ABSTRACT
The structural changes in Poland have taken place in the specific context of the fall of the Communist regime. An independent Poland became an obstacle in the European policies of Russia. In Poland, the change has been realized in an evolutionary way and with the active participation of the majority of the Polish population, which was ready to destroy the Communist system in the country. The political instability in Poland and other East European countries, as well as the developments in the former Soviet republics, is potentially dangerous for European stability. Polish policy toward the West is based on the conviction that integration into the Western security system will lead to the stabilization of Poland's position in Europe. The adaptation to Western values offers a real chance for overcoming the present economic and social crisis symptoms and includes Poland in the Western institutional network in the political, economic, social, and cultural areas.
