“Providential Smart Power”: How John Paul II’s Nyean Soft Power Helped Defeat Communism
Journal: Horyzonty Polityki
Year: 2025

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to explain Pope John Paul II’s role in the formation of Solidarity in Poland using the concept of soft power as formulated by the political scientist Joseph Nye. THE RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND METHODS: Many historians consider Pope John Paul II’s first pilgrimage to his native Poland, which took place on June 2–10, 1979, to have played a key role in the collapse of communism across East-Central Europe. However, their explanations of the pope’s role a