Historical Mission and Pragmatism
The Slavic Idea in Poland in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In Romantic-era thought, Poland was to play a leading role in a Pan-Slavic federation. However, identification with the Slavic community always stood in contradiction to Polish-Russian antagonisms. During the Second World War, the “eternal” German-Slavic conflict took centre stage. Poland made new contacts with its Slavic neighbours. The Soviet Union had little interest in this. After 1948, the Slavic idea served Moscow as a means of propaganda to secure its influence in East Central and Southeastern Europe. In Polish exile, the Slavic idea continued to make itself felt. It has yet to disappear from Poland’s culture, but its political significance is marginal.
(Osteuropa 12/2009, pp. 77–94)