Polska Rzeczypospolita Ludowa w myśli politycznej Prawa i Sprawiedliwości

Abstract

The Law and Justice political party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) has made an extremely critical evaluation of the People’s Republic of Poland (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL). PiS politicians have defined the People’s Republic of Poland as a state that was non-sovereign, foreign and imposed on the Polish nation. They have stressed that the Soviet Union both deprived Poland of its soverignty in the sphere of defence and foreign policy and imposed a social and political system based on its own. Critical assessment of the political system and political practices of the People’s Republic of Poland have been performed, indicating the terror and persecutions organized by the Security Service as well as violations of civil rights. PiS politicians have reminded the public of the victims of the communist regime. In particular, they have strongly emphasized the negative consequences of the introduction of martial law. They have regarded the People’s Republic of Poland as a totalitarian state with a developed apparatus of terror and propaganda, and identified the PRL as the main source of the pathology of the Third Polish Republic. It should be emphasized that the critical attitude of the PiS leaders to the Polish People’s Republic has not changed since the time when they were activists of the anti-communist opposition.