| Although positive changes have occurred in Poland since the fall of Communism in 1989, many Poles wonder what happened to the solidarity they experienced in the 1980's during their struggles with the Communist regime. They also ponder whether or not the freedom the Solidarity movement fought for prior to 1989 has been achieved. If the Polish nonviolent revolution was successful, why do so many people feel marginalized, precluded from participation in the life of the society?; After 1989 Polish society has lacked solidarity, freedom and participation, the essential elements of an ethic of solidarity, in many spheres. Concrete social ills, such as increasing poverty, manifest these deficits. This dissertation argues that an ethic of solidarity must be revitalized and embodied in social structures and policies in order to overcome the social injustice and marginalization of many Poles today. In order to achieve this, the meaning of solidarity, freedom and participation and their interrelationship must be clarified. Relying mainly on Catholic social thought and drawing on key insights from interdisciplinary thinkers such as Amartya Sen, this dissertation advances the following understanding of the relationship between solidarity, freedom and participation: solidarity, freedom and participation are not conflicting values. Rather, there is a kind of mutual entailment, or necessary interdependence among these values. Freedom is realized by participating in the construction of a just society in order to promote the participation of others in that society. To act in this way is to act in solidarity with others, because solidarity promotes the freedom and participation of others.; This dissertation assumes illustrating the relevance of an ethic of solidarity to concrete, exigent issues will most effectively contribute to retrieving an ethic of solidarity in contemporary Poland. Therefore, it applies the three aspects of an ethic of solidarity to poverty in Poland after 1989. It also analyzes the role of an institution crucial to reviving the ethic of solidarity in Poland, the Roman Catholic church. |
