Imperial borders still shape politics in Poland

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POLES VOTED in droves this week to depose the populist-right government that has ruled the country since 2015. But as some things change, others stay the same. Observers once again remarked that Poland’s modern electoral maps displayed a familiar pattern: the east voted for the incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party, whereas the west supported various opposition groups, mostly the liberal Civic Coalition (KO). More remarkable, however, is that rather than following a gradual gradient from east to west, modern Poles’ political loyalties remain firm right up to the edge of a historical line that cuts down the middle of the country (see map).