I know it's a sensitive topic since it's not been long since he died. But when he died in October he was hailed to be as important to what happened in poland and Eastern Europe 25 years ago as Walesa. From my (quite brief) reading, I can see him more as a model/icon figure than an playmaker. I'm just curious what do you think.
The truth is probably somewhat different.
Walesa was seen as "people's leader" and a pretty radical figure in the 80's.
Mazowiecki, on the other hand, was an intellectual with a very centrist and accommodating views. He garnered support from the student/intellectual base - which was far more important than the blue collar movement in the long run. Most people researching the subject agree that Mazowiecki together with clergymen, Geremek and maybe few others run the show in Magdalenka and later in the Round Table talks. Walesa was on the sidelines.
His influence gave way to the "broad line politics" which made Poland recover pretty quickly and not dwell into the past too much as well as maintain pluralistic political landscape.