The Commandant's genius era – historical argument as an element constituting the political identity of the Piłsudski camp.

Abstract

“The era in which the Commandant's genius flourished did not come to an end along with his death. We are still living in the same epoch”[1] said the prime minister Sławoj Składkowski in the speech which he delivered in the Polish parliament on taking the helm of the government. His words contained some sort of a credo adhered to by Sanacja and could be regarded as synthesizing the views held by the late Marshal adherents on the functioning of the state and the role performed by his camp in the political system of the Polish Republic. To clarify the opinion quoted in the above it needs to be said that it involved three important elements: 1) the belief that political activities which Piłsudski and his subordinates from the Legions and POW (The Polish Military Organization) carried out in the years 1914-1921 deserved a special credit for a key contribution to the rebirth of an independent Poland determining both its territorial shape and political system as well; 2) the conviction that those to whom Poland owed its restored indepedence were clearly endowed with so extraordinary abilities as to make the best candidates for dealing with all the important problems that confronted the Polish politics.

Keywords

• pilsudski’s adherents camp
• sanacja camp
• political thought
• political ideas
• historical politics