Wa·le·sa  (wä-lěn'sə, vä-wěn'sä)  Polish labor leader who was president of Poland from 1990-1995. He won the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership of the independent trade union Solidarity. |
A Polish labor leader and politician of the twentieth century, known for the success of Solidarity, an independent labor union that he headed. He was periodically put under arrest by the communist government. Walesa won the Nobel Prize for peace in 1983. From 1990 to 1995, he was president of Poland.