Solidarity: The Unfulfilled Project of Polish Democracy

This book is a collection of essays which span three decades, capping research into the Polish Solidarity movement and its impact on social change. The major one reports on the author's 1981 study on the formation of the Solidarity movement and trade union, one of two research projects on Solidarity carried out at the time. The idea of debating ( deliberative ) democracy fostered by Solidarity proved an unfulfilled utopia. It was abandoned by the new political elite and by Poles, who used freedom to develop individual, ambitious and aggressive career paths in order to attain West-European living standards. While Polish religiosity and the Catholic Church, led by Pope John Paul II, vitally promoted peaceable resistance to communism, now the Church has morphed into an anti-democratic political and cultural actor.

List of contents

Solidarity social movement and trade union - Generational social bonds - Church's personalistic and prodemocratic slogans - Non-violence - Democratic opposition - Intelligentsia - Polish Pope - Debating democracy - Freedom as a dream and reality - Church: from democracy to national-religious authoritarianism - Individual interests instead of solidarity

About the author

Ireneusz Krzemi¿ski is Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Sociology, University of Warsaw. His research focuses on anti-Semitism, national stereotypes, Solidarity and new social movements. He taught at universities in Poland and abroad (Rochester University, USA; Hebrew University, Jerusalem). He is engaged in public and political life as a commentator and publicist.

Product details

• Authors: Ireneusz Krzemi¿ski, Ireneusz Krzeminski
• Assisted by: Patrycja Poniatowska (Translation)
• Publisher: Peter Lang
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2019
• EAN: 9783631672709
• ISBN: 978-3-631-67270-9
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 153 mm x 27 mm x 214 mm
• Weight: 523 g
• Series: Studies in Political Transition
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Soziologie, Polen, Zweite Hälfte 20. Jahrhundert (1950 bis 1999 n. Chr.), Europäische Geschichte, Politische Strukturen und Prozesse, Politischer Aktivismus, Bachmann; ChangingroleoftheCatholicChurch; Debating(deliberative)Democracy; Democraticopposition; Klaus; Non-violentcivicmovement; Solidarnosc; Thestateandhumanrights; Tradeunion