Good Change

The Rise and Fall of Poland’s Illiberal Revolution

Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley

Stanford University Press

Few countries serve as a more useful case study for understanding the global tension between liberal and illiberal conceptions of democracy than Poland. Under the populist Law and Justice (PiS)-led government, a large part of the Polish electorate welcomed the party’s “Good Change”—as it described its program—despite accusations of democratic backsliding. PiS offered voters neglected by previous governments a combination of economic redistributionism and cultural traditionalism, supplemented with narratives of bolstering Poland’s national prestige and sovereignty. Yet, after eight years of success, it was defeated in the October 2023 elections by a “pro-democratic” coalition. The history of PiS shows both the strengths and weaknesses of democratic illiberalism as a challenge to liberal democracy.

Bill and Stanley analyze the course and causes of the party’s successes and failures. The authors deftly outline PiS’s assault on democratic institutions, its paradigm-changing redistributive programs, cultural backlash agenda, politics of history, and the reasons for its fall from power. Poland’s democracy has proven resilient to the specter of autocratization, but its future development under a new government raises fresh questions. This essential book considers what the rise and fall of Poland’s illiberal government reveals about the future of liberal democracy and its ongoing transformations in the 21st century.

Stanley Bill is Professor of Polish Studies, University of Cambridge. He is the Chair of the Cambridge Committee for Russian and East European Studies (CamCREES). Ben Stanley is Associate Professor at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

September 2025
344 pages | 6x9
14 figures
Paper
$35.00 (£27.99) SDT 9781503643680
Cloth
$140.00 (£110.00) SDT 9781503634565
eBook 9781503643697
International Affairs

Advance praise

“A comprehensive political history of post-1989 Poland that shows in detail how the populist Law and Justice party reshaped the Polish political system with a combination of generous social policies and conservative culture wars. Polish—and European—politics will never be the same.”

—Mitchell A. Orenstein, University of Pennsylvania

“While many dimensions of the prolonged Polish right-wing populist episode (2015-2023) have been separately analyzed, there has not been a comprehensive portrayal of its deep roots, complex mechanisms, and long-lasting consequences. Stanley Bill and Ben Stanley provide such an account in this superbly researched, carefully reasoned, and lucidly written volume. It should not be missed by anybody interested in populism, Poland, or Central Europe.”

—Jan Kubik, Rutgers University

“With its insightful analysis of democratic erosion as a dynamic, multidirectional process driven yet constrained by popular discontent, Good Change is a timely and thought-provoking contribution to the study of contemporary democracy. An essential read for anyone seeking to understand Poland’s recent political evolution.”

—Lenka Bustikova, University of Florida