The treatment of polymer surfaces by low pressure plasmas is of technological interest in a variety of applications for modification and functionalisation. Until now the interactions of the individual plasma species (especially electrons) with polymeric material have not been subject of a microscopic study.In an anticipated chapter the inner plasma parameters were characterised by Langmuir probe measurements, leading to a precise knowledge about the density and energy distributions of plasma electrons and ions. The values for electrons were later used for an exclusive treatment with this species. The main part of this thesis describes and interprets the chemical composition after UV, plasma and electron treatment by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), structural changes by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and their combination to distinguish the fundamental interactions with polyethylene and polypropylene surfaces. It was found that all treatments show specific modification behaviour according to the chemical composition, topography and modification depth. For an argon microwave discharge, the plasma effects can also be obtained by a combination of UV and electron treatment. Fundamental radical reactions have been traced indirectly by chemical derivatisation as well as their passivation reactions through cross-linkage and the creation of double bonds.