View source for Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action

{{Short description|Political party in Poland}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action
| native_name      = Ruch Obywatelski Akcja Demokratyczna
| colorcode        = #CC1F27
| split            = [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee]]
| successor        = [[Democratic Union (Poland)|Democratic Union]]<br />{{small|(Liberal faction)}}<br />[[Democratic-Social Movement (Poland)|Democratic-Social Movement]]<br />{{small|(Social-democratic faction)}}
| logo             = File:Logo_of_Ruch_Obywatelski_Akcja_Demokratyczna.svg
| founder          = [[Zbigniew Bujak]]<br />Władysław Frasyniuk<br />[[Adam Michnik]]<br />[[Jan Lityński]]<br />[[Henryk Wujec]]<br />[[Zofia Kuratowska]]
| leader           = [[Władysław Frasyniuk]]
| ideology         = [[Liberal democracy|Political liberalism]]<br />[[Reformism]]<br />{{small|'''Factions:'''<br />[[Social democracy]]<br />[[Economic liberalism]]}}
| position         = [[Political centre|Centre]]
| membership       = ~5000
| foundation       = 16 July 1990
| dissolved        = 11 May 1991
| country          = Poland
| colours          = 
| national         = [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee]]
}}
{{Liberalism in Poland |Parties}}

The '''Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action''' ({{langx|pl|Ruch Obywatelski Akcja Demokratyczna|link=no}}, '''ROAD''') was a [[List of political parties in Poland|political faction]] in Poland coalescing several members of the [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee]].

==History==
===Background===
[[File:Frasyniuk1990.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Leader of ROAD, Władysław Frasyniuk, 1990]]
On 24 August 1989, [[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]] became Poland's first non-communist [[Prime Minister of Poland]] since [[Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski]] in the [[interwar era]]. Mazowiecki's coronation as Prime Minister came about as the result of an agreement between two of the political factions within [[Solidarność]] - the future [[Centre Agreement]] (PC) led by [[Lech Kaczyński|Lech]] and [[Jarosław Kaczyński]], and the trade union's leader, [[Lech Wałęsa]], who sought to sideline the [[Polish United Workers' Party]] (PZPR) and create a coalition between Solidarność, the [[Alliance of Democrats (Poland)|Alliance of Democrats]] and [[United People's Party (Poland)|United People's Party]] - formerly PZPR's [[Bloc party|satellite parties]].
[[File:Tadeusz Mazowiecki cropped.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki]]

However, Mazowiecki, soon after assuming the office of Prime Minister, fell out with Wałęsa and the Kaczyński brothers, rejecting their influence and pursuing a [[political liberalism|liberal]] and [[reformism|reformist]] course for Poland.<ref name=Dudek>{{cite book |last=Dudek |first=Antoni |date=2023 |title=Historia polityczna Polski 1989–2023 |trans-title=Polish political history 1989-2023 |url=https://scholar.com.pl/pl/glowna/8768-historia-polityczna-polski-19892023.html |location=Warsaw |language=Polish |publisher=Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar |isbn=978-83-67450-66-9}}</ref>

===Founding===
The Movement was founded on 16 July 1990 as a faction within the {{ill|Obywatelski Klub Parlamentarny|pl|Obywatelski Klub Parlamentarny|lt=Citizens' Parliamentary Club}} by its reformist members, which supported Mazowiecki.<ref name=Szyc>{{cite book |last=Dehnel-Szyc |first=Małgorzata |date=1991 |title=GRY Polityczne Orientacje na Dziś |trans-title=Political Moves Orientations for Today |url=https://owvolumen.pl/ksiegarnia/gry-polityczne-orientacje-na-dzis/ |language=Polish |isbn=83-85218-19-X}}</ref> It often collaborated with two different factions of Solidarność, Mazowiecki's Democratic Union (UD) and [[Aleksander Hall]]'s [[Forum of the Democratic Right]].

