Polish Property Transformations in the Context of Transitional Justice (Since 1988)

This chapter aims to analyse Polish property transformations since 1988 in the context of transitional justice. Dealing with the communist past in this field is as much important as dealing with criminal or political crimes of the regime. The chapter addresses the problems of privatisation of state ownership in the 1980s and the 1990s and the restoration of private property acquired in various ways by the communist state, seeking in its beginning a social reconstruction. According to the main conclusion, dealing with the past from the perspective of property issues has not been finished in Poland yet. Despite the 30 years that passed since the political transformation and regime fall, many issues remain unexplained and unregulated, which affects the contemporary socio-political situation, undermining the legitimacy of democracy. Another problem is that the fundamental principle of common good did not apply generally to the Polish property transformations after 1988. Only well-organised social groups managed to take advantage of possibilities opened by the change of social and political system, sometimes through the abuse of law and their rights.