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ChapterI.Poland’smarketeconomyintheinterwarperiod(1918-1939)
Despiteclearideologicaldifferences,therewerealsosomestrikingsimilarities
betweenthenationalisteconomicprogrammeoftheinterwarperiodandthe
1930seconomicideasoftheSwedishsocialdemocratsandAmericanneolib-
erals.Theseideascontributedsignificantlytothedevelopmentofthe“third
waydoctrine”implementedinmanycountriesaftertheSecondWorldWar.
Theanalogyisthereforequitewellfounded,barthefundamentaldifference
ofnationalismtypicalofnationalistmovements(includingtheeconomicpolicy
ofChristiandemocrats).ThisobservationwasoncemadebyaPolishhistorian,
JerzyHolzer,whowrote:“innationalistcirclestheprogrammeofeconomic
liberalismwaslimitedonlybynationalism”,thoughHolzer’swordscouldnot
beappliedtotheeconomicprogrammesofallnationalistmovements.
Atissueinthisanalysisisthesearchundertakenbytherepresentatives
ofthe“thirdway”ofeconomicthinkingtofindanalternativetoliberal-
ismandcollectivism.Thealternativetheyenvisionedwasasystemmost
favourabletosmallandmedium-sizedprivateproperty.Finally,theanalysis
ofthenationalisteconomicthinkingthatbecameknownasthe“thirdway”
illustratesthelevelofcomplexityinvolvedinthedevelopmentprocessofthe
interwareconomicdoctrines.
The“thirdway”
Themainassumptionbehindtheconceptofthe“thirdway”istheprinciple
ofsolidarism,regardedasthebasisofeconomicsystemsandopposedtothe
theoryofclassconflict.Asstatedbefore,theinspirationforanintermedi-
ate(thirdway)system,whichwouldbeneithereconomicliberalismnor
collectivism,camefromthesocialteachingsoftheCatholicChurch.Their
originsgobacktothephilosophyofSt.ThomasAquinas,buttheywere
alsoformulatedinpapalencyclicals,especially:LeoXIII’sRerumNovarum
andPiusXI’sQuadragesimoAnno.Theformerwasproclaimedin1891,
whilethelatter,fortyyearslater,in1931.
Similarly,duringPoland’sinterwarperiod,thedoctrineofthe“thirdway”
wasprimarilysupportedbythepoliticalgroupswhichbasedtheirpro-
grammesontheprinciplesofthesocialteachingsoftheCatholicChurch.
ThosepoliticalgroupsincludedtheChristiandemocrats,nationaldemo-
crats,conservativesandagrarianparties.
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