Illiberal Spirit in an Open Society
A Conversation with Basil Kerski about Polish Contradictions
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In Poland, the governing party Law and Justice (PiS) is reshaping the state. The aim is to secure the party’s power for the long term. In institutions that the PiS has under its control, key posts have been filled with members of its own camp within a short period time. PiS has weakened those institutions that have eluded its control by subjecting them to blockade. Separation of powers and media diversity are in peril. So far, the voivodships and the municipalities have served as bastions of resistance to the national-conservative history and cultural policies advanced by PiS. In the Catholic Church, many approve of the anti-liberal, partly anti-Western tones. But resistance is stirring within Polish society.
(Osteuropa 6-7/2016, pp. 59–66)