How Much Is Enough? Excessive Pluralism as the Cause of Poland's Socio-economic Crisis

Abstract

Poland in mid-1995 appeared to be a country in the middle of a serious socio-political crisis. Considering that six years earlier it had been generally perceived as a strong candidate for achieving the successful transfer of power from the communists to the opposition, that could serve as a model for other East Central European countries, the obvious question is what went wrong. This article attempts to answer that question by focusing on a root cause which underlay the crisis—excessive pluralization of the Polish polity and society—that has resulted in the failure to make much progress with reconstruction of a civil society. This failure, together with the inability of the ruling elites to cope with the complexities of post-communist transition and with institution-building, has meant that despite a relatively healthy economy and a secure international position, Poland has need of drastic action to put it on the right track and propel it toward the establishment of a stable and viable democracy.