Spory polityczne wokół istoty demokracji w Polsce w latach 1945-1947

Abstract

As a result of World War II, Poland, much like the remaining Central-European states, found itself in the Soviet security zone. Thus, the future of the Polish state, its borders, its political system, and its international position were to be decided by the Kremlin. Of course, that meant restriction of the national sovereignty and democracy, which in those conditions constituted the rule rather than an exception. However, during the first three years after the war. building of the communist system was not openly pursued, and total submission of Poland to the policy of Moscow was not an overt objective. It seemed to many participants in the Polish public life that nothing had been determined yet, and that it would be possible to form the political system of the state according to the expectations of the majority of Poles. Those illusions and hopes were reflected in the political debate about the choice of a democratic system pattern. Democracy, its essence, its institutions and legal solutions, its circumstances and prospects were widely discussed. The word democracy was the favourite term of the political commentaries. Moreover, it was considered one-sidedly, mainly in the context of the form of the state system. For some, democracy was an autonomous value, for others, on the other hand, it was only an instrument and a screen to build the totalitarian regime. Those controversies and debates about concept and the essence of democracy constituted an important contribution to the debate about the future of the country, and confirmed the aspirations to build a civic society in Poland.