INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS Transformation Experiences in Central and Eastern Europe The Case of Poland in Comparative Perspective RADOSLAW MARKOWSKI January 2017 n Poland’s history of medieval freedoms and outside rule, coupled with its idiosyncra­tic experience of socialism – more liberal and less authoritarian than in other Warsaw Bloc countries – prepared the ground both for the Solidarity movement and for the later transition to democracy. n The election of 2015 – won by the conservative Law and Justice party(PiS) – has been a turning point for the country. Despite the lack of a mandate, the PiS has pro­ceeded on a path towards illiberal democracy, replacing elites, taking over the media and attacking the constitutional order. n Various political and sociological theories can explain the results of the election and imply further hypotheses to be tested. It remains to be seen what path the PiS will take in the future – how far towards authoritarianism the government will go and whether this will lead to a mobilization of the populace.