THE CASE OF POLAND
Mgr. Eva Taterova, M.A., Ph.D.
Democratization and Democracy in the East-Central Europe
11/6/2017

POLAND: BRIEF CHARACTERISTICS
•Significant changes of the borders in 20th century.
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•Loss of ethnic diversity after WWII.
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•35 millions of inhabitants (8th biggest country in Europe).
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•Role of Catholic Church (87.6% of the population).

JOHN PAUL II (Karol Józef Wojtyła)



TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
•1989-1991: transition to democracy, end of the People‘s Republic of Poland.
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•Lech Walesa – a leader of the Solidarity movement, 1990-1995 president of Poland, 1983 Nobel Prize
for Peace.
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THIRD REPUBLIC
•1991-1997.
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•A post-communist creation whose foundations must be changed to create a truly democratic state
free of its past.
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•Corruption, reconciliation with the past.

POLAND IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
•1991 member of Visegrad Group and CEFTA.
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•1999 member state of NATO.
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•2004 member state of EU.

FOURTH REPUBLIC
•Poland after 1997.
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•Growth of conservatism in Polish politics – the attempts to implement the Catholic values (League
of Polish Families, Law and Justice Party).
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POLISH AIR FORCE TU-154 CRASH
•April 10, 2010 crash of the plane nearby Smolensk, Russia.
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•All 96 people aboard died including president of Poland Lech Kaczynski, chief of Polish General
Staff, president of National Bank of Poland, 18 members of Polish parliament and the other members
of the official delegation to attend 70th anniversary of Katyn massacre.
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LEADING FIGURES
Donald Tusk
Beata Szydło
Andrzej Duda

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•THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION