This book elaborates on longterm changes in social inequality in Poland that accounts for extreme transitions. Drawing upon an enviably rich set of longitudinal data the team of authors could offer the first and so far only comprehensive study of the changes in the stratification system under and after state socialism. The analysis focuses on the core issues of social stratification research: social mobility, status attainment and their mechanisms. It highlights concepts that best explain "who gets what and why: " social class, education, occupation and income. Empirical illustrations prove that social stratification structures are dynamic rather than static and that that one should model changes rather than assume stability. The book is a great example of the power of the Warsaw School of class and stratification. The key idea of the book are: 1/ even the most sophisticated class and stratification maps" or schemes are not applicable to the study of societies in the communist era and 2/ the transition to liberal democracy and market capitalism offers a unique opportunity to scholars to understand social mobility as people move from one stratification regime to the next.
