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MarekA.Cichocki
sametime,adullunruliness,whenthearmisticebetweenformandinstincthad
createdachasmłprobablythedeepestwhichhasevershownitselftoouridyl-
licspirit.Neverbeforeorsincehavewebeenclosertorubbingupagainsthell
andanythoughtaboutPolandandthePolesisnotworthmuchifitbypasses
theperiodofSaxonscurrility,”2writesGombrowiczinthefirstvolumeofhis
diaries.
ThePoles’politicalandspiritualcatastrophecoincidedwithafundamental
reversalinEuropeantrendsuptothatperiod.Whilethepreviousdominant
divisionofChristianEuropewasintothenorthlwherePolandhadbeensitu-
atedforcenturieslandthesouth,now,asaconsequenceoftheEnlighten-
ment,WesternEuropewasbeingredefinedandconsolidated.Thisnewwest
ofEuropeancivilizationwasconsolidatedaroundEnlightenmentvalues,yetat
thesametimetheeastwasbeingrediscovered,thanksinparttoafascination
withOrientalism.Thegeopoliticalchangethatoccurredinthe18thcenturyas
aresultoftheappearanceononesideofastrong,centralizedPrussianstateand
ofanew,modernRussiaontheother,andastheresultofthepolitical-spiritual
declineoftheFirstRepublic,haditsdeeper,pan-Europeancontextinthere-
versalofearliercultural-civilizationalvectorsinEuropeandevelopment.Inthis
sense,VoltairewasrightinclaimingthattheEnlightenmentwouldfoundanew
Europe,onnewbases,whichwouldbecomearealchallengeforPoles,inboth
thepolitical-spiritualandrealgeopoliticalsense.Inthenewdivisionofeastand
west,Polandhadnoplace.Theimportanceofthischangewasperfectlyunder-
stoodandreflectedonbythePolishEnlightenmentthinkerStanisławStaszic
inhisWarningsforPolandandbytheRomantic-erapoetAdamMickiewiczinhis
ParisLectures.
Throughtheentire19thcentury,Polesattemptedtofindtheirplacein
thisnewdivisionofEurope,sodisadvantageousforthem.Atthebeginning,it
seemedthatasensibleresponsewasperhapstoenrollPoland,totheextentthat
waspossible,asadependentyetautonomouspoliticalentityintheimperial
politicsofeitherneighboringpower,PrussiaorRussia.
Whatwasneededwastoovercomethenegativeconsequencesofthosepow-
ers’partitionpoliciesbyprovingthatanautonomousPolandcouldbeanessen-
tialcomponentofregionalbalance,intermsofthenewContinentalpowers’
policiesregardingeachother.
TheConceptofBarriersandForegrounds
Inthispoliticalconstellation,thetragicendofwhichwasthepartition-
ingoftheFirstRepublic,anewapproachwasformedtoPolandandCentral
Europeasanobjectinagamebetweenlarge,absolutepowers.Thisentire
areaofEurope(orphanedafterthedemiseoftheFirstRepublic)becameat
timesabufferzoneandattimesafrontline.TheconceptofPolandasabuffer
