Czas przełomu, czas podziałów - polska emigracja a wybory 1989 roku
A Time of Breakthrough, A Time of Divisions: Polish Emigration and the 1989 Elections

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses the participation of Poles residing abroad during the parliamentary elections in 1989. It presents legal problems related to the organization of the elections outside the country, the campaign, final results, as well as consequences for Poles living abroad. This paper is based on original documents found in the Archives of the President of the Republic of Poland, the Archives of the Senate, the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of National Remembrance, as well as interviews with Polish emigrants, who experienced the 1989 elections while living abroad. The analysis of primary sources indicates that the 1989 elections instigated large-scale mobilization of existing organizations and the emergence of new leaders, as well as the emergence of strong divisions in attitudes towards the Round Table negotiations, the elections and the participation of Poles living abroad during the elections. Moreover, the results of the elections abroad were surprising both for the government and the opposition.

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