SOCIAL POLICY DURING MATURE SOCIALISM PERIOD 1956–1980

The aim of the article was to study the possibility to explain development of socialist social policy with theories proposed as explanations for the western democratic and capitalist social policy development. Second aim was to analyse the development of social policy in Poland in the 1956–1980 period called in the Polish literature mature socialism. The arguments were grounded on the academic literature from socialist time and later. The second source was review of the law acts related to labour and social entitlements. In both areas there was gradual improvement after 1956 and 1970 labour protests. Strict subordination of the social policy to the economic policy was lessened. Coverage and generosity of labour and social entitlements were expanded.