This book deals with the social, political, and normative changes of the last decades in Poland, and aims to synthesize the empirical evidence of the normative aspect, as reflected in attitudes and action, with a theoretical interpretation of this historic process. Was the Polish experience unique, or was it merely a manifestation of common problems affecting all societies in the last quarter of the twentieth century? The place of the Polish experience in the recent history of Communist Europe, the rise of Solidarity and the development of a re-structured society are extensively and absorbingly examined.