The last publication by Prof. Krzysztof Kaczmarski, an worker of the Rzeszów branch of the IPN, entitled “Study and sketches from the past of the national camp” is the second volume published under the same title of work.
As in the case of the first volume, which was published in 2010 (see "MP" No. 11-12/2011), the latest publication consisted of articles published in most cases before, in journals and collective works. 3 essential parts can be distinguished in the volume. The first 1 consists of texts devoted to the individual Roman Dmowski, for the second activity to be brought closer Adam Doboszynski, the 3rd is composed of 5 thematically unrelated articles that treat different aspects of the past of the national camp.
Three articles are included in Part One. The first brings closer the circumstances surrounding the visit of the leader of the National Democracy in Japan in 1904. This issue, which has already repeatedly been the subject of interest to researchers, was besides present in many accounts and memories. Another text dealing with the leader of the intention was devoted in turn to the function and function played by him and the National Committee of Poland, in the uprising of the Polish Army in France. 1 of the articles in which Dmowski and Lewis Bernstein Namier during planet War I. Due to the fact that this is besides the longest of the texts in the collection (added by 2 origin texts by Namier), it is worth giving him a small more space. Lewis Namier (1888-1960) Born as Louis Bernstein in Lublin, in a assimilated judaic household (his sister Theodora's grandchildren are the brothers Jarosław and Jacek Kurccy). After graduating from secondary school in Tarnopol, he studied successively at universities in Lviv, Lausanne, London School of Economics and Oxford. During his early years in Britain, he changed his name, besides accepted British citizenship. During the large War, Namier worked successively in the British abroad Office of War Propaganda, the Political Intelligence Office and the Political Intelligence Department. He was active in the preparation of reports, analyses and comments on Polish issues. As a British official, most likely caused by individual reluctance to the Polish case, he made an effort to compromise Dmowski and his supporters on global grounds during the period described. To this end, he presented them, among others, as supporters of the central state orientation.
Analyzing the position of the NNP regarding the borders of the future state, Namier presented a peculiarly critical position regarding Polish territorial aspirations in the east. In 1 of his 1917 reports, he wrote about the aspirations of the “Polish imperialists” who wanted “to teardrop out Russia Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian lands”. He besides preached akin slogans in the press. In the influential liberal weekly The fresh Europe Namier campaigned at Dmowski and KNP. Although Dmowski himself showed Namier as his individual enemy, according to K. Kaczmarski, on the pages of “Polish Policy and the Restoration of the State,” “The main nonsubjective of Namier’s attacks was (...) not so much the Dmowski himself, but his programme concerning the territorial form of the Polish state”.
Apart from the anti-Polish sentiments of Namier, signaled in the article by the Rzeszowski researcher, it is worth noting that many of his predictions seemed to confirm later developments in European politics. To illustrate them, it is worth recalling a fragment of the article ed. Jan Engelgard, in which he reported Namier's position from 1919 (but it besides refers to the earlier period, which is covered by the text of K. Kaczmarski). Namier formulated them at a crucial minute for the civilian war in Russia: "Namier called for Polish diplomacy to rapidly agree with Russia, referring to “white” and giving up expansion east of Bug. Otherwise, he predicted that Poland would have a deadly enemy not only in Germany, which would never accept the failure of Pomerania and Silesia, but besides in Russia, whether white or red. He felt that there was no chance that Poland would become a adequate barrier against Germany with the omission of Russia, and that the eventual consequence of the thought of “Big Poland” would be its crushing by both neighbours.”
Four articles on the activities of the author of the National Economy are included in the following section. It is worth recalling that K. Kaczmarski, together with Paweł Tomasik, are co-authors of a richly illustrated policy biography (see discussion of the work in "MP" no. 13-14/2011). The first mentioned texts treats the national ideologist's attitude to communism. The author consistently shows Doboszyński as a thinker whose primary inspiration was the teaching of the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholic Church, with St. Thomas of Aquinas at the head. The summary of the text points out: “Adam Doboszyński was undoubtedly an integral anti-communist. He completely rejected communism both in the ideological dimension and in the sphere of political practice." His views were powerfully criticised by the “Marxist Collectiveism – both in the “plate” and socialist versions, and in the “clean” and communist form. In principle, however, the correct assessments made by the author do not seem to take full into account the policy position with respect to the selected systemic solutions introduced by the fresh authorities in the country after the end of the war.
