Freedom Union

political party, Poland

Also known as: Democratic Union

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July 16, 2026

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The Freedom Union (Unia Wolności; UW) was a liberal-democratic political party in Poland that emerged during the country's transition from communism. It was considered a party of the intelligentsia and struggled to communicate its vision effectively to the broader population. The party was part of the fragmented political landscape following the collapse of communism, where no single party initially held a dominant position. In the decade after 1997, other leading parties included the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), the Polish Peasant Party (PSL), and the Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS).12

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Poland
Transitioning from communism
The centrist Freedom Union (UW), which bore the brunt of the transition to democracy, failed to communicate its vision to the masses and remained largely a party of the intelligentsia. The rightists, split into several groups, accused Wałęsa and the roundtable negotiators of selling out to communists.
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The centrist Freedom Union (UW), which bore the brunt of the transition to democracy, failed to communicate its vision to the masses and remained largely a party of the intelligentsia. The rightists, split into several groups, accused Wałęsa and the roundtable negotiators of selling out to communists.
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Tadeusz Mazowiecki
…of the Democratic Union (now Freedom Union); he left the party in 2002. In 2005 he helped found the Democratic Party (Partia Demokratyczna [PD]; not to be confused with Poland’s other Democratic Party, Stronnictwo Demokratyczne [SD], founded in 1939). From 1992 to 1995 Mazowiecki represented the former Yugoslavia as a…
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…of the Democratic Union (now Freedom Union); he left the party in 2002. In 2005 he helped found the Democratic Party (Partia Demokratyczna [PD]; not to be confused with Poland’s other Democratic Party, Stronnictwo Demokratyczne [SD], founded in 1939). From 1992 to 1995 Mazowiecki represented the former Yugoslavia as a…
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