The theory of systemic changes did not give an unequivocal answer as to the period in which the post‑socialist system transformation takes place; therefore, the criteria of its initiation and and completion should be specified. This requires a comparative analysis of the real sphere and regulation of the reformed economy of state socialism and the emerging post‑socialist market economy. Such an analysis must also be applied to the neoliberal model of the economy based on the Washington Consensus, which was the basis for the so‑called shock therapy applied in Poland, and to the social market economy, which was the aim of the Strategy for Poland. Both the literature on the subject and statistical studies clearly show that the policy of liberalization and stabilization of the early 1990s was too radical and had not created qualitative premises for economic development in the following years. Permanent foundations for dynamic development were created only by the policy of reforms and institution building implemented in the years of the Strategy for Poland. The analysis of the past one‑third of the century of deep systemic changes indicates the heterogeneity of individual sub‑periods, which was related to different formulation of development goals and using different instruments of the policy of institutional changes and economic growth. From the experiences of this long transformation effort, numerous conclusions can be drawn for the future regarding the threefold – economically, socially and ecologically – sustainable development policy, which must take into account social and cultural determinants.