The End of a Myth Poland, East Central Europe, and the Image of the West

Since the 1980s, there has existed in Poland an unshakable myth of the West as the better, morally superior world. Even after the accession of the East Central Europeans to the European Union, this myth lived on. But in recent years, the various crises in the EU, the refugees issue, and a generational turnover have led to an erosion of the West's positive image. The Eurosceptic governments in Budapest and Warsaw draw on another tradition. They are putting distance between themselves and West European influences.