Post-communist transformation of civil society of the Republic of Poland

Abstract

In the post-communist countries, political transformations were caused by both domestic and foreign political processes, namely, the foreign policy vectors changed, the model of socio-political development was determined. The author aims to analyze the specifics of the post-communist transformation of the Central-Eastern Europe region, using the example of the Republic of Poland, paying attention to the role and significance of the Solidarity movement in the creation of civil society. The first part deals with the discussion regarding the model and stages of the post-communist transformation of Central-Eastern Europe. The author draws attention to external and socio-cultural factors, traditions of relations between the political authorities and the opposition. Special emphasis is placed on the simultaneity of the transition to democracy, the market and (re)building of the nation state. The case of the Republic of Poland is considered separately as an example of the transition from an authoritarian political regime to a democratic one, taking into account the political tradition and anti-totalitarian impulses of the Solidarity trade union movement. The aauthor highlights the characteristics of the development of the movement in legal and illegal phases; changing the ideological concept from "self-governing society" to "civil society".