A polish question, yesterday, today… tomorrow?

Author(s):  S.V. Morozov, Dr., Belgorod National Research University, Belgorod, Russia, morozov_s@bsu.edu.ru

Issue:  Volume 46, № 3

Rubric:  Topical issues of world history

Annotation:  The so-called Polish question is examined with the using of the problem-chronological approach. As a result of the adoption of Catholicism and the voluntary entry into the Western civilization of the Polish people, historical origins began to predominate over the Slavic identity of Poles. When Poland was deprived of its own statehood at a last quarter of 18th century, this predominance began to manifest itself even more: it was manifested in the uprisings of 1830 and 1863. In particular, this was reflected in the demands of the rebels to restore the borders of Poland within the limits of 1772, as well as in the religious-mystical messianism of A. Mickiewicz. In the interwar period, this predominance was manifested in J. Piłsudski’s plans to recreate «Great Poland» by partitioning the Soviet Union through Polish-German-Japanese intervention. After the collapse of the socialist bloc, Polish political elites are trying again to revive Poland’s former greatness through close cooperation with the United States, but it is not going smoothly. It is necessary to create a scientific structure for studying and forecasting the Polish question within the framework of the Russian university.

Keywords:  the Polish question, the messianism of Mickiewicz and Piłsudski, the chill between Poland and the United States.

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