Poland After Law and Justice
The defeat of hardline national-Catholic rule was welcomed with euphoria by the big-tent opposition. The outcome for the Polish left is more ambiguous.
Fall 2024
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The Law and Justice Party’s Moral Pseudo-Revolution
Andrzej Duda’s re-election has been characterized as yet another victory for the global populist right, and a rejection of neoliberalism. But it is important to understand recent developments in the context of Poland’s post-1989 transformation.
Kościuszko Knew That Black Lives Matter
“We are certain that had Kościuszko been resurrected, he would himself write Black Lives Matter in big bold letters across his statue.”
The 1989 Revolutions and the Roots of Illiberal Populism
The deep unfairness of the transition from communism in Central and Eastern Europe fed the illiberal populist rebellion across the region today.
Solidarity’s Promise 
In the photo above, taken on May 1, 1989, Jacek Kuroń, a leader of the democratic opposition in Poland, marched with Solidarity, a movement he was instrumental in building. The demonstration came on the eve of victory for Poland’s anti-authoritarian …
Little Luck for the Left in Central and Eastern Europe
Right-wing parties, nationalists, populists, and Euroskeptics gained seats in last month’s European elections, especially in Hungary and Poland. The left, in contrast, suffered numerous defeats.
Anti-Semitism vs. Democracy in Poland
The passage this month of Poland’s notorious “Holocaust Bill” should be a warning to those who ignore the link between anti-Semitism and growing authoritarianism.
The Puzzle of Poland
A quiet but fierce war is raging for the hearts and minds of Polish citizens, as a vibrant and well organized protest network confronts an increasingly authoritarian right-wing government.
Strike to Win: Can Polish Feminists Turn Protest Into Power?
The women’s movement in Poland and its largest manifestation, Manifa, represent a challenge to the right-wing government—but can they win power?
It Doesn’t Take a Dictator to Smother a Free Press
As the leaders of Hungary and Poland have shown, the right combination of political and financial muscle is enough to control the media.
New World Disorder
Systems of government are scraping against each other like continents grinding at a fault line. The noise they make announces a new world disordered. These clashes are not just because of Vladimir Putin or the new hard-line Chinese leadership of …
Gender Trouble in Poland
Poland’s proposed abortion ban is part of a broader attack on women by the right-wing PiS government, which has sought to banish the word “gender” itself from the country’s vocabulary. But Polish feminists and their allies are fighting back.
Poland’s Pro-Death Bill
Over the past week, thousands have taken the streets to protest a complete ban on abortion in Poland, which already has some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in Europe. One of the founders of Krytyka Polityczna explains why she’s taking part in the protests.
Poland’s Rightward Turn
Does the conservative Law and Justice party’s victory represent the resurgence of populist nationalism in Eastern Europe? Perhaps. But it also represents something equally troubling about Polish politics: there are no left-wing alternatives.
On Democratic Internationalism
Struggles for democratization are always local struggles: the first thing their protagonists want is a state governed by the people who live in it. We must relearn how to support them.
