ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of Polish thinking on questions of participation and representation, most in the context of "developed socialism". It examines the extent to which the rhetoric of socialist democracy has been reflected in the performance of the single most important representative institution in Poland, the Sejm. Politically more explosive, however, were the views of Julian Hochfeld, professor of philosophy and a former socialist, as well as deputy to the Sejm. By the end of the Gomulka era, the mood and performance of the Sejm were clearly symptomatic of the stagnation and alienation that had overtaken the political life in Poland. In retrospect, Edward Gierek, on coming to power, behaved much as Gomulka had in the 1950s, boosting the Sejm's visibility and nominal authority as a symbolic gesture in a time of political unrest only to balk at implementing genuine reform once the situation has stabilized.
