One Battle for Democracy After Another

February 23, 2026·26 min·2 clips

Jaroslaw Kurski recounts being beaten with batons and thrown into the 'health path' as a teenage freedom fighter in Poland.

Hosts Noelle King and Myles Bryan report from Poland on the country's decade-long struggle with authoritarianism between 2015 and 2023. The story centers on journalist Jaroslaw Kurski, who fought Soviet occupation in the 1980s and was beaten by police during protests. Poland became a stable democracy after throwing out communists in 1989, modeling itself on American-style governance with regular elections, free media, and independent courts. The trajectory changed after a 2010 plane crash killed Poland's president and top leadership, later determined to be pilot error. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the president's twin brother and leader of the Law & Justice party, believed his brother was murdered and promoted conspiracy theories blaming liberal elites. Law & Justice transformed from a center-right party into an authoritarian movement exploiting the conspiracy to gain power. In 2015, despite warnings from Kurski that democracy was at stake, Law & Justice won the election. Once in power, Law & Justice systematically dismantled democratic institutions by packing constitutional courts with partisan judges, shutting down NGOs and women's organizations, cutting LGBT funding, and redirecting money to Christian groups. State media was transformed from boring centrist coverage into conspiracy-driven partisan programming led by anchor Michal Rakhon, who compared himself to Bill O'Reilly. Thousands of negative segments targeted liberal Gdansk mayor Paweł Adamowicz, who was later stabbed to death onstage in 2019. The turning point came when Law & Justice used captured courts to rule Poland's already-strict abortion law unconstitutional and make it nearly completely illegal. This sparked massive protests led by young activists like 24-year-old Dominika Lesota, who described the mobilization as uncovering a hidden side of Poland. Former Law & Justice Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki admitted the abortion ruling cost them 10 percentage points in popularity they never recovered. For the 2023 election, liberal parties including center-left, far-left, and farmers united behind former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, agreeing to defend democracy despite policy differences. Law & Justice tried banning Tusk from running, which backfired and led to protests. The October 2023 election saw 74% turnout, higher than the first free election in 1989, with 68% of young people voting. The democratic coalition won, removing Law & Justice from power, though Law & Justice still won the most seats but couldn't form a coalition government. The tone is journalistic and narrative-driven, using personal stories from protesters and journalists to illustrate democratic backsliding. The reporting style interweaves historical context with present-day interviews and analysis. The episode suits audiences interested in democratic erosion, authoritarianism, comparative politics, and how democracies can recover from authoritarian takeovers. It offers particular relevance for Americans drawing parallels to U.S. political developments.

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