The Collapse of Communist Power in Poland: Strategic Misperceptions and Unanticipated Outcomes

The collapse of communist power in Polandin 1989 was unforeseen and unexpectedly sudden. Based on extensive original research, including interviews with key participants, this book examines the process whereby the Communist Party lost power. It sets out the sequence of events, and examines the strategies of the various political groupings following the partially free election of June 1989. This volume argues that the specific negotiating strategies adopted by the communist party representatives in the Round Table discussions following the elections was a key factor in communism's collapse. In tracing the gap between what the PZPR (Communist Party) expected in each bargaining scenario and the actual outcome, Hayden assesses the evidence to determine whether the party were farsighted strategists attempting to control and shape the process of democratic transition in Poland.

Jacqueline Hayden is a lecturer in politics at the Department of Political Science, Trinity College, Dublin.