| Abstract [eng] |
The concept of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the research of the XX century Polish geopolitical mind remains insufficiently disclosed and therefore it is still uncertain how and why, following Polish leader's Józef Piłsudski's address of April 22, 1919 to the citizens of the former GDL, it transformed into Jerzy Giedryc's conception of ULB, an acronym coined to indicate Ukraine, Lithuania and Byelorussia, that was widely exploited by the leaders of Poland's Solidarność in the late XX century. Therefore the dissertation aims to analyze the context of the development of the conceptions suggested by the two historical figures as well as other federalist leaders, to determine their nature and to define the role of GDL concept in the the formation and transformation of the conceptions. Mono-ethnic aspirations of the Polish society, the Peace of Riga done in 1921 and the postwar territorial changes caused transformation of GDL as a concept of a historical subject in the space of Polish cultural civilization into the concept of Poland's “provinces” known as “kresy” in Polish geopolitical mind. An unchanged image of the GDL remained only in Polish federalistic historiography and among scarce Polish Lithuanian, such as Cz. Miłosz. Meanwhile J.Giedroyc, having acknowledged national aspirations and post-communism prospects of nationhood of Poland's eastern neighbours as a fundamental for his ULB conception, was absolutely against nationalism in the region's domestic policy as he clearly understood ULB's multicultural nature closely associated with the importance of GDL's and RTN's (Republic of Two Nations) legacy. Thus J.Giedroyc dissociated not only from the conception of Polish nationalists Kresy and their incorporating territorial reminiscences, but the traditional federalism as well as he refused to acknowledge Polish paternalism in Eastern Europe and geopolitical relevance of the historical GDL's concept. |
