Open access
"ROUND TABLE" - A POSITIVE INTERPRETATION OF DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION, AS PERCEIVED BY THE POLISH POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT
Bartosz JUSZCZYSZYN1
Varia – Interpretations Retro
Publication language: Polish
Journal article
Transformations No. 3-4 (70-71) 2011, Publication date: 17 October 2011
Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to present the attitude of the polish political elite towards the effects of the Round Table Agreement. Widely recognized as a trigger of the democratic transformation in Poland, the Round Table Agreement is still one of the most controversial issues in public debate. Many politicians in their parliament speeches, memoires or interviews commented on this experience, derived from Polish collective memory and tried to present a positive evaluation of its results. This article’s aim is not only to describe how such an interpretation of the past was made, but also what where the main reasons for creating such a view about the the Round Table Agreement results. This last issue is mainly connected with the legitimization process of the whole political system and also each political party’s strategy to gain new supporters. The variety and popularity of the interpretation of the Round Table Agreement results highly contributed to the fact that it is still widely recognized as one of the symbols of Poland’s transformation and makes up a large part of the collective memory.
Wydział Studiów Miedzynarodowych i Politologicznych Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
E-mail: bartosz_juszczyszyn@o2.pl