caused by	Massive increases in the prices of basic foodstuffs
Methods	Demonstrations, Protests, Riots
Resulted in	Government victory Protests dispersed and violently suppressed; Władysław Gomułka removed from power as First Secretary of the PZPR;
Parties
Polish government Polish United Workers' Party; Polish Army; Citizens' Militia;	Protesters; Support:; Polish opposition; Communist Party of Poland
Lead figures
	Władysław Gomułka; Marian Spychalski; Józef Cyrankiewicz; Wojciech Jaruzelski; Tadeusz Tuczapski; Zenon Kliszko; Grzegorz Korczyński; Non-centralized leadership; Some prominent figures:; Zbyszek Godlewski † ; Lech Wałęsa; Bogdan Borusewicz
Units involved
	27,000 soldiers; 5,000 members of special squads of police; 550 tanks; 700 armoured personnel carriers; Several thousand protesters
Casualties and losses
Several killed and injured	Deaths: 44; Injuries: 1,000+; Arrests: 3,000+;

The December 1970 protests in Poland, also known as the December 1970 events (Polish: Wydarzenia Grudnia 1970), December events (Polish: Wydarzenia grudniowe), December revolution (Polish: Rewolta grudniowa), and the Coast Massacre (Polish: Masakra na Wybrzeżu), occurred in northern Poland from 14–19 December 1970. The protests were sparked by a sudden increase in the prices of food and other everyday items while wages remained stagnant. Strikes were put down by the Polish People's Army and the Citizen's Militia, resulting in at least 44 people killed and more than 1,000 wounded.