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Introduction:InPolandIdeasAlwaysCountedMost
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eithercase,verylittleofDmowski’sthinkingwasoriginal.Krzywieccitesashis
originalcontributionthefullycriticaltreatmentofPolishpoliticalhistory:but
here,too,therewerecertainlyprecedents.
InMarcinKról’spresentation,theKrakówconservativesknownasthe
Stańczycyfaceddilemmasthatwerenotsodifferentfromthoseoflater,modern
ideologues.Theypresentedhistoryasmaterialforstudyratherthanlegend
foremulation,andthuscharacterizedpoliticalthoughtasakindofdialectic
betweentraditionandreason.Thepastwasrealbutitwasnotsacred;themind
waspowerfulbutitneededhistoryasitsrawmaterial.Thisraisedthequestion,
ofcourse,astojustwhohadthedutyandtherighttodrawconclusionsfrom
thepast.Ifmisunderstandinghistoryledtodisasterssuchasthepartitions,
thenitsunderstandingcouldnotbeconfinedtoscholarlycircles.Butwhoelse
couldbetrusted,andwhen?CouldPolishsocietyitselfbeeducated?Ifso,when
andhowandmoretothepoint,whom?IfthePolishszlachtawascapableoftre-
mendoushistoricalerror,forexamplepointlessuprisings,thenmustn’tothers
beallowedtocorrectthesemistakes?
TheconservativesoftheHotelLambertinParis,arguesKról,alsofaced
thisproblem.MaurycyMochnackiwasawarethatsocialdifferencewasreal
andthatsocialconflictcouldpreventpoliticalprogress.Theleadingclasses
ofPolishsociety,eveniforperhapsespeciallyiftheyareconservative,must
worktoavoidsocialconflict.Buttodosorequiresknowledgeof,andperhaps
evenengagementwith,socialgroupsbeyondtheszlachta.Soconservatism,
despiteappearances,offersnoeasyescapefromthebasicproblemsofreconcil-
ingnationalandsocialchangeoverthelong19thcentury.Evenconservatism
requiresactionatsomepoint:butwhatactionandbywhomandinwhatpre-
cisecircumstances?
HereKrólseemstowanttoconnectpoliticalconservatism(thesubjectof
oneofhisessays)withpoliticalRomanticism(thesubjectofhisotheressay).
InanextensiveandinterestingdiscussionofJózefKalasantySzaniawski,Król
stressesthatthisearlyconservativesupportedRomanticpoetryandliterature,
onthegroundsthatitmustleadinevitably,despiteasitweretheintentions
ofthewritersthemselves,toaconservativeposition.ButchezSzaniawski,
whomheclearlyadmires,Królstressesthenotionthatoneshouldonlydo
whatispossible.Buthere,ifonereadsthetwoessaystogether,Królseemsto
drawaconclusionthatwouldperhapssurpriseSzaniawski:nationaluprisings
arepossible.Inotherwords,thecriterionisnotthepossibilityofthesuccess
oftheuprising,butratherthepossibilityoftheuprisingitself.InauEuropeof
boredomandimperialism,”asKrólmemorablyputsit,actiontoovercomespir-
itualdegradationisrequired.Preciselyontheconservativegroundthatspiritual
mattersprecedematerialones,actionsthatrequirespiritualcommitmentand
extendvirtuesacrossgenerationsarenecessary.InthiscontextKrólreturns
onceagaintoMochnackifortheargumentthatRomanticismdetermineswhat
anationis.
