Secularization was one of the most sensitive issues in a communist totalitarian state, yet when this book was originally published in 1982, it had been little explored. This study presents a critical appraisal of the documentary evidence for and against the process of secularization in Polish society. The book examines all the relevant Polish material – academic contributions, official communist party-directed pronouncements and studies, independent observations – bringing much hitherto unknown work to the attention of the reader. The book shows how the positivistic, scientistic and Marxist traditions of thought in early Polish sociology contributed to the creation of a model of modern secular man. In analysing religious and associated change in twentieth century Poland, the author finds that the evidence does not confirm any general theory of increased secularization within Polish society. Rather, he concludes that the evidence points to increased de-secularization, and towards a religious change and revitalization.

Maciej Pomian-Srzednicki obtained his first degree from Birmingham University and his PhD at The London School of Economics. He travelled widely in Poland during the 1970s. In the early 1980s he co-authored with John Marks and Caroline Cox three reports Standards in English Schools and was a member of the Education Study Group at the Centre for Policy Studies. He worked with Roger Scruton’s Jagellonian Trust which provided support to the Polish Solidarity movement.