Socio-Political Transformation in Poland in 1944–1956 as a Revolution from Without

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze political, economic and social changes in Poland in the years 1944–1956 with the help of the category of revolution. The author refers to various definitions and typologies of revolution that have been used in historical sociology. He takes into account wide comparative context, including the Russian Revolution of 1917 and changes in the Eastern European countries after World War II.

The analysis leads to the conclusion that the category: „revolution from without” more adequately describes the radical change in Poland in the years 1944–1956, than narrower terms used in historiography, such as: „building the system of the power” or „satellite system of the power.”