Poland’s Security in the Political Thought of the Polish People’s Party after 1990: An Outline of the Problem

Abstract

Ever since the beginning of the systemic transformation in Poland, the Polish People’s Party (PSL) has been a permanent element of the political scene. In the space of the Party’s political thought, there are issues related to the axiological foundations of activity, including the issue of ensuring Poland’s security. According to PSL, the factor introducing a sense of security is to safeguard the individual, family and national existence of Poles. The People’s Party has always emphasized the need to ensure the sovereignty of the state, to protect its borders and Polish citizens residing outside the territory of the Republic of Poland. Attention was drawn to the need to develop good relations with neighbours and other countries. The party has made several updates in its political thought regarding security issues, enriching it with new content corresponding to emerging challenges. In the 1990s, in PSL programs, the issue of security was perceived traditionally, as the security of the state and its defence. In the following years, state security was to be achieved thanks to many national or international projects, that is, among others, Poland’s entry into the Euro-Atlantic structures, cooperation with neighbours, activities in the framework of CEFTA, improvement of ecological security, and, most recently – the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, modernization of the army, and assistance for Ukraine. As followers of the “third way”, the People’s Party postulates pluralism in the economy as significant for state security.