Modernisation of the State Apparatus in Poland in the Years 1989–1999. A Decade of Difficult Changes

The political transformation in Poland, initiated in the first half of 1989, was the beginning of deep, systemic changes in all mechanisms of collective life and public authority. The transformations were characterized as complex and multifaceted, which generated new conflicts and socially perceptible costs. However, such deep changes were necessary because they opened the way for Poland and Polish society towards European standards of organization and activity of all entities of public life. The most important principles on the basis of which the new constitutional model of the state was built were deconcentrating the authority mechanism and decentralizing its powers. This meant that the administration alsobecame a very important area of transformational changes. In this regard, a special role was played by actions aimed at reconstructinglocal government which was to become an integral part of the new public authority system and to carry out a significant part of public tasks.