Which Structural Factors Facilitate Democratisation?

We know that democracies are common among the economically urbanized countries and rare between the very deprived ones. The reason we scrutinize this pattern is not that democracies are more probable to emerge, as a result, of economic development but that they are to a large extent more possible to survive if they occur to emerge in most urbanized countries. The paths to democracy are diverse. Indeed, they appear to follow no unsurprising pattern. But once democracy is conventional, for whatever reasons, its endurance depends on a few, easily particular, factors.

Historically religion has usually been a large part of civilizations, states, nations, and cultures. In Poland the case is no different; religion has been engraved in the culture and history of Polish people. Since the introduction of Catholicism In Poland has grown largely and more homogenously Catholic. It can be argued that this was manufactured at the end of the Second World War; through the holocaust and forced migrations by the Soviet Union. The significance of Poland’s strong ties to the Catholic Church is that the church plays a large role in the structure of polish society. The Catholic Church has served as a protector and promoter of polish culture during the times Poland vanished off the map, to the struggles for democracy. As Poland fought to rid them of Soviet influence and become a free democratic society with free elections that Catholic Church played a key role in helping the fall of communism in Poland. However from an alternative angle it can be said that art a music movements were also a key fundamental influence in the fall of communism in Poland. Although entirely opposite, both artistic expression and religion were two institutions of culture that both played significant roles in Poland’s rise to freedom. However it is clear from the work of many musicians, poets and

First, before the Second World War, the nation of Czechoslovakia had been a strong democracy in Central Europe, but beginning in the mid 1930s it faced challenges from both the West and the East. Until the Soviet’s invasion where they installed a whole new communist government in Prague. For the next twenty

Since the fall of the Soviet Union 1991 many changes have been brought to Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union newly formed countries of Eastern Europe found themselves brought into a new era, many of the people had relied on the Soviet Union’s system of socialism to help them with every detail of their lives and to dictate their lives but with this newfound freedom citizens had many changes forced upon them. All they once knew had been taken away so suddenly most didn’t know what to do with themselves. The Government, Economy and Marxist Idealism had all fallen with the Soviet Union. Citizens had no choice but to move on with their new lives because it was as their past lives

World War II shocked and dismantled many Eastern European countries leaving Europe in a state of shock, with many unanswered, open ended questions. Buildings were blown up, streets cracked, people slaughtered, and governments destroyed. As turmoil struck Eastern Europe, an opportunity arose for a new political system to come into power. However, this process is never a simple one; two common political ideologies fought to control the heart of Europe. Capitalism led by the Western Allies, funded by the United States Marshall Plan, spread providing a short time of economic prosperity. The American’s plan however could not venture as far east as West Germany with Moscow’s direction of Communism led by Joseph Stalin and he took over a large portion of Eastern Europe with many open statements and empty promises. These two ideologies caused an enlarged time of tension stemming from the drastically different values they were known to embrace, leading to a horrific time known as the cold war.

After World War II the Soviet Union led by Stalin maintained a strong presence and influence in Central and Eastern Europe, specifically, Poland through the communist Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR). In this paper I aim to address the reason why communism and Marxist ideologies were unsuccessfully received in post war Poland. I will be arguing *that Marxism was made into a tool of oppression by the Soviet Union, and therefore became illegitimate in itself. I intend on arguing this theory by investigating the goal of the Soviet Union. In addition to this I will identifying instances where the Soviets and communist puppet parties in Poland had strayed from traditional Marxist ideologies. Finally I will recognize the opposition groups and parties that had formed against the Soviet oppression and instillment of inequality.

Political structures are defined as the formal or informal political procedures through which decisions are made regarding the usage, production and distribution of resources in any given community. Formal political structures through its organizations can control processes such as election of leaders; parts and tasks of the executive and administration; organization of political representation (through political parties); and the obligation and oversight of the state. Informal and communal political structures, customs and rules can work within or together with the formal political organizations. In development, democratic political structures are seen to deliver prospects for all without discrimination (Scott & Mcloughlin, 2014).

There are three contemporary factors that continue to deprive the core principles of our democracy. The elections seem to be more about “winning the game” than the actual issues and ideals. Each factor plays a major influence on how the American politics are run today.

In conclusion, Poland is a small country that is rich in culture, military, and political history. The changes in policies have strengthened the economy as well as military power. The future is bright for the country and changes will continue to be made at a steady

The next major occurrence in Poland’s history is the Warshaw Ghetto Uprising where Russia set up a communist- dominated type of government for Poland. And in February of 1945 during the Yalta Conference it was decided to leave Poland under Soviet control. By the time the war ended over six million poles were dead. In 1956 business strikes break out against the soviet rule in an attempt to gain freedom. And for the next few decades Poland experiences many strikes and riots as the economy crumbles. By 1983 the cost of living rose over 100% during that year. (Timeline of Polish History) There were discussions made between solidarity, the communists, and the Catholic Church groups. Aleksander Kwasnieski a former communist is elected president in 1997 and in October of 2005 Lech Kaczynski, a law and justice candidate wins the next presidential election, whom up to recently the most current president. (Poland Timeline)

Democracy has become the most widespread political form of government during the past decade, after the fall of all its alternatives. During the second part of the 20th century, the 3 main enemies of democracy, namely communism, fascism and Nazism, lost most of their power and influence. However, democracy is still only to be found in less than half of this world's countries. China with a fifth of the total population "had never experienced a democratic government" and Russia still doesn't have a well established democracy. By adopting a democratic perspective, 3 types of governments emerge, non-democratic, new democracies, and old democracies, and all have a different challenge to overcome: either to become democratic, to "consolidate"

Democratisation – from a centralised government to capitalist, moving from an insular to outward looking culture.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Europe experienced a period of prosperity. Harold Macmillan gives a sense of just how well these times really were when he says, “Let us be frank about it: most of our people have never had it so good,” (Judt, 324). As political parties moved more towards a common center, rather than towards extremism, a rebirth of democracy was created, underlined by growth and full employment. The support for social democratic ideas flourished along with the prosperity of the 1950s and the 1960s in Western Europe. This time was characterized by conservative individualism and economic growth through regulated capitalism (Mazower, 327). With the help of the Marshall Plan, a global

The first problem is the uncertainty of the political stability within Poland. In October, there were political events that caused policymaking to stop. The team of political leaders that were engaged during the initial conversations are on their way out of the door

Following the revolutions of 1989, neoliberals were able to forge new alliances with Solidarity members through a participation in a new and democratically-elected government. In particular, Balerowicz played a central role in shaping the nation’s economic reform by assuming the Deputy Prime Minister post and putting forward the Balcerowicz Plan, which effectively outlined the agenda for transitioning from central planning to a market economy. As Bohle and Neunhöffer argue, neoliberals eventually succeeded in winning the support of not only the general public but also of the political elite associated with Solidarity (99). They were able to capture the public imagination by insisting on a new and concrete set of policies, which opposed European “normalcy” and freedom to the Soviet stagnation and authoritarianism.