ABSTRACT
The establishment of the SDRP on January 29, 1990, was the answer of the Polish United Workers' Party leadership and apparat to the challenge of political pluralism. The 1989 elections to the Sejm and the Senate were generally interpreted as a landslide victory for the Polish opposition and a watershed in the evolution of Polish political culture. Closer scrutiny allows a different picture to emerge. The elections were certainly a singular event in the post-World War II history of European Communism. The most conspicuous phenomenon of Polish political culture is the split between macro- and micropolitics. In situations perceived as "official", Poles show entirely different reactions than in "private" or group contexts. Both levels are significant arenas for political behavior. While the group context promotes cooperation regardless of political identities, macropolitical cooperation and communication are severely hampered by the boundaries of the ideological camps.
