CONSERVATISM AS A NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY: POLITICAL PROCESSES IN THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND IN 2015–2023

Abstract

The article analyzes political processes in the Republic of Poland during the rule of the “Law and Justice” party (PiS) in 2015–2023, when conservatism became the foundation of the state’s national security strategy. The conservative turn of the Polish political scene after the so-called “Tusk Era” and approaches to implementing right-conservative principles in domestic and foreign policy are examined. The electoral victories of PiS in 2015 and 2019, which secured the party parliamentary majority and presidential power, are analyzed. Special attention is given to five main postulates of the PiS program: state restoration, economic development, family policy, social reforms, and foreign policy subjectivity. It is shown that PiS’s conservative ideology was based on the values of freedom, solidarity, justice, national identity, and Catholic principles. Key aspects of the political program of PiS included: the active social offer “500+”, strengthening the traditional family model, enhancing the role of the Catholic Church, judicial system reforms, and public administration reforms. PiS’s foreign policy course was characterized by Euroscepticism, strengthening cooperation with the USA and NATO, an anti-Russian position, and complex relations with Ukraine. Conservatism in Poland in 2015–2023 functioned as a comprehensive national security strategy that included protecting cultural authenticity, countering external influences, and strengthening internal unity. At the same time, contradictions existed between conservative principles and European integration, leading to external and internal political conflicts. The transition of executive power to the Civic Coalition and the formation of Donald Tusk’s government in 2023 did not end the conservative cycle in Polish politics, but initiated a new process of political confrontation between liberal-democratic and conservative-democratic doctrines. The Polish experience is of significant importance for understanding contemporary trends in European politics and Central European conservatism.