Poland Liceum ogólnokształcące, klasa IV Civics (extended level)
Chapters: 5
1. System of government of the Third Republic
Constitution and state organs · Elections and parliament · Local government and public finance
- Constitution: Why and How? – A constitution is the basic rulebook of a country. It builds trust, says who holds power, limits that power, and states the people's hopes. India's Constitution was written by the Constituent Assembly from 1946 to 1949 through open debate, and it took good ideas from other constitutions, changing them to suit India.
- Legislature – Parliament is where elected representatives make laws, debate issues, pass the budget and keep the government answerable. India's Parliament has two houses: the Lok Sabha, elected by the people, and the Rajya Sabha, which represents the states. A bill passes through readings, committee study and votes in both houses before the President signs it. Committees do detailed work, and rules like the anti-defection law keep Parliament disciplined.
- Local Governments – Local governments bring democracy to the village and town level, where people know their own problems best. Local bodies existed in India since 1882 but stayed weak for decades. The 73rd (rural) and 74th (urban) Amendments of 1992 gave panchayats and municipalities constitutional status, regular elections, reservation for women, SC and ST, and a list of subjects and funds.
2. Forms of government in modern states
Comparative political systems
- Systems of Government: Branches, Checks and Balances – Every modern state divides power among three branches: the legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out and the judiciary interprets them. Checks and balances let each branch limit the others. Democracies arrange the legislature and executive in different ways. In a parliamentary system the government comes from parliament and must keep its confidence (UK, India, Germany). In a presidential system people elect the president and the legislature separately for fixed terms (USA, Brazil). A semi-presidential system shares power between an elected president and a prime minister who answers to parliament (France). Other forms include monarchies and Switzerland's committee system.
3. Poland and leaving communism
Legacy and transition · Parties and economic transformation
- Democratisation – Democratisation is the process by which a country moves from authoritarian rule to democracy. It usually follows stages: an authoritarian regime; rising pressure from protests, economic crisis and the outside world; negotiation or a break with the old rulers; founding free elections; and consolidation, when courts, a free press, civil society and peaceful changes of government make democracy stable. South Korea (April Revolution 1960, Gwangju 1980, June Struggle 1987, peaceful handover 1997) and Poland (Solidarity 1980, martial law 1981, Round Table and June elections 1989, reforms and free elections by 1991) are two clear cases. The road is not straight: it can stall or go backwards.
4. Polish foreign policy after 1989
Poland in Europe and the world
- International Relations: How States Deal with Each Other – International relations (IR) studies how states and other actors (international organisations, companies, NGOs) interact. States are sovereign and there is no world government, so each state follows its national interest through foreign policy: diplomacy, trade, aid, alliances and, at worst, force. Conflicts arise from clashing interests over territory, resources, power and identity, and from the security dilemma. Cooperation grows through mutual gain, treaties, international law and organisations. Realism stresses power and security; liberalism stresses cooperation, trade and institutions. Peace is built by negotiation, mediation, peacekeeping and justice.
5. Cultural, political and economic change in the world after 1989
Global change and new conflicts · The European Union
- The European Union – The European Union (EU) is a group of 27 European countries that share some decisions and laws. It began in 1951, when six countries pooled coal and steel to make war between them impossible. It grew step by step into a single market where goods, people, services and money move freely. The Commission proposes laws, the Parliament and the Council pass them, and the Court of Justice makes sure they are applied. 21 members share the euro. The United Kingdom left in 2020.