Doboszyński expressed his views at the time, among others, in a May 1947 article entitled “In Halfway”. Many of the changes made by the communist authorities were considered a step in the right direction. Paradoxically closer to systemic solutions drawing inspiration from Christianity than from Marxist doctrine, he pointed out, for example, an agricultural reform: “Despite all the shortcomings and many objections which arise from the individual thrusts of the government imposed on us (sometimes maliciously directed against the Polish national interest), it must be said that the 1945 reforms are a step towards a Christian strategy alternatively than Marxism. The agricultural improvement spread ownership in agriculture; it was pre-war in both the Catholic and national programs, but it is in sharp contradiction to the basic thesis of Marxism, which is the socialisation of all manufacturing means."
Similar opinions were formulated by Doboszyński with respect to nationalization: "At last it is worth noting that the nationalization of the large industry, trade and finance, which are almost entirely in judaic and abroad hands highly hard to carry out for Poles themselves and carried out at the order of the russian occupier, however, struck a bolt from the gate, blocking our way to social reforms, not only as our occupiers meant, for reforms in Marxist spirit, but besides for reforms in Catholic and national spirit." In line with the general message of the author of the work indicating anti-communism policy, it should be stressed that with respect to the practice of communist governments in post-war Poland, if the changes were affirmative in his assessment, he was inclined to a more balanced position.
Further texts were devoted to the geopolitical concepts of Doboszyński and the views formulated in relation to the form of the agricultural system. The last article cites, among others, Doboszyński's opinions on post-war agricultural reform. Very interesting, partially moving fresh themes is the article entitled “The Generation of Independent Poland – a little-known political task by Adam Doboszyński from 1944 to 1945”. The author discusses an emigration initiative aimed at integrating environments aiming to regain independency by Poland. The author points out that what “mostly connected the creators of the Generation of Independent Poland was, on the 1 hand, the belief that “Polish politics should be completely independent” and independent of any “foreign infiltrations” and, on the another hand, the awareness of the request to carry out fundamental social and economical reforms in the country – in the spirit of “social justice”.
The organisation, recognising the anachronism of pre-war political divisions, was of a cross-party nature. The PPN included, among others, pre-war members of ONR ‘ABC’, Wojciech Dłużewski and Władysław Pałucki, military: Captain/MjrAlexander Bujalski, Captain/Mjr Adam Gac, representatives of method and legal environments. K. Kaczmarski suggests that in the plan of the Doboszyński PPN was intended to be the seed of the Political Organization of the Nation, which plays an crucial function in the concepts of systemic politics. A brochure entitled “Dear Generation” was published in Edinburgh in 1944. The PPN held many public meetings in the UK, during which the views of the environment were presented. With respect to socio-economic and systemic concepts typical of the group were concepts formulated by the author of the "Economiy of Mercy". On global grounds, PPN has advocated the establishment of a Central European federation, referring to the thought of the Intermortal.
The next part of the paper includes articles on the celebration of the anniversary of historical events organized by the emigration National Party, the activities of the intelligence of the Rzeszów territory of the National Military Unity and persons Fr Bronisław Józef Mirecki and Jan Radożycki. Another noteworthy article is simply a text devoted to R. Dmowski's institutions operating in the United Kingdom and the United States. The author describes the activities of specified institutions as the Roman Dmowski Institute in America, the Roman Dmowski Institute in London and the Roman Dmowski Society in London. A very valuable addition to the main text is the extended biograms of activists and politicians, most of whom come from SN, which are included in the footnotes. The work was enriched with many illustrations presenting photographs, documents, correspondence and publications related to the subject. The materials presented are from the collections of the Institute of National Memory, the Museum of independency in Warsaw and the author.
Another publication by the Polish national camp investigator shows the ideological and organizational wealth of 1 of the most crucial forces on the 20th century political scene of Poland. Its articles address selected issues of political thought and activities of the national movement. Certainly, many of the themes indicated by the author deserve further in-depth research, which may consequence in separate studies.
Maciej Motas
Krzysztof Kaczmarski, “Studies and sketches from the past of the national camp. Volume 2", Institute of National Memory – Commission for the Investigation of Crimes against the Polish Nation – Branch in Rzeszów, Rzeszów – Warsaw 2024, pp. 408 + il.
Think |Poland, No. 47-48 (17-24.11.2024)
