One Battle for Democracy After Another

Today, Explained

Vox

Politics, Daily News, News

4.3 • 10.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For nearly 10 years, Poland's authoritarian government chipped away at the country's freedoms. Here's how Poles mobilized to get their democracy back before it was too late. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact checked by Andrea López-Cruzado, engineered by Patrick Boyd and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King and Miles Bryan. It was supported by a grant from Protect Democracy. Vox had full discretion over the content of this reporting. A march in Krakow, Poland to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. Photo by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's today explained. I'm Noel King.
0:02.6	And I'm Miles Brian.
0:05.1	A few weeks back, Noel and I went to Poland to report on what happened a little over a decade ago when polls voted into power a government with authoritarian leanings.
0:14.0	This set Poland down a perilous path that seemed almost impossible to come back from.
0:20.1	They had the presidency.
0:21.5	They had the prime minister in government.
0:23.7	And they also decided to sort of destroy the judiciary and the media.
0:29.6	Let's talk about that.
0:31.1	Does it sound familiar?
0:32.7	Yes, it does.
0:33.9	Sound very familiar.
0:37.3	To an American, it sure does.
0:39.4	So we went to check the story out.
0:41.0	It's the story of how polls democratically elected an undemocratic government.
0:45.2	And how against considerable odds, they booted out the authoritarian and got their democracy back.
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