David Ost, professor of political science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, will discuss "The Defeat of Solidarity: Anger and Politics in Post-communist Europe" with commentary by Randall Stone, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Rochester.

Ost has written extensively on political economy, democratization, and labor in Eastern Europe. During his talk, he will deal with such questions as: Why did the trade union Solidarity become so weak after 1989? Why did the movement's liberal political leaders lose out so quickly to the political right? And how are these connected?

His books include Solidarity and the Politics of Anti-Politics (1990), Workers After Workers' States (2001), and The Defeat of Solidarity (2005). In September 2005, Lech Walesa decorated Ost with the medal issued for the 25th anniversary of Solidarity. The event is presented by the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies and co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science at the University of Rochester.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact (585) 275-9898.