45 years ago the Stalinist dictatorship in Poland was challenged by a worker’s revolution – the Solidarnosc movement. The working class spearheaded a mass movement for justice and freedom. Tragically, the leadership of Solidarnosc argued for a ‘self-limiting revolution’ that meant diverting the movement from revolution to reform. This was a barrier to the revolution’s success. The history of Solidarnosc provides both inspiration and painful lessons socialists today must learn from.