| Abstract: | The roots of the current weaknesses in Poland's democratic process reach back not only to the era of socialism, but also to the first years of systemic reforms. The policy choices and the style of governance at such time of unprecedented revival of social activity were bound to have a long-term impact on the development of the political process, including the democratisation of society and of the political system. In the light of this, I argue that the authoritarian, exclusive and undemocratic style of politics of the first years of reforms squandered social trust and undermined the potential which this democratic revival represented, and that it damaged the prospects for building sound democratic foundations for the Polish political order in the nearer future. |
