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TimothySnyder
Introduction:
InPolandIdeasAlwaysCountedMost
FormanyofthosefrombeyondPolandwhochosetostudyitshistory,theideas
countedmost.Sincemodernculturalformsemergedinasettingwithoutpoliti-
calsovereignty,ideasseemedtomattermoreinPolandthaninotherEuropean
countries.Why,afterall,wassovereigntylost?Inthedebatesaboutreforming
theoldCommonwealth,whowasrightandwhowaswrong?ShouldaPolish
stateberestored,andifsoinwhosename,bywhatmeansandinwhatform?
Whenpoliticsdemandssomuchfromideas,wherecanthethinkerfindanon-
politicalplaceofrespite?Aretherenonpoliticalideas?Canmembersofthe
intelligentsiasimplybeintellectuals?Forhistoriansofmygenerationbeyond
PolandwholearnedthePolishlanguage,theseandotherquestionsweread-
dressed,inthe1970sand1980s,inahugelyimpressivemannerstudiedby
acertaingenerationofPolishhistorians:LeszekKołakowski,JerzySzacki,Jerzy
Jedlicki,AndrzejWalickiandanumberofothers.After1989,thehistoryof
ideasfellintothebackgroundofhistoricalresearch.Inaperiodthatwasover-
suppliedwithhistoricalcertainties,andforgenerationssatedwithideology,the
ideaofhistoryasquestioninglostitspopularity.
Thereturntothehistoryofideas,promotedbythisseriesandbythisbook,
iswelcomenotonlyinandofitself,butasachallengetootherformsofhistor-
iography.Intellectualhistoryisinherentlymethodological,sinceachronicleof
whatcouldbethoughtisalsoachartofwhatcouldbeimagined,andthusat
leastasuggestionofwhatwasthoughttobe,andperhapsevenwas,possible.
Sinceallhistorians,notjustintellectualhistorians,havetoworkwithinthe
worldofthepossibleaswellastheworldoftheactual,suchanilluminationis
ofgeneralsignificance.InMarekCichocki’spresentationoftheideaofPoland
ubetweeneastandwest,”forexample,geopoliticsbecomesakindofgeo-psych-
ology.Polishhistory,asCichockiargues,beginsnotatallwithaconfrontation
betweeneastandwest,butratheratamomentofcontactbetweentheChris-
tiansouthandthepagannorth.Inthissense,PolandisanentirelytypicalEuro-
peancountry,andPolishidentitycouldfunctionwithoutthesenseofbeinguin
