Social Capital and Civil Society

This piece traces the development of civil society in Poland and assesses its state at the current juncture in time. It begins with a discussion of rise of civil society in the post-Partition period where the Polish state was removed from the map by the three neighbouring empires and Polish society organized in its self-defence. It discusses the flowering of civil society in the interwar period when Poland recovered its sovereignty. It also discusses civil society organization as a form of resistance during World War II and the period of communist rule. Since transition in 1989 Polish civil society has been rebuilt in more institutionalized fashion. The chapter discusses its configuration and explores the ways in which has differed from the classic western pattern of organized interests. It closes with a discussion of the most recent period where civil society has become increasingly polarized, a site of renewed resistance, and was subjected to politicized intervention by the Law and Justice government.