Freedom or equality: the crisis of democracy and the Polish partiocracy

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the tension between two fundamental values of the contemporary world: freedom and equality. Drawing on the thought of Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, the author challenges the widespread belief in their complementarity, arguing that the pursuit of absolute equality inevitably leads to the restriction of civil liberties. The text details the evolution of democratic systems toward the tyranny of the majority and the specific pathologies of the Polish political scene. The article examines the phenomenon of partiocracy, the mechanisms of clientelism, and the influence of the Sarmatian and post-communist heritage on the current institutional culture. The reader will also find a comparison of the Anglo-Saxon culture of procedure with the continental pursuit of absolute ideals, which allows for a better understanding of the sources of the current crisis of liberal democracy.