This chapter revisits the development of the Polish public sphere after the fall of communism in 1989, with special attention to how three competing political forces—the left, the right, and the centrists—have used their changing access to positions of power to rhetorically (re)define national identity vis-à-vis Poland’s membership in the European Union (formalized in 2004). In the 1990s, the left rejected the post-communist legacy in order to foreground its modernization arguments, particularly the new orientation towards European values of collaboration and inclusion. Then in the mid/late 2000s, the right harked back to the rhetoric that revisited both glorious and tragic moments of Polish history. The strategic devices in right-wing oratory enhanced the arguments for the state’s role in defending Polish identity against European progressivism and openness to migration. Meanwhile, the centrists developed a charismatic style of bridging the national and European identities with positive appeals to the sense of belonging. The material is drawn from landmark speeches of leaders: Aleksander Kwaśniewski (President 1995–2005), Jarosław Kaczyński (Prime Minister 2006–2007; Deputy Prime Minister 2020–2023), Donald Tusk (Prime Minister 2007–2014 and since 2023), focusing on evaluative and emotional markers, and argumentative schemas that pertain to identity-building.