ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the historical context of the anarchist movement in Poland from its beginnings in the early 1900s. It discusses the re-emergence of the movement during the 1980s and the re-introduction of anarchist ideas to Poland through youth subcultures and punk rock in particular. Then The chapter addresses the current situation of the anarchist movement in Poland and the challenges it faces. The Polish anarchist movement grew out of radical leftist and democratic currents that were gaining popularity among workers and Jewish minorities in 19th-century partitioned Poland. For Polish anarchists, the most important structural challenge is the socio-political reality of post-socialism, a factor that seems to have had a stronger impact than in other post-socialist countries or for other kinds of social movements. The rise of the rightist politics in Poland strongly affects the political opportunity structure of anarchist groups.
