"The book presents a chronological narrative of student political activity in Communist Poland and discusses it both from the point of view of those who supported and those who opposed the regime while elaborating on generational change within the country's student milieu. It sheds light on lesser-known aspects of the history of Communist Poland and shows that students played an important political role and that many known members of the country's elite emerged from the ranks of student activists"--Provided by publisher
This article discusses the relation between state violence and public disorder under authoritarian rule in Poland. Focusing on the major crises and protests of the communist era, it examines regime violence through a double perspective – on the one hand, the way the regime resorted to physical violence to uphold its survival and, on the other hand, as a generational experience of those who suffered from it. Despite the state's use of physical violence until 1989 becoming more rationalised, modernised and efficient, it also turned less effective over time. This evolution contributed to a decreasing risk factor for protesters vis-à-vis the state. Since the bulk of those who participated in protests and riots were young people, the focus lies on the youthful dimension of public disorder and in particular the activity and experience of then students and young workers.
Ostatni bunt [The Last Rebellion] is Marek Wierzbicki's most recent book dealing with Polish youth under communist rule. It tackles the specific problem of youth opposition to communism during the regime's final decade of existence. The book represents a first attempt at an in-depth historical discussion and analysis of the subject, which thus far has been mostly absent in the narrative. The importance of the topic is due to the fact that—as the author emphasises—in this period at least four hundred youth organisations, groups, and movements at schools and universities were politically active beyond the control of the regime. There would never again be such a degree of politicisation and activity among Poland's youth after the demise of communism.
This article belongs to a forthcoming special cluster, "Contention Politics and International Statebuilding in Southeast Europe" guest-edited by Nemanja Džuverovic, Julia Rone and Tom Junes. Historically, civic activists who left their home countries in the wake of protests would either risk disappearing in anonymity or become engaged in political "exile networks." However, since the outbreak of the "global wave" of protest, the ability of activists to take advantage of freedom of movement and technological advances in social media changed the framework and conditions of such "exile." This article addresses the question of what happens when protest activists decide to go abroad to study, work, and build a life. We focus in particular on the case of Bulgaria, the fastest shrinking country in the world. On the basis of structured qualitative interviews with Bulgarian activists who have gone abroad in the aftermath of the 2013 Bulgarian protests, we trace how migration and intra-EU mobility affect the political participation of activists, the ways in which they participate, and their diagnoses of the present. In other words, we explore whether one can speak of "exit after voice," leading in the long run to a decrease in activism. We argue instead that we are witnessing a transformation of the dichotomy "exit-voice" into a more complex scale of forms of protest organization and participation, facilitated by social media and the freedom of movement within the EU. Herein, the real risk might be not that migration leads to political passivity, but that the new "voice" found through the experience abroad remains rather marginal as activists' networks are transformed and community building becomes a challenge in an increasingly precarious world.
This article belongs to a forthcoming special cluster, "Contention Politics and International Statebuilding in Southeast Europe" guest-edited by Nemanja Džuverovic, Julia Rone and Tom Junes.
