As rightly noted by J. Makarewicz, criminal cooperation is a phenomenon as old as the crime itself. Sometimes it leads to the creation of a criminal organization. Then the criminal law reaction takes a special form. The study analyzes the genesis and evolution of the model of criminal liability for participation in criminal organizations in Polish law - from the Middle Ages to the present day. This analysis is carried out, among others, by to the conclusion that this model has not changed substantially since the adoption of the 1932 Penal Code. It is based on recognizing participation in a union (currently - also in an organized group) with a criminal purpose as a separate type of crime. In the course of implementing the European Council Framework Decision of June 13, 2002 on combating terrorism, the relevant provisions of Polish law were adapted to its requirements. As a consequence, Polish criminal law currently provides for (and defines) a terrorist offense that may also be the target of an organized group or criminal association. Thus, the law recognizes a link between terrorism and organized crime. Criminal liability for participation in an organized group or a criminal association is nowadays the most important criminal law instrument of combating organized crime.