Poland at the Crossroads

POLAND .AT THE CROSSROADS LEON s. GARCZYNSKI THE fact that Poland- was the first country to stand up against German ·aggression, the splendid attitude of the Polish armed forces dur:ing the war, and the present propaganda of two rival groups wishing to ~le over the country, have brought her problems to the attention. of the whole world. ~imultaneou~ly,' propaganda from these rival groups has obscured the real reasons why Poles are fighting so bitterly among themselves . The truth of the matter is that many people do not know which side is in the right, whether it is "London" or "Warsaw" which should command our sympathy. As usual "truth" and "right" are to be found in the middle. As usual, too, one hears and. knows little about the masses and the attitude· of the nation as such, ot· abo,ut opinions prevailing among the Poles who did not desert their country at the crucial moment, who suffered greatly under the German yoke, and who are now working and rebuildi~_g. The latter, if asked whether they were "Warsaw•.• or "London"' .,Poles, would answer that they w:ere neither "Warsaw" nor ((London" sympathizers , but simply Poles. They could add, and rightly, that if one is seeking truth it is essential to reject propaganda, to judge calmly events of the past, to glance at a map, and also to consider facts relating to the neighbouring nations, especially those facts which concern nations formerly united with Poland. This is essential if we wish to form an opinion on the question of boundaries. Further, if we wish to understand the new trends in the nation's life, we must study her past structure to discover who ruled the country previously and how it was done. Thus, before writing about the present ~oland, which is changing greatly, we must explain the existence of what may be called "two Polish patriotisms,'' and we must describe the historical role played by · the Nobility and the Intelligent_sia. Glancing over the pages of Poland's history we find that the Poland which was divided at the end of the eighteenth century by Russia, Germany, and Austria, was in reality a federation of three nations, a union ·of Poles, Lithuanians, and Ruthenians (who later changed their name and are now called Ukrainians). The federation was brought forth by two acts of union, the first of which (the Union of Krewo in the year 1385) united the Polish and Lithuanian dynasties and the aristocracies of the three nations, while the second (the Union of Lublin in the year 1569) united the three nobilities.1 1Ancient Poland did not ha...;.e an aristocracy in the Western meaning. Poland did not grant titles. An exception, however, was the title of "prince~' granted to each bishop of Crakow and to two Polish families by the last Polish Sejm (Parliament). Therefore, the te'rm "aristocracy" when used in relation to Poland's history, serves to identify the few top 51 52 THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO QUARTERLY In both cases, Poles and Lithu~nians were the two main and best-known partners to the agreements while Ruthenians (Ukrainians) participated as a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In spite of that minor role, the latter were satisfied, especially with the second union.2 There was) however, no third union between the masses of peasants, and they remained Polish, Lithuanian, or Ukrainian. This was of little political importance at a time when, as serfs, they did not count, but it has become a most important factor in modern times. As an aftermath of the political union the upper. classes of the three nations mixed, and finally they all became Polish. It was this merged upper class which created what may be regarded as the widest Polish patriotism. We may call it the patriotism of the Commonwealth of Poland and may state that it was accepted by all Poles. This patriotism, however, was not accepted by the peasant masses of ancient Lithuania and of ancient Ruthenia. While the union lasted the latter played their insignificant roles when called upo~, but at heart they remained Lithuanian or Ukrainian patriots. This fact, little noticed before the .partition of...