Communists into Liberals: The Transformation and Demise of the Left as Precursor to the Illiberal Turn in Poland

Project description

A closer look at Poland’s slide to illiberalism

Poland emerged from the shadow of communist dictatorship to join the European Union and NATO. The country was frequently lauded as one of the most successful examples of democratic transitions. However, democracy in Poland has recently taken an illiberal turn. The EU-funded COMLIB project aims to take a closer look at the dynamics of reform communism before 1989 as well as its impact on the transition afterwards. The “social-democratisation” of communism and the “neoliberalisation” of social democracy will be considered. The project’s working hypothesis is that the Polish Left’s gradual abandonment of social democratic values during the post-communist transition contributed to their demise in the mid-2000s and facilitated the illiberal turn.

Fields of science

• social sciences › political science › government systems › democracy
• social sciences › media and communications › library science

Programme(s)

• H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility

Topic(s)

• MSCA-IF-2018 - Individual Fellowships

Call for proposal

H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF

Coordinator

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE

Address

Via Dei Roccettini 9
50014 Fiesole
Italy

Activity type

Higher or Secondary Education Establishments

EU contribution

€ 175 673,28