Influence of the Economic Transformation on the Social Sphere in Poland after 1989

Abstract

The end of the era of communism in Poland initiated a period of
enormous systematic changes which led to the establishment of democracy
and introduction of market economy. The transformation of the economic
system meant a thorough reform of the Polish economy through substitution
of central planning by free market mechanisms. This caused changes not only
in the sphere of production but also within the distribution of wealth and in
the social sphere.
The present article is intended to examine the influence of the economic
transformation in Poland on the social sphere after 1989. As a research
method it uses a theoretical analysis of selected publications and Internet
resource materials. In the first part of the article the author presents the
origin of the Polish systematic changes started in the late 1980s. Next the
main areas of economic changes are characterized. In the final part of the
article the author analyses social changes resulting from the introduced
economic reforms.