Limits of patriotic imagination

To paraphrase Wittgenstein, "the limits of my imagination set the limits of my world." The world of archetypes of Polish politics is poor, especially in the realm of models of patriotism. The figure of the first prime minister of the Second Republic - a cosmopolitan and patriot building Polish statehood and democracy - enriches the imagination with a model of citizenship fitting contemporary world.

The Second Republic holds a special place in our history. The contrast with the 123 years of partition that preceded it and the subsequent subordination to the USSR fosters an idealization of this brief period of statehood. Two figures of the twentieth century - Pilsudski and Dmowski - have become not only the main, but also the only models for teaching and thinking about patriotism. The harm of this situation is twofold. Firstly, the narrative barely touches on the true nature of the legacy of both politicians. Secondly, other at least equally valuable historical figures are left out.

The incompleteness of the story of Pilsudski and Dmowski can be clearly seen during the celebration of Independence Day, when the lack of reflection on the attitudes of both protagonists is glaring. The Marshal is presented as the one who regained independence for Poland. Justified, dismissed or even ignored is the military putsch he carried out, which ended the parliamentary period of the Second Republic and replaced it with a de facto dictatorship combined with the torture of opposition politicians. Dmowski's legacy, on the other hand, cannot be summed up solely through the prism of merits for independence. The problem is not just admiration for Mussolini and Italian fascism or later sympathy for the actions of Hitler and the national movement in Germany. The essence of the matter was aptly put by Umberto Eco, following on Wittgenstein:

"The game of fascism can have many forms, and the name of the game does not change. The features [of fascism] cannot be organized into a system; many of them contradict each other and are typical of other kinds of despotism or fanaticism. But it is enough for one of them to be present for fascism to solidify around it."

Dmowski's oeuvre has more than one element around which Polish fascism could solidify. The multifaceted and multi-threaded ideological legacy of the founder of National Democracy, combining nationalist, chauvinist, anti-Semitic and national-Catholic deeds, still deforms social, religious and economic discussions in Poland today like a phantom.

It is a manipulation to both portray Pilsudski and Dmowski exclusively as heroic patriots, and to sum up their lives only as a dictator's competition with a fascist. However, our collective imagination need not be limited to these two figures. The Second Republic offers other, eminent, models of patriotism. The most forgotten is Ignacy Paderewski.

Paderewski turned worldwide success and popularity to the benefit of Poland. Under his influence, President Wilson made the U.S. signing of the Treaty of Versailles contingent on the parties agreeing to Polish sovereignty. As a result, the treaty enshrined the creation of an independent Polish state.

Paderewski's charisma and courage had a direct impact on the shape of our state. His arrival in - still German at the time - Poznan became the impetus for the successful outbreak of the Greater Poland Uprising.

After the failed military putsch in 1919. - carried out by members of Dmowski's National Democrats - Paderewski averted the risk of civil war by becoming the first post-war prime minister recognized by the entente. He then held the first free parliamentary elections in Polish history.

Certainly, there was no politician in the history of the Second Republic who achieved comparable success and reputation on the world stage and turned it - including relations with the world's most important decision-makers - into capital for the reborn Poland. His attitude - of respect for all parties without belonging to any of them - is an example of selfless patriotism. On November 11, let us remember the cosmopolitan Pole who gave so much to his country.

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Image source: Library of Congress