Articles
The breakdown of political structures is a process developing from the saddle point to the revolution or implosion of a political system. The decay process is determined on the one hand by the strength of the influence of stabilizing factors (attractors) and, on the other hand — by the repellers. In Poland, under Edward Gierek, the saddle point was achieved in 1974–1976, and then the process of disintegration began. The most important moments of revealing the repellers were: social protests against price increases in June 1976, “the winter of the century” in 1978/1979, the papal pilgrimage in 1979, parliamentary elections in March 1980, and the July 1980 strikes. The August and September 1980 agreements ended the process of disintegration of the monistic political system in Poland.