Poland, whenever free and sovereign, has since 1918 implemented economic policies that emphasise free markets. This approach has failed to produce a rapid rate of economic growth, so the country is still substantially underdeveloped. Although significant government investment in 1936–9 resulted in strong economic growth and a higher standard of living, today's Poland continues to pursue neo-liberal economic policies. This paper links these policies to the nation's heritage, which stresses limited government. Such beliefs ruled the actions of the nation's ruling class before partitions in the eighteenth century and during the inter-war period, and continue to dominate economic policy now.