Public Opinion and Political Change in Poland, 1980-1982 (Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies)

This book deals with the importance of public opinion in Poland at the time of the rise of Solidarity and the workers' movement, when opinion polling and freedom of political debate were at their height. Dr Mason's analysis is based on the most open and revealing opinion polls ever to issue from a communist country, polls conducted by the government, the universities and Solidarity itself on fundamental political issues - the nature of the socialist state, the role of the party, popular confidence in Solidarity, the church and the regime. The lack of information about public attitudes is perhaps the major weakness of all studies of communist regimes. Dr Mason's data provide important insights into relations between the rulers and the ruled, and provide the opportunity of balancing the contentions of traditional elites with more objective data from 'below'.David Stewart Mason is the author of 'Public Opinion and Political Change in Poland, 1980-1982 (Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies)', published 1985 under ISBN 9780521307987 and ISBN 0521307988.