Olgierd Górka’s Polemics on the Contours of the Polish Nation (1933- 1955)

Abstract

Olgierd Górka was a historian specialized in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe who took actively part in the political debate concerning the place of minorities in Poland. He occupied different roles in the public sphere and appeared to have insistently tried to embody the voice of politically marginalised citizens of Poland. Olgierd Górka argued for a strong link between the Polish state and its citizens as a precondition for their mutual survival. His life exemplifies the discussion around the definition of the people, at the heart of the legitimation of modern nation-states in Central Europe during the 20th century. The debate initiated by Olgierd Górka helps to better understand how the modern Polish state, born from the ashes of three empires, defined Polish citizenship and how it evolved during the upheavals of the interwar and the post-war period.