The Christian Democracy: Foundations of its New Development Stage Based on the Reformed Principles

The incentive to the author of this article to undertake the problem were poor electoral results, gained by the Christian democratic political groupings in Poland during the parliamentary elections in 1991 and 1993, as well the presidential ones in 1995. The article is based not only on written sources, but also on the personal experience of the author, that participates in the dramatic history of the main Ch.D. movement representative in Poland since 1945, namely the Polish Labour Party (Stronnictwo Pracy). In the international scale, the most important socio-economic programmes were embodied in two Manifestos, issued in 1976 by the World and European Ch.D. Unions. They advocated for a multisectorial national economy model, with a quite important public sector. The same socially radical option has been continued later in 1993 on the occasion of the Ideological World Ch.D. Union Conference in Chile. To the main principles, on which is based the World Ch.D. movement platform, belongs − besides Fredom and Solidarity − the social Justice (Equity) principle. Within the Ch.D. most important parties an influential place is reserved for a working class wing, defending the hired workers, and other low paid employee groups, justified economic interests. The Polish Labour Party main programmes from 1937 and 1945 promoted, as well, a moderated center-left tendency, aiming at the multisectorial model of the national economy and the socialization of the highest personal incomes. After 1989 we have developed a Polish version of the Social Market Economy systems concept, as a positive solution for all so called postsocialist countries. From these mostly positive tendencies in the Ch.D. movement abroad and in the authentic Polish Labour Party − differ, in a negative sense, economic programmes of the actual Ch.D. groupings in Poland, shifting into a rather right-conservative direction. The article ends with two proposals, aiming at an renewal of the Ch.D. movement (not only in Poland): 1. A transition from a narrow, denominational Christian democracy formula − to a broader corporative democracy one − of an oecumenical character. 2. Of a return to the evangelical pooroption idea − not only in official declarations, but also in the current economic and political practice. As a way of carrying out these two proposals in economic and political life − may be seen a closer cooperation with the popular, peasant party, PSL

Kazimierz Studentowicz − an Outstanding Leader, Political Prisoner and Theoretician of the Christian-Social Movement in Poland

Studentowicz started first as a distinct economist − by gaining two doctoral degrees in economic sciences: first in 1926 at the Yagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland) and later in 1928 at Columbia University in New York. As early as the end of the interwar period he became one of the leading Polish theoreticians in the economic sciences by publishing in 1937 an important monography on the „Economic Policy of the State”. He developed there a programmed state interventionism concept, taking into account also some marginal volume of the public sector existence. Developing later some important principles of this concept, he actualized the old Saint Aquinas Thomas theory on the Christian ownership ethics. K. Studentowicz stressed a necessity of the property class surplus incomes socialization. Surplus incomes − this means incomes, surpassing their own work contribution and their social class status requirements (i.e. their social class environment standard of living level). During the German War occupation K. Studentowicz was one of the underground Unia Organisation leaders; after its unification with the Polish Labour Party − also of this last one. Within its activity he contributed mainly to its new economic programme from 1944 and 1945. Studentowicz was arrested − by the then totalitarian Marxist rulers − in July 1948 and condemned next for 15 Years prison (that he left, after almost 8 Years, as late as May 1956). His main contribution − to the Polish Christian-social movement, represented by our Labour Party − cousistsin in a second stage of the moderate left wing option within this Party. Its first stage was connected with the programme foundations of the NPR (NWP − National Workers Party), when the second one − just with Professor Studentowicz ideas and proposals

Past and Present Problems of Polish Ethnic Groups in America (Analyzed Primarily Through the Example of the Baltimore Community)

Citations of sources, conclusions, or opinions expressed in this publication are the responsibility of the author and do not reflect the policies or views of staff or others affiliated with the Institute for Policy Studies or Johns Hopkins University

Economic Aspects of the Social Market Economy Concept

Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę