Liberalism in Poland
Encyclopedia
This article gives an overview of liberalism in Poland
. It is limited to liberal
parties
with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. Parties included in this scheme do not necessarily label themselves as "liberal".
, but subsequentely it lost its followers in the era of counterreformation, which in Poland was not free of violence. Since then, it remained a minor political force.
Liberalism in Poland is often connected with conservative politics and is reduced to economic policy. Classical liberals, liberal both on social and economic issues, exist in Poland in dispersed small groups.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is limited to liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. Parties included in this scheme do not necessarily label themselves as "liberal".
Background
Liberalism in Poland gained on significance during Polish RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, but subsequentely it lost its followers in the era of counterreformation, which in Poland was not free of violence. Since then, it remained a minor political force.
Liberalism in Poland is often connected with conservative politics and is reduced to economic policy. Classical liberals, liberal both on social and economic issues, exist in Poland in dispersed small groups.
Union of Real Politics
- 1990: In 1979 Janusz Korwin-MikkeJanusz Korwin-MikkeJanusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke is a Polish conservative liberal political commentator and politician. He is the leader of the Congress of the New Right, which was formed in 2011 from Freedom and Lawfulness, which he led from its formation in 2009, and the Real Politics Union, which he led from...
activist of official Democratic Party published his political agenda. His main idea was to introduce Laissez-faireLaissez-faireIn economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....
market economy in Poland. The proposed solution was to sign a deal with class of ruling communists, transforming their share in power into share in business. In 1990 new party Union of Real Politics (Unia Polityki Realnej) was officially proclaimed. Later he founded another party: Wolność i Praworządność (Freedom and Rule of Law), a party that is connected with strong conservative social stance. On 25 March WiP merged with Real Politics Union to form Congress of the New RightCongress of the New RightCongress of the New Right is a conservative liberal political party in Poland. It was founded on 25 March 2011 by Janusz Korwin-Mikke from the merger of Freedom and Lawfulness with the Real Politics Union.- Ideology :...
.
Citizens's Movement-Democratic Action
- 1990: Liberals supporters of the Solidarity Trade Union around Zbigniew BujakZbigniew BujakZbigniew Bujak was an electrician and foreman in 1980 at the Ursus tractor factory near Warsaw, Poland. He became engaged with trade union activists, and during the strike action, he organized strike committees at the Ursus factory...
, Władysław Frasyniuk, and Adam MichnikAdam MichnikAdam Michnik is the editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, where he sometimes writes under the pen-names of Andrzej Zagozda or Andrzej Jagodziński. In 1966–1989 he was one of the leading organizers of the illegal, democratic opposition in Poland...
founded the Citizens Movement 'Democratic Action' (Ruch Obywatelski Akcja Demokratyczna/ROAD). - 1991: A left-wing faction led by Bujak forms the Democratic Social Movement (Ruch Demokratyczno Społeczny) and the rest of the party merged into the Democratic Union (Unia Demokratyczna/UD).
From Democratic Union to Democratic Party
- 1991: Liberal and catholic intellectuals founded the Democratic UnionFreedom Union (Poland)The Freedom Union was a liberal democratic party in Poland. It was founded on March 20, 1994 out of the merger of the Democratic Union and the Liberal Democratic Congress . Both of these parties had roots in the Solidarity trade union movement. It represented European democratic and liberal...
(Unia Demokratyczna), absorbing later that year the Forum of Democratic Right and the ⇒ Citizens Movement-Democratic Action. The party is led by Tadeusz MazowieckiTadeusz MazowieckiTadeusz Mazowiecki is a Polish author, journalist, philanthropist and Christian-democratic politician, formerly one of the leaders of the Solidarity movement, and the first non-communist prime minister in Central and Eastern Europe after World War II.-Biography:Mazowiecki comes from a Polish...
and Bronisław Geremek - 1994: The party merged with the Liberal Democratic CongressLiberal Democratic CongressThe Liberal Democratic Congress was a centrist-conservative, liberal-Catholic party in Poland. The party, led by Donald Tusk, had roots in the Solidarity movement...
into the Freedom UnionFreedom Union (Poland)The Freedom Union was a liberal democratic party in Poland. It was founded on March 20, 1994 out of the merger of the Democratic Union and the Liberal Democratic Congress . Both of these parties had roots in the Solidarity trade union movement. It represented European democratic and liberal...
(Unia Wolności) - 2001: A right-wing faction created the conservative liberal Civic PlatformCivic PlatformCivic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
- 2005: On the basis of the Freedom Union the Democratic Party (Partia Demokratyczna) is formed. In the first decade of 21st century it split into defunct Forum Liberalne
External links
- Website of Polish initiative "Liberalowie"
- Website of "Liberte"- magasine of centrist and liberal ideology
See also
- History of PolandHistory of PolandThe History of Poland is rooted in the arrival of the Slavs, who gave rise to permanent settlement and historic development on Polish lands. During the Piast dynasty Christianity was adopted in 966 and medieval monarchy established...
- Politics of PolandPolitics of PolandThe politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government of a multi-party system and the President is the head of state....
- List of political parties in Poland
- Far right in PolandFar right in PolandLike in other nations across the world, there are several far-right organizations in Poland. Public support of these parties is marginal, as they received 2.8% of the popular vote in the 2007 parliamentary elections. There is also a limited amount of nonparliamentary far-right extremism. Poland's...
- Anarchism in PolandAnarchism in PolandThe anarchist movement in Poland first developed at the turn of the 20th century under the influence of anarchist ideas from Western Europe and Russia....