In the forty-five years of their rule, the Communists built a monocentric society whose social and political fabric was dominated by a new elite of loyal government leaders. In the 1950s, social institutions such as political groups, voluntary organizations, youth and professional organizations, and community associations lost their autonomy and were forced into a hierarchical state-controlled network. Only the Polish Catholic Church retained some degree of independence during this period.

By the mid-1970s, nearly half the Polish work force was made up of women. On a purely statistical basis, Poland, like the rest of the Soviet alliance in Eastern Europe, offered women more opportunities for higher education and employment, than did most West European countries. Many professions, such as architecture, engineering, and university teaching, employed a considerably higher percentage of women in Poland than in the West. The ability to cope in any situation is their national trademark. The problem is, as the famous Polish poet Stanislaw Wyspianski wrote, is the Polish people's "want to want".