AWS successfully unified most of the post-Solidarity parties and, as a result, won a majority of seats in the parliament. This nouveau riche group can afford many things nowadays, and is a primary force in the market. At the same time, the romantic ideology formed in the nineteenth century and dominating Polish intellectual life till the fall of communism, is undergoing a huge crisis. Emphasis on patriotism and sacrifice for the motherland is not needed any more in the sovereign and democratic country which is Poland today. Since families work longer hours, they have less time to dedicate to each other.
Children are the most efficient cluster of society in absorbing changes.
Very often they understand the new reality better then their parents which leads to the realignment of familial roles, and challenges the traditional structure of the family. After W.W.II Polish society was quite ethnically homogenous. In recent years, a considerable number of foreigners opened businesses and settled in Poland. Poles are learning to live in a more ethnically diverse environment. Polish universities are interested in establishing relationships with American schools.