Democratisation By Default? Change and Continuity of Poland's Contemporary Democracy Promotion in Its Eastern Neighbourhood

Following a breakdown in the post‐1989 liberal consensus that governed Polish democracy promotion in its eastern neighbours under Law and Justice's term from 2015, we can expect policy changes to Polish democracy promotion. Paying tribute to historical explanations of Poland's democracy promotion, this article links the historical legacies of the Giedroyć‐Mieroszewski doctrine and the Solidarity trade union to 21st‐century democracy promotion. It shows how change and continuity are not only related to current events, but to longitudinal tenacity of ideas and historical legacy. Both legacies create the boundaries of change from one government to the next and provide the ideological differentiation for present‐day policy change.