Browsing by Author "Rocskar, Olivia"
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- ItemOpen AccessThe Roots of Democratic Participation: The Historical Legacies of the Polish Partitions(2013-05-01) Rocskar, Olivia; Policzer, PabloThis thesis examines the historical legacies of Poland’s partitioned past as an explanation for contemporary regional differentiation in citizens’ democratic participation. Specifically, it considers the historical experience of the Poles prior to 1919 and their response to the occupying powers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia following the partition of the state between 1772 and 1795. In doing so, it focuses on two mechanisms: the birth of modern cultural nationalism and peasant political integration. It argues that the way these variables developed under the authority of the occupying powers accounts for a) the quality of contemporary democratic participation, and b) the persistence of political values over time. The Polish example illustrates the larger implications of the preconditions driving citizen participation and how these affect the quality of democratic development.