Logika politycznych konfliktów i ich wyborcze manifestacje

The article presents the fundamental political conflicts that have structured Poles’ electoral preferences in the last thirty years. The author indicates deep-seated economic, social and political reasons of the conflicts. Based on Lipset and Rokkan’s classical theory of socio-political cleavages, he states that the dynamics of Poles’ electoral preferences in 1989–2020 has been shaped by three basic distinctions. In the years 1989–2001, the postcommunist cleavage had the most fundamental impact; in 2005–2011, the division between liberal Poland and solidary Poland came to the fore, and in 2015–2020, voters’ political choices were determined by the enmity between two camps: the supporters and the opponents of the Law and Justice party (PiS). The essence of the latter cleavage is, on the one hand, a very strong identification of many millions of Poles with the ruling Law and Justice, and on the other hand, an equally strong hostility towards the party evident in a similar portion of the population.