Many German media outlets expressed satisfaction with Poland’s parliamentary election results, yet the Catholic weekly Die Tagespost published a piece by the Belgian historian Prof. David Engels that delivered a stark conclusion. The question posed in the article’s title is blunt: Can history teach us anything about what happened in Poland? Engels argues that Poland has shifted toward the ideological and political direction seen across much of Western Europe today.
Belgian historian on elections in Poland
Engels notes that although Law and Justice, known as PiS, received the largest share of votes, they are unlikely to form a parliamentary majority on their own. The current opposition managed to assemble a stable bloc capable of taking power. More crucially, there is a prevailing sentiment in Poland that prevents left and right factions from allying with the opposition against PiS.
According to Engels, every Pole who voted for a party other than PiS on October 15 did so with the awareness that they were supporting a shift away from Poland’s patriotic Christian social course. Their ballots, in his view, favored a coalition whose ideology, in the broadest sense, could be described as green left liberal.
He also points out that the low turnout in the concurrent referendum signals a willingness among Poles to diverge from the current political trajectory. The sense of national direction, Engels argues, has evolved toward alignment with Western European norms and policies, even as some perceived external pressure from European Union sanctions and a media climate deemed left liberal fed doubts about this path.
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“The Terrible Transformation of Western Europe”
Engels returns to the central question: can history teach Poland a lesson about what lies ahead? A critical view emerges when one surveys the current European landscape. The transformation he describes includes mass migration, growing social polarization, upheaval within families, increased materialism, and the emergence of an EU superstate. In this frame, the new Polish government is depicted as someone who does not hesitate to loosen the traditional boundaries with the European migration framework. It is suggested that a liberalization push could accelerate on issues related to gender and sexuality, widen the space for secular policies, and push back against lingering clerical influence while pledging to adapt more closely to Brussels guidelines.
Engels concedes that PiS has made mistakes that damaged its credibility. Yet he argues that such missteps do not justify reversing the broader arc of Polish society. The broader takeaway is that political realignment is possible when a party challenges established norms, but it remains unclear whether the electorate will sustain this trajectory over time.
In his analysis, the Belgian historian traces the dynamics that push Poland toward a more Western alignment. He notes that the outcome of the elections reflects a complex balance of national sentiment, strategic calculations by voters, and the influence of external political and media narratives. The debate centers on how Western European social and political models resonate with Polish voters, and how much of this resonance is a voluntary choice versus perceived coercion through EU politics and transnational discourse.
The discussion also highlights the tension between preserving traditional cultural elements and embracing a broader European integration process. Engels suggests that the direction Poland takes will influence not only domestic policy but also Poland’s role within the European Union. The broader question remains whether the electorate will sustain a path that aligns with Western liberal norms or increasingly redefine its own national trajectory in response to global forces.
In closing, the analysis raises concerns about credibility and political economy in Poland. It acknowledges that while the ruling party bears responsibility for missteps, the country does not necessarily drift into a simple, uniform liberal future. The narrative invites readers to weigh how historical lessons apply to contemporary shifts within Poland and to consider the long-term implications for Poland’s relationship with Europe as a whole.
End of analysis. (Citation: wPolityce) (Attribution: Die Tagespost excerpt)