波蘭並非經常實踐公民投票的國家。即便如此，在1946年親蘇的臨時政府時期及共產時代末期，波共都曾舉行公民投票來爲其政經體制的改變背書，及增加政權的合法性。非共化之後的波蘭分別針對私有化及公民權、新憲法、加入歐盟、及眾議院的選制等議題舉行過4次公民投票。本文探討波蘭的公投制度並檢視波蘭在共產時代及後共時代的公民投票實踐，從波蘭民主轉型的經驗可以看出，在民主轉型初期由於政治意識形態的分歧而造成的分裂社會，嚴重影響了波蘭的內政及外交政策。然而公民投票對於經常處於割裂狀態的波蘭社會有如黏著劑一般，一次又一次地遏制衝突達成起碼的妥協。

Poland is not a country which frequently practices referendums. Even so, Polish pro-Soviet Interim government and communist regime held referendums for the endorsement of their political and economic reform in 1946 and for strengthening of regime's legitimacy in the end of communist period. There were four referendums held on the issues as privatization and enfranchisement, new constitution, membership in EU, together with electoral system of Sejm. This study explores Polish referendum system and the practices of it in communist and Post-communist era. According to Polish experiences, the split society caused by ideological cleavages brought to Polish domestic and foreign policies with tremendous influences in the beginning of democratic reform. However, referendums played the role as the cement to consolidate the often split society and to defuse the tension and reach compromises one after the other.