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MarekA.Cichocki
entitythatparticipatesinaquarrelbetweenpowerswillbetrodunderfoot
whentheytakethefirstfriendlysteptowardeachother.”5
PrinceAdamCzartoryski’spolicyfrom1803to1805couldbeconsidered
acounteringattemptatresolvingPoland’sgeopoliticaldilemma,trappedbe-
tweenPrussiaandRussia.6CzartoryskipresentedAlexanderIwithhisplanto
createagreatfederationofSlavicnationsundertheczar’sleadership,wherein
PolandwastoberebornasakingdomattachedtoRussia.BasedontheEnlight-
enmentideaofamultinationalfederation,theplanwasnot,however,anat-
tempttoembodyKant’sidealisticpremisesofeternalpeace,asitissometimes
presented.Itwastheexpressionofarationalpoliticalcalculation,asCzarto-
ryskiassumedtheinevitabilityofRussia’sconflictwithPrussia,asopposing
powers.Later,naturally,healsohadtojustifytheinevitabilityofRussia’scon-
flictwithnewFrenchexpansionismunderNapoleon.Inbothcases,therole
oftheRussianfrontfelltoPoland.ThusPoland’sautonomousrebirthwould
meanrepairingpoliticalerrorsofCatherineII’simperialism,andthepermanent
unionofPolishandRussianinterestswithintheframeworkofanewEuropean
order.APolishkingdombasedonanew,liberalconstitutionwasbecomingSt.
Petersburg’smainweaponinconductinganewEuropeanpolicy.Forthispur-
pose,itwasnecessaryaboveall,however,toovercomePrussia’sexpansionism.
ForCzartoryskiandotherPolishthinkersoftheEnlightenment,includ-
ingStaszic(ThoughtsonthePoliticalEquilibriumofEurope),Prussiaappearedto
bethemostthreateningEuropeanpredator,particularlyifearlierexperiences
wererecalled.Inthefirstpartofthe18thcentury,PrussiahadpartitionedSile-
sia.Later,itoccupiedPomerania,anddidnotkeepitscovenantof1790with
Poland.Finally,ittookWarsaw.Now,atthepriceofdisloyaltytowardRussia,
theHohenzollernswerereadytoallythemselvesevenwithNapoleon,inorder
tooccupyterritoriesofGermanprincipalities,stepbystep.InCzartoryski’s
view,thePrussiansthusconstitutedthegreatestdangertoEuropeanorderand
mustbeneutralizedbyanymeans.Tothatend,itwouldbenecessaryforRussia
toabandonitsearlierdefensivepolicyforthesakeofamoreactiveEuropean
policy.GivenPrussia’sdisloyalty,andthechangeinFranceasaresultofthe
Revolution,thereremainedonlytworealpowersthatcould,inCzartoryski’s
opinion,restoreEurope’slostequilibrium:anactivelyEuropeanRussiaand
liberalEngland.Bothpowersshoulduniteonbehalfofanewpolicy,theaimof
whichwouldbetheestablishmentofalastingpoliticalarchitecturefortheCon-
tinentandtheelaborationofnew,liberal,progressiveprinciplesforitsfunc-
tioning.PrussiashouldalsobekeptincheckbyarebornPolandononeside,
loyaltoRussia,andontheotherbyrebornGermanstatesfunctioningasone
politicalunion.
Czartoryski’splan(explainedinhismemorandumof1803,uOnthePol-
iticalSystemRussiaShouldEmploy,”amongotherplaces)wasgreatandfar-
sighted;italsoassumedthepossibilityofafundamentalimprovementinEur-
ope’sinternalrelations,whichhadundergonevisibledeteriorationasaresult
