The problems related to the political thought of Piłsudkiites — called the ruling camp by Tomasz Chłopecki — had already been a subject of numerous studies. The literature on the subject in ample and generally accessible. The author of the reviewed book decided to supplement the existent analyses of the political and legal thought in the subperiod 1935–1939, which — although significant for the interwar history — had been analyzed less extensively. I regard the choice of the subject legitimate and the analysis itself important, although not free from defects, mistakes and errors. Having read the book, I cannot fully support the author’s conclusions. The goal and the intention are one thing, and the execution another. As regards the latter, I wish to make two general remarks. Firstly, the factual sphere does not raise objections, although some substantial mistakes I had found should not have made it through the publishing process. Secondly, the interpretational scope with reference to the political and legal thought does raise objections, which I demonstrate in an extensive polemic review. Moreover, in my opinion, the book is confined strictly to one discipline: history.
2
Dostęp do pełnego tekstu na zewnętrznej witrynie WWW
In the late1920s in the environment of the academic youth of the Warsaw and Lvov universities emerged concepts of creating an organization that would in principle propagate the ideas of Józef Piłsudski. On 13 February 1930 the Legion of the Young –‘Work for the State’ Academic Association was established in Warsaw. In the next four years the organization developed, gained new members and enjoyed the support of the Piłsudski camp, including the Marshall himself. In the understanding of the circles then in power it was to realize statutory goals, but already after two years the activists of the Legion came to the conclusion that it should ultimately become a mass youth organization exceeding the academic environment. Their purpose was to win over the working class and peasant youth. After an unsuccessful attempt to subordinate the Legion to the Nonpartisan Bloc of Cooperation with the Government in September 1934 and due to various circumstances (internal divisions among others), mentors grouped in seniors clubs revoked their patronage in April 1935. This was the critical moment that set off a slow process of the ‘agony’ of the Legion –an organization created out of the young people’s fascination with the person of Piłsudski. Even though the organization was not liquidated, it did not regain its former significance and status. It ended its existence in December 1938 becoming part of the Polish Youth Legion. The aim of the article is to show the causes and circumstances that led to the collapse of the most powerful youth organization of the Piłsudski camp in the first half of the 1930s.
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.