Taking Poland as an example Perkowski argues that the communist state not only created an attractive image of modernity but also, similarly to its Western counterparts, in its late phase experienced a deep crisis, typical for the so called ‘late modernity’ of the second half of the 20th century. Using the example of the work conditions of the Gdańsk shipyard workers and the history of the August 1980 strike, he tries to demonstrate how the never fully met promise of modernity became a major factor that undermined the social contract between the policy-makers of Eastern Europe and the working class.