The article analyzes the main trends of the discussion on the problems of the rural community and agriculture in Poland held during the period of transformation. It uses for the purpose both scientific publications and press reports. The author of the article tries to argue the main points formulated during that discussion (e.g. rural community as a burden hampering reforms, as the society's debtor, peasant agriculture as an inefficient form of farming, etc.) by showing their groundless character and ideological and political motivations.
The passing two decades have been characterised by far-reaching independence of scientific considerations from the real situation. The three main processes (deruralisation, disagrarisation and depeasantation), recognised as the key aspects of the continuing development of the rural community and agriculture, have been developing at a very slow pace or have been halted altogether. In addition, the parameters defining these processes are far worse now than they were at the close of the communist era. Thus, it is possible to claim that the so-called agrarian segment is subject to regression rather than development and that transformation means nothing else in the case of this segment than desolation. The suggested phenomenon can be considered as typical for the cycle of Polish modernisation reforms which have been characterised since the 15th century by the stigma of a 'paradox': rural community and agriculture serve as a shock-absorber of consecutive transformations, bearing the costs and negative consequences of these transformations.
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