Lech Wałęsa (IPA:[ˈlɛx vaˈwɛ̃sa] (help·info); born September 29, 1943) is a Polish politician an a former trade union and human rights activist. He co-founded Solidarity (Solidarność), the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995 (succeeded by Aleksander Kwaśniewski).