From Communism to Democracy. Political and Social Transformation of Poland

From Communism to Democracy: Case of Poland

Dr Piotr Musiewicz, a Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political and Administrative Sciences at Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow, led a round table discussion at Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University on 14 November 2023. His visit to Georgia is part of the Erasmus+ staff mobility programme for teaching.

Professor Dr Tamar Kobuladze, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, organised and hosted the event, which attracted several faculty members from Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University.

The 2-hour presentation comprised two sections. Attendees engaged in two Q&A sessions, which enhanced their understanding of the decisions made by the Polish people and politicians that have shaped Poland's current position.

The Polish researcher, with extensive experience in political studies, explored the political and social transformation of Poland from 1944 to the present day. His insightful retrospective highlighted every significant event in his homeland's journey, tracing Poland's evolution from the harsh realities of post-WWII Eastern Europe to its successful integration into the European Union.

Professor Musiewicz offered a comprehensive overview of Poland's tumultuous transformation from a people's republic heavily influenced by Soviet policies to a vibrant democracy with a promising future. He highlighted two politically significant visits by Pope John Paul II to Poland in 1979 and 1983, which the communist party permitted and that ultimately contributed to the end of Martial Law.

Musiewicz also discussed the Round Table Agreement of 1989, the subsequent reforms of 1989-1990, and the transformation models of post-Soviet republics in Eastern Europe. He examined the 1992 Lustration Crisis in Poland, the rise of the Law and Justice party, which won the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2005, and the efforts of twin brothers Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and President Lech Kaczynski to achieve gas and fuel independence from Russia between 2005 and 2010.

Additionally, he addressed the anti-communist Law and Justice party's governance since 2015, the reforms aimed at countering post-communism, and the current controversies between the Conservative Party, which is pro-American and anti-communist, and the Liberal Party, which leans pro-German and pro-Russian.

By sharing Poland's experiences and analysing the challenges and obstacles his country has overcome, Professor Musiewicz provides invaluable academic support to Georgian scholars. This assistance is particularly relevant as Georgia strives to establish itself as an independent and free state on the political map of contemporary global society.