Before October of 2023, Freedom House described Poland as having “the swiftest democratic decline in the [European] region.” The far-right, nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) had been in power …
Poland’s Democratic Paradox: The Remarkable Path Toward (and Away?) from Democratic Erosion
For any country, democratic backsliding can happen suddenly and, seemingly, unpredictably. The case for Poland, however, demonstrates predictors of erosion unseen anywhere else. These unique signs of …
Poland’s Decline: How a Lack of Pluralism Led to the Erosion of One of Eastern Europe’s Strongest Democracies
After almost 50 years of communist rule, Poland solidified itself as a stable European power with bright outlooks in terms of promoting and instilling a strong democracy in the country. In one of the …
A Win for Democracy in Poland: How the Opposition Overcame the Authoritarian PiS Party in October Elections
In their past eight years of control, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has eroded judicial and constitution checks and balances while centralizing media ownership. These attacks on democratic …
Courts and Populism in Poland: Guardians of Democracy or Reinforcing the Status Quo?
In recent years, populism has surged onto the global political stage, becoming a formidable political force (Guttieri, 2019). It draws its strength from its appeal to the perceived grievances of …
What has PiS done to the one-time democratic-front runner, Poland, in the name of Democracy?
Democracy has been specified as the fundamental reason for the long-unseen historical record of the reign of peace. Today, the world is experiencing a major threat to democracy after the third wave of …
Church and State: The Catholic Church and Democratic Erosion in Poland
After Communist rule, Poland transitioned towards democracy. However, since 2015, the Law and Justice Party, or PiS, has maintained control over the state and begun to erode democratic institutions …
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Poland’s Fall to Autocracy Brings Warning Signs to The United States
In 2020 Andrzej Duda won Poland's presidential election with 51.2 percent of the vote. This very narrow margin unveiled the clear divide of polarization throughout their country. In addition, there …
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