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Roman Dmowski: Profile of a Polish patriot

The pre-WW2 political spectrum in Poland requires encyclopedias. The ever changing climate of interests, factions, coalitions, movements, parties, youth sections, truly confuses the mind. There were however four main political movements - Socialists, Nationalists, Peasants, and Christian Democrats - each of which was strongly represented amongst the populace and in parliament, and all had emerged in their modern form in the early beginnings of the twentieth century. Polish politics has never been dull, and has been greatly intensified by perhaps one of the greatest political duels in Polish political history, Jozef Pilsudski vs. Roman Dmowski. While Dmowski did not emerge as a victor, his policies are still remembered to this day, and his following is still large. For he was a man committed to the Polish nation, and people.

Roman Dmowski (1864-39) was quite simply the father of modern Polish nationalism. Born to a struggling family in Praga, a Warsaw suburb, he graduated from a Russian "gimnazjum" in Warsaw and completed studies in natural sciences at the Russian University of Warsaw. His lifelong commitment to Polish politics was ignited in 1892 with his banishment for taking part in organizing a patriotic student demonstration in honour of the Third of May, the date of the Polish Constitution in 1791. In 1893, Dmowski was one of the founding members of the National League, quickly establishing himself as the chief ideologist and publicist, and editor of the "Przeglad Wszechpolski" (The All-Polish Review). He was also a skilled author, and gained widespread recognition with his "Mlodziez polska" (Polish Youth, 1895) and with his "Mysli nowoczesnego Polaka" (Thoughts of a modern Pole, 1903), and above all with "La Question Polonaise" written in 1906. During the 1905 revolution, his Narodowe Demokracia (National Democratic Party) gained prominence as an alternative to socialism. In the following years, as a deputy to the Russian Duma in St. Petersburg and chairman of the Polish Circle, he aimed to win concessions by close co-operation with the Tsarist authorities. Dmowski never attained leadership, preferring to work behind the scenes rather than the centre of it. There is no doubt however, that Dmowski's approach was a thought out, wise, and beneficial one which would have changed the face of Polish politics, and relations with her Slavic neighbours.

To sum it up, Dmowski believed very much in the ideal of Slavic Unity. In a time of political uncertainty, Dmowski viewed the Germans as the biggest threat to Poland. During the Great War, he organized the Pulawy Brigade which fought for the Tsar. Dmowski dreamed of a Slavonic Empire strong enough to resist the ever threatening Teutonic menace. He greatly admired the heroes of the Battle of Grunwald, and hoped that another one would soon arrive. He was a great admirer of the Piast Dynasty in Poland. A medieval dynasty that was viewed by Dmowski of being un-corrupted by alien influences of the Western hordes. He was of course, a Polish patriot, and above all he wanted an independent Poland. He realized however, much like many ordinary Poles, that for Poland to remain neutral in a German-Russian dispute, would be difficult. Dmowski viwed the Russians as Slavs, therefore as the same "race" as the Poles. It was natural for him to ally himself to the Tsar. A great example of this was evidenced in both Dmowski's and Pilsudski's relations with the former Czechoslovak head of state, Benes. Dmowski was very sympathetic to Benes' Slavic links with Russia, while to Pilsudski, any cooperation with the Russians was anathema. Dmowski wanted a "Polska dla Polakow" ( Poland for Poles). He wanted an ethnically homogenous Poland, to keep Poland, and Polish culture alive. Opponents of Dmowski have called him fascist. Dmowski was a nationalist. He flirted briefly with the notion of Italian fascism, much different from the German counterpart, which did not have much of the fanaticism of the Nazi type. Dmowski never called himself a fascist. He was the greatest modern nationalist in Polish history, and his legacy lives on today in the hearts and minds of many young Polish patriots, who visit his grave, and quote phrases from his numerous published pieces.