Ruch konsumencki jako przejaw społeczeństwa obywatelskiego w Polsce

The aim of the article is to analyze the consumer movement as a manifestation of civil society in Poland. The consumer movement in Europe was synthesized and the freedom of association in consumer organizations was indicated as an element of civil society. While implementing the undertaken research problem, were used the important for the field of social sciences research methods and techniques. The basic research method used in the article is the method of dogmatic analysis. It was used to analyze the legal acts regulating the discussed issues. The article also uses the comparative method to compare selected aspects of the activities of consumer organizations in Poland. As a result of the research, it was indicated that the idea of civil society in Poland was implemented through the development of the consumer movement and the right of consumers to associate in consumer organizations. The consumer movement in Poland developed much later than in Western European countries – in the 1980s. It was caused by the unpopularity and the minimization of the need for real consumer protection in the face of the realities of the socio-economic system in force in the People’s Republic of Poland. After 1989, despite the existence of relevant legal regulations in this area, the existence of a demand for the creation of consumer organizations (due to the need to protect consumers in the field of health, economic interests, redress, information and education), this did not translate into the multiplicity of these entities.