Undemonizing Dmowski on the New Poland Dmowski

Problems of Eastern and Central Europe, by Roman Dmowski. 1917

Polish Statesman Dmowski Clarifies Polish Successes Against the Overbearing Prussians, the Kresy, Poland’s Boundaries, Jewish Separatism and Overcrowding, etc.

This small book packs quite a punch. For example:

“COLONIZATION”: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

For a long time, Ukrainian writers had complained about centuries of “Polish colonists” moving into eastern Galicia. Actually, the “colonization” went from both directions. For instance, after the 12th-13th century Tatar invasions of Kieven Rus, many Ukrainians fled northwestward into what became Eastern Galicia. (p. 39).

DON’T BLAME THE VICTIM—POLAND—FOR THE PARTITIONS

Roman Dmowski rejects the common view that Poland’s internal divisions were the primary cause of the Partitions, seeing this as a ready-made excuse by those who conducted or supported the Partitions. He points out that nations, as a rule, go through periods of internal weakness, yet don’t disappear from the map. It takes powerful, aggressive neighbors for that to happen. Ironically, Poland was coming out of her 150-year period of weakness when she was Partitioned. (pp. 58-59).

POLISH ACTIVISM THWARTS BISMARCK AND VON BUELOW

Dmowski’s emphasis on “organic development” shows up in his praise of Prussian-ruled Poles: “The Poles of Poznania and West Prussia organized, however, such a dogged defense of their nationality that, in spite of unheard-of persecutions, of most ingenious anti-Polish laws, of gigantic sums spend by the Prussian Government on its anti-Polish policy, they preserved the Polish character of their country and even in great measure strengthened their position.” (p. 69).

DMOWSKI NO IMPERIALIST. NO DESIRE FOR NON-POLISH LANDS

Where should the eastern border of the about-to-be-resurrected Polish state be placed? Some Poles advocated the pre-1772 boundary, while the Russians thought of the eastern boundary of Congress Poland. [The latter, of course, became reality, after WWII, as the Yalta boundary]. Dmowski suggested that areas with a large Polish minority, Roman Catholic majority, and with dominant Polish culture, should be part of Poland. (p. 65, 76). [This, of course, became partly realized when the Kresy were part of 1918-1939 Poland.] As for the western Ukrainians, he believed that eastern Galicia should be part of Poland because of its sizeable Polish minority (which he put at 25%: p. 78), and that amiable Polish-Ukrainian relations could become reality in the absence of interference by the Austrians (p. 78), and the Germans. (pp. 56-57).

A viable Polish state could not exist without an outlet to the sea. (p. 72). [Clearly, had Poland given into Hitler’s 1939 demands to hand-over the Corridor in an attempt to avoid war, even had it placated the Third Reich, it would have been suicidal for Poland.]

DMOWSKI IN NO SENSE INTOLERANT OR NAZI-LIKE

Dmowski has been at times accused, by lewaks (leftist Poles), of being a racist in that he had no regard for minorities. This is patently false. Dmowski wrote: “The non-Polish races inhabiting those parts would enjoy, as members of the Polish State, freedom of development on their own lines.” (p. 76).

DMOWSKI OPPOSES JEWISH OVERABUNDANCE, JEWISH SEPARATISM (E. G, THE YIDDISHIST MOVEMENT), AND JEWISH ECONOMIC DOMINANCE

As for Jews, I will let Dmowski speak for himself: “In Russian Poland, however, increase of the Jewish population has continued up to the very latest times, the Jews expelled from Russia [Litvaks, or Litwaks] being artificially crowded into Poland. Here an overwhelming majority of the Jews do not consider themselves of Polish nationality; they are led by the Jewish nationalist organizations which work against the influence upon the Jews of Polish culture and Polish ideas. Here, therefore, strong antagonism developed between the Jews and the Poles, especially the rapidly growing Polish middle class, an antagonism which finally provoked a commercial boycott of the Jews by the Poles. Of late years, however, the Jews of Russian Poland have shown a strong tendency towards emigration, which is likely in the future to develop on a large scale. The difficult Jewish problem in Poland will thus gradually lose its acuteness.” (pp. 78-79).

THE GERMAN HABIT OF TRYING TO DOMINATE OTHER NATIONS REMAINS INTACT

With the Great War (now called WWI) having just ended, Dmowski essentially predicted WWII [even had Germany remained democratic], as he commented: “The supposition that this war will bring about a radical change of spirit within Germany, put an end to her policy of conquest and make of her a pacific nation, has no serious foundations whatsoever. The hopes set in this respect upon German democracy are somewhat illusory. ” (p. 5).

Of course, this German spirit lives on to the present day—in the form of the European Union. Polexit now!