| dc.description.abstract | Modernization of various aspects of collective life is undoubtedly one of those issues which
attract the attention of virtually all political actors although the postulates formulated in
this area are sometimes characterized by considerable variation. In the case of the People’s
Republic of Poland, its main impulses were undoubtedly the end of World War II, the necessity
of rebuilding the country, and the seizure of power by the Communists, with a particularly
important role played in this regard by their enthusiasm and optimism concerning
modernization, as well as a clear fascination with the achievements of the Soviet Union. No less
importance can be attributed to the communist paradigm of development, according to which
any modernization changes were a necessary condition for consolidating the political power.
Modernization of social awareness, consistent with this frame, was not to be an objective
in its own right but played a very important role in the communist modernization scheme.
It should be noted that the way of interpreting the objectives of modernization activities in
the sphere of social awareness, characteristic of this conceptual environment, did not change
significantly until the end of the 1970s despite the modifications taking place there under
the pressure of social and political circumstances. Actions aimed at implementing these
objectives, however, did not yield the expected results while they aroused the expectations
and desires which the existing and increasingly anachronistic system could not satisfy. | en |