The party declared itself as a counterforce to the Centre Agreement, primarily clashing on the issue of PZPR within the Sejm. While PC wanted to sideline the communists and later [[Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland|post-communists]], ROAD were open to cooperation with reformists and liberals within PZPR. Before ROAD's formal founding, its future members sought to establish a coalition between Solidarność and PZPR's reformist wing.<ref name=Dudek/> During the first [[Lustration in Poland|lustration]] proceedings in the first [[Sejm]], members of the [[Democratic Union (Poland)|Democratic Union]] (UD) and [[Liberal Democratic Congress]] (KLD), which derived from ROAD, were, along the post-communists, lustration's only opponents.<ref name=Szyc/>

===In opposition to Wałęsa===
Lech Wałesa planned to see himself elected President by the [[National Assembly (Poland)|National Assembly]] (a joint sitting of the Sejm and Senate).<ref name=Dudek/> However, in September 1990, ROAD blocked Wałęsa's initiative, and forced through a general presidential election, which occurred two months later.  Despite declaring itself not to be part of Mazowiecki's political base, they were allies, and its leadership were among the Prime Minister's political advisors in the conflict between Mazowiecki and Wałęsa, which the latter would famously label the "{{ill|Wojna na górze|pl|Wojna na górze|lt=War at the top}}" ({{langx|pl|Wojna na górze}}).

The [[1990 Polish presidential election]] saw ROAD support Mazowiecki's candidacy against Wałęsa, who was backed by PC. The notoriously uncharismatic Mazowiecki was thoroughly humiliated, falling third, behind [[dark horse candidate]] [[Stanisław Tymiński]]. Tymiński was seen as a threat to the Solidarność establishment, which forced Mazowiecki to begrudgingly endorse Wałesa in the second round - which Wałęsa won with a historic 74.25% of the vote. Mazowiecki's humiliation in the first round led to his resignation on 12 January 1991.<ref name=Dudek/>

In January 1991, ROAD held a Congress, where they elected Władysław Frasyniuk as the group's leader. It also decided to secede from the Citizens' Parliamentary Club, and form its own, the "Parliamentary Club - Democratic Union" ({{langx|pl|Klub Parlamentarny - Unia Demokratyczna}}).<ref name=Szyc/>

===Dissolution===
Largely losing relevance following Mazowiecki's resignation, on 11 May 1991, the group merged, alongside FPD, into the Democratic Union, to contest the [[1991 Polish parliamentary election]] as one party. The Democratic Union would be the first Sejm's largest party until FPD seceded from it again later.

Left-leaning dissidents led by Zbigniew Bujak, which were against joining UD, split off and formed the [[social democracy|social democratic]] [[Democratic-Social Movement (Poland)|Democratic-Social Movement]] in March 1991.

==Ideology==
The Movement supported [[parliamentary democracy]], [[pluralism (political philosophy)|political pluralism]], the [[rule of law]], [[separation of powers]], [[judicial independence]], restricting the powers of the state, expanded [[local governance]]. Its support was rooted in Poland's [[intelligentsia]] and [[middle class]].

Despite attempts to distance itself from the "liberal" label, and calling for a [[social market economy]], they supported the decisively [[economic liberalism|liberal]], [[free market economics|free-market]] economic reforms of [[Leszek Balcerowicz]], along with his program of [[Balcerowicz Plan|mass privatization]] of [[state-owned enterprise|government enterprises]]. However, in March 1991, they also sought to forge an agreement between [[trade unions]] and employers and the government. One of the leaders, Zbigniew Bujak, called for ROAD to adopt ideals of social democracy.

Despite not following the ideals of [[communism]], it was also not [[anti-communist]] like the majority of Poland's political groupings at the time. It rejected the labels of [[left-wing politics|leftism]] or [[right-wing politics|rightism]], instead saying it fell "to the west of center".<ref name=Szyc/>

==Electoral results==
===Presidential===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! rowspan=2|Election year
! rowspan=2|Candidate
! colspan=2|1st round
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|2nd round
|-
! # of votes
! % of vote
|-
! [[1990 Polish presidential election|1990]]
| '''[[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]]'''
| 2,973,264
| 18.08 (#3)
| colspan="2"| ''Supported '''[[Lech Wałęsa]]'''''
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Polish political parties}}

[[Category:1990 establishments in Poland]]
[[Category:1991 disestablishments in Poland]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1991]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1990]]