Continuity and change of the voting behavior in Poland from 1945 to 2010 Cover Image

Ciągłość i zmiana zachowań wyborczych w Polsce w latach 1945–2010
Continuity and change of the voting behavior in Poland from 1945 to 2010

Author(s): Wojciech Turek
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History, Recent History (1900 till today), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej
Keywords: parliamentary election; voting behavior; political preferences

Summary/Abstract: Longtime stability of the voting behavior is a phenomenon often observed and its importance is appreciated by researchers. Election results show that since 1989 Poland has been divided by cultural and civilization gap: the north-western part expresses its commitment to the liberal and left values, while the south-eastern part remains strongly traditional and Catholic. The direct background of the nowadays voting divisions goes back to the period of 1940–1947 characterized by dramatic events of war and the considerable change of borders. Significantly, in the beginning of XXI century voters living in the great towns changed their voting behavior and instead of supporting the political camp being still very popular in the anticommunist south-east, began to prefer the moderate political parties that also use to dominate in the north-west Poland.

  • Issue Year: 19/2012
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 453-466
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish