Jump to content

National Democracy (Poland)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the historic movement in Poland. For other uses, see National Democracy (disambiguation).
"National Democracy Movement" redirects here. For an ideological movement in the Philippines, see National democracy (Philippines). Not to be confused with National Democratic Movement.
National Democracy
Narodowa Demokracja
LeaderRoman Dmowski
Founded1886; 139 years ago (1886)
IdeologyPolish nationalism
Civic nationalism[1]
National conservatism[2]
Antisemitism
Political positionRight-wing
Roman Dmowski, considered the most important figure in the National Democratic movement
Part of a series on
Conservatism in Poland
Schools
Old Conservatives

New Conservatives

Ideologies
Principles
History
Intellectuals
Politicians
Literature
Parties
Active

Defunct

Historical

Organisations
Media
Related topics

National Democracy (Polish: Narodowa Demokracja, often abbreviated as ND or known as Endecja; [ɛn̪ˈd̪ɛt̪͡s̪jä]) was a Polish political movement that operated from the second half of the 19th century, during the partitions of Poland, until the end of the Second Polish Republic.[3] It effectively ceased to exist following the Germano–Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

Throughout its history, National Democracy underwent several phases of development.[3] Initially founded to advocate for Poland's sovereignty against the foreign imperial powers, the movement adopted a right-wing nationalist orientation after the country regained independence.[3] Its key founder and principal ideologue was Roman Dmowski, with other influential figures in the movement including Zygmunt Balicki and Jan Ludwik Popławski.[4]

National Democracy found its main base of support in Greater Poland (western Poland), where early momentum was driven by opposition to Imperial Germany's Germanization policies in Polish territories. Over time, the movement's focus shifted toward addressing what it perceived as economic competition between Polish Catholics and the Jewish community. The party's supporters primarily consisted of the ethnically Polish intelligentsia, the urban lower-middle class, segments of the middle class, and a significant youth wing.

During the interbellum Second Republic, the ND was a strong proponent for the Polonization of the country's German minority and of other non-Polish (Belarusian, Jewish, Lithuanian and Ukrainian) populations in Poland's eastern border regions (the Kresy). With the end of World War II, the occupation of the country by the Soviet Union, and the establishment of the Polish People's Republic, the National Democracy movement effectively ceased to exist.

Origins

[edit]

The origins of the ND can be traced to the 1864 failure of the January 1863 Uprising and to the era of Positivism in Poland. After that Uprising – the last in a series of 19th-century Polish uprisings – had been bloodily crushed by Poland's partitioners, a new generation of Polish patriots and politicians concluded that Poland's independence would not be won through force on the battlefield, but through education and culture.

In 1886, the secret Polish League (Liga Polska) was founded. In 1893 it was renamed National League (Liga Narodowa). From 1895, the League published a newspaper, Przegląd Wszechpolski (The All-Polish Review); from 1897, it had an official political party, the National-Democratic Party (Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne). Unlike the Polish Socialist Party (PPS), the ND advocated peaceful negotiations, not armed resistance. Influenced by Roman Dmowski's radical nationalist and social-Darwinist ideas, National Democrats soon turned against other nationalities within the Polish lands, most notably the Jews; antisemitism became an element of ND ideology.[5]

During World War I, while the PPS under Józef Piłsudski aligned with the Central Powers against Russia (through the Polish Legions), the ND initially allied with the Russian Empire (supporting the creation of the Puławy Legion) and later with the Western Powers (supporting the Polish Blue Army in France). At the end of the war, many ND leaders held more influence abroad than in Poland, which allowed them to use their diplomatic leverage to share power with Piłsudski, who had broader military and domestic support. Due to their connections abroad, ND politicians such as Dmowski and Ignacy Paderewski were able to secure international backing for their positions at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 and in the Treaty of Versailles.

Second Republic

[edit]

In the newly independent Second Polish Republic, the ND was initially represented by the Popular National Union (Związek Ludowo-Narodowy), a conservative political party that advocated its program through democratic and parliamentary means. After Piłsudski's May 1926 Coup d'État, the ND found itself in opposition to his Sanacja government. The increasing control exerted by the Sanacja regime over opposition parties and its shift toward more authoritarian policies contributed to the gradual radicalization of the ND movement. In December 1926, the Camp of Great Poland (Obóz Wielkiej Polski) was formed as an extra-parliamentary organization opposing the Sanacja government. The youth wing of the Camp of Great Poland gradually took control of the entire organization; by 1931, the camp became more radicalized and incorporated some militaristic elements.[6]

In 1928, the National Party (Stronnictwo Narodowe) was founded as the successor to the Popular National Union. Initially, the new party followed the same political line as its predecessor.[7] Following the official banning of the Camp of Great Poland, more radicalized youth joined the National Party. A generational divide between the older and younger factions of National Democrats came to a head at the 1935 party convention, where younger activists took leadership of the party.[8] From 1936 to 1939, these personnel changes continued, and the younger generation became dominant in the party. The older generation, disagreeing with the new direction, either left active politics or exited the party. A key aspect of ND policies during this time was their focus on Polonization of minorities. ND figures like Dmowski and Stanisław Grabski played a role in opposing Piłsudski's proposed Międzymorze federation and the alliance with Ukrainian leader Symon Petlura, contributing to tensions with Poland’s ethnic minorities.

At the same time, the ND expressed an antisemitic stance, advocating for the exclusion of Jews from certain aspects of Polish social and economic life and encouraging emigration from Poland.[9] Throughout the 1930s, antisemitic actions and incidents, including boycotts, demonstrations, and even attacks, were organized or inspired by National Democrats. The most prominent of these actions were carried out by a splinter group of radical young former NDs who later formed the fascist-influenced National Radical Camp (Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny).[10]

World War II

[edit]

During World War II, the ND became part of a coalition which formed the Polish Government in Exile. It was closely linked with the National Armed Forces (Narodowe Siły Zbrojne), an underground organization that became part of the Polish resistance movement. ND armed organizations fought not only against Nazi Germany but also against the Soviet Union. Both occupying forces regarded members of the movement as their mortal enemy, and its leaders were hunted down and killed in mass executions, in concentration camps, and in the Katyń massacre. Among those killed are:

Righteous among the Nations

[edit]

After the war

[edit]

After the war, when a pro-Soviet communist government came to power in Poland, most remaining NDs either emigrated to the West or continued to oppose the Communist regime. Some, however, chose to collaborate with the new regime, most notably Bolesław Piasecki, leader of the RNR-Falanga, who co-organized a Catholic movement.

In the 1980s, the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth (PRON), established by the ruling Communist PZPR, adopted nationalist rhetoric as part of its strategy to counter the influence of anti-Communist opposition movements, primarily Solidarity. This included incorporating slogans and themes from National Democracy, with activists such as Maciej Giertych serving on PRON's Advisory Council.[13]

Contemporary Poland

[edit]

Since the fall of communism, with Poland once again a democratically governed country, several political groups have sought to revive some of the traditions of National Democracy, with their supporters often referring to themselves as the "National Movement" (Ruch Narodowy). The only significant party that has declared itself a successor to the ND is the League of Polish Families (Liga Polskich Rodzin),[citation needed] founded in 2001 by Roman Giertych, grandson of Jędrzej Giertych, a pre-war ND politician. The party received 8% of the parliamentary vote in 2001 and 16% in 2004, but fell below the 5% threshold in 2007 and lost all of its parliamentary seats.

Another Polish national-democratic association with legal standing is the Camp of Great Poland. This association was established on March 28, 2003, by the National Party (Stronnictwo Narodowe; SN) Youth Section in response to the removal of the party from the national registry.[14] On February 17, 2012, the OWP was registered in the National Registrar of Companies and Legal Entities (Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy; KRS),[15] gaining legal personality.

Today, the main party promoting National Democracy is the National Movement. The party was originally formed as a nationalist coalition by Robert Winnicki, Krzysztof Bosak, and other former members of the LPR. As of 2019, it has 5 deputies in the Sejm.

The newspaper Nasz Dziennik is often associated with viewpoints that align with national-democratic ideas.[16]

Organizations

[edit]
Mieczyk Chrobrego, a symbol of National Democracy in the latter half of the Second Polish Republic

Modern

[edit]

Notables

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Cat-Mackiewicz, Stanisław (2012). Historia Polski od 11 listopada 1918 do 17 września 1939. Universitas. ISBN 97883-242-3740-1.
  2. ^ Bohler, Jochen (2019). Civil War in Central Europe, 1918–1921: The Reconstruction of Poland. Oxford University Press. p. 99.
  3. ^ a b c Michał Szukała interview with Aleksander Hall (2014-08-05). "Dziedzictwo Narodowej Demokracji. W 150. rocznicę urodzin Romana Dmowskiego – rozmowa z Aleksandrem Hallem" (in Polish). 2013 © Muzeum Historii Polski (Museum of Poland's History). Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 15 August 2014. Podzielam pogląd Wiesława Chrzanowskiego, który był moim zdaniem najwybitniejszym kontynuatorem endecji, który uważał, że Narodowa Demokracja należy do przeszłości, ponieważ wypełniła z powodzeniem swoje najważniejsze zadanie polegające na stworzeniu nowoczesnego narodu obejmującego wszystkie warstwy społeczne. Podobnie jak swoje misje wypełniły kształtujące się w tej samej epoce ruch ludowy, czy patriotyczny nurt PPS nadający świadomość narodową warstwie robotniczej. — Aleksander Hall, dissident under communism, minister during Solidarity years, member of Parliament Sejm, recipient of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland).
  4. ^ Davies 2005, 40.
  5. ^ Jerzy Lukowski; W. H. Zawadzki (2001). A Concise History of Poland: Jerzy Lukowski and Hubert Zawadzki. Cambridge University Press. pp. 173–174. ISBN 978-0-521-55917-1. Retrieved 22 December 2012. Hardly surprisingly, anti-Semitism became a key element in the ND ideology
  6. ^ Kawalec, Krzysztof (1989). Narodowa Demokracja wobec faszyzmu 1922–1939: Ze studiów nad dziejami myśli politycznej obozu narodowego. Warszawa: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. p. 115. ISBN 83-06-01728-5.
  7. ^ Terej, Jerzy Janusz (1979). Rzeczywistość i polityka: Ze studiów nad dziejami najnowszymi Narodowej Demokracji (2nd ed.). Warszawa: Książka i Wiedza. p. 18. OCLC 7972621.
  8. ^ Terej, Jerzy Janusz (1979). Rzeczywistość i polityka: Ze studiów nad dziejami najnowszymi Narodowej Demokracji (2nd ed.). Warszawa: Książka i Wiedza. p. 28. OCLC 7972621.
  9. ^ André Gerrits, Dirk Jan Wolffram (2005). Political Democracy and Ethnic Diversity in Modern European History. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-4976-3.
  10. ^ Jerzy Lukowski; W. H. Zawadzki (2001). A Concise History of Poland: Jerzy Lukowski and Hubert Zawadzki. Cambridge University Press. pp. 217–18. ISBN 978-0-521-55917-1. Retrieved 22 December 2012. The appeal of fascism and of anti-Semitism was most pronounced among young radical NDs, who in 1934 formed the National Radical Camp (ONR), from which emerged the distinctly totalitarian ONR-Falanga under Bolesław Piasecki.
  11. ^ Bankier, David; Gutman, Israel (2009). Nazi Europe and the Final Solution. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-84545-410-4.
  12. ^ http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/righteous/pdf/virtial_wall/poland.pdf Archived 2012-08-17 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
  13. ^ Kunicki, Mikołaj Stanisław (2012). Between the Brown and the Red: Nationalism, Catholicism, and Communism in 20th-Century Poland — The Politics of Bolesław Piasecki. Ohio University Press. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-0-8214-4420-7.
  14. ^ [1] Archived 2014-03-07 at the Wayback Machine Polish Club Online – Wywiad z Przewodniczącym Obozu Wielkiej Polski – Dawidem Berezicki
  15. ^ [2] Official KRS Website
  16. ^ B. Sobczak, Medialne obrazy świata z perspektywy retorycznej (na przykładzie recepcji medialnej śmierci i pochówku Czesława Miłosza), „Poznańskie Studia Polonistyczne. Seria Językoznawcza”, 18, 2011, 2, s. 37.

References

[edit]
[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Democracy_(Poland)&oldid=1278021583"