The socialist revolution that took place in post-war Poland reshaped the country and brought on its society a fast and unexpected process of transformation. The extremist reforms that were introduced after 1945 were widely perceived as a Marxist challenge to the country’s independence. In any circles they were even interpreted as an assault on specified ideals as “noble freedom”. While a word for the historical political liberties and privileges enjoyed by the Polish nobility, it was besides utilized to describe the attack on the myths of the advanced culture of the interwar period. Yet, the imposed change, and the modernization resulting from it, triggered profound social shifts. Looking at its consequences from today’s perspective, we can say that the paradoxical legacy of this period includes a more egalitarian Polish society, and the creation of conditions that enabled many urban Poles to benefit from the very changes that were then so profoundly contested.
Peasant versus noble culture
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