Poland's Emerging Party System and the Process of Democratic Consolidation.
Of the post-communist states in transition, Poland stands out as one of the few success stories. Despite this praise, however, it is not clear that the thrust towards true democracy and capitalism has come hand in hand with increasing democratic consolidation. In fact, it can now be argued that the well-established concepts of 'nations' and 'states' have become outmoded. It is argued here that democratic consolidation cannot be considered an inflexible and linear process. We know that everything in this world is cyclical and achieving democracy is no exception. This paper will demonstrate that the present state of affairs in Poland is more likely to be moving towards democratic consolidation, insofar as the process of globalization is allowing this to occur. 28 pgs. 50 f/c. 14b.
