The purpose of this article is to show the actuality of the problems described in the work „Thoughts of a Modern Pole” by Roman Dmowski in the context of the thesis that the notion of strategic culture has been distorted in Poland after 1989 and that there is a lack of a real debate on the formation of Polish foreign policy.
First, the author defined the concept of strategic culture itself. The term „strategy” was explained and characterized, along with its various elements. Special attention was also given to state strategy, for, as the author points out, states are the primary actors that shape international relations. Another element addressed by the author is cultural factors and their influence on the formation of state strategy. Among the most important elements the author mentions are historical experiences. Also important are the type of society and the outlook of a given society on the role of the state in international relations.
The main part of the article is an attempt to analyze the problems with the formation of Polish strategic culture. The starting point is the considerations of Roman Dmowski contained in the work „Thoughts of a Modern Pole”.
The first problem addressed in this article, is the issue of the lack of correlation, or even division between the elites of Polish society and the lower strata. The author puts forward the thesis that today’s social division, which appeared after 1989, is an extension of the historical division described by Roman Dmowski.
The second issue addressed is the extreme approach to international politics present in Polish society. The author points out that our (i.e. Polish) historical defeats have led to a situation in which the view of Poland’s role in international relations is distorted. According to the author, just as at the time of the creation of the work „Thoughts of a Modern Pole,” today we also face two views of the Polish issue, which, according to the author, are wrong. The last problem the author draws attention to is the passivity of the Polish political elite. The author puts forward the thesis that the characteristic that links the elites of the Third Republic with those elites described by Roman Dmowski is passivity. In order to support this thesis, the article points out the manifestations of this passivity using examples of the Third Republic’s actions in the international arena. The author also points out the problem of the lack of search for autonomy in the international policy of the Third Republic, which, according to the author of the article, is the result of passivity. The article concludes with the statement that Roman Dmowski can be called „a man of our time”,
because, according to the author, most of the problems described by Dmowski are still present in today’s
socio-political life.
