Enlightenment in Poland

The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in Poland were developed later then in the Western Europe, as Polish bourgeoisie was weaker, and szlachta (nobility) culture (Sarmatism) together with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth political system (Golden Freedoms) were in deep crisis. The period of Polish Elightenment started in 1730s/1740s, reached its height during the reign of last of Polish kings, Stanis?aw August Poniatowski (second half of the 18th century), started declining with the destruction of Poland in the final third partition of Poland (1795) and ended in 1822, replaced by Romanticism.

Related Topics:
Age of Enlightenment - Poland - Western Europe - Bourgeoisie - Szlachta - Sarmatism - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Political system - Golden Freedoms - 1730s - 1740s - Polish kings - Stanis?aw August Poniatowski - 18th century - Third partition of Poland - 1795 - 1822 - Romanticism

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Polish Enligtenment, while sharing many common qualities with the classical Enlightenments movements of the Western Europe, also differed from them in many important aspects, forming an interesting counterpoint. Much of the thought of the Western Enlightenment evolved under the opressive absolute monarchies and was dedicated towards fighting for more freedom. Western thinkers desired Montesquieu's separation and balance of powers to restrict the nearly unlimited power of their monarchs. Polish Enlightenment, on the contrary, developed in a very different background. Polish political system was the almost the opposite of the absolute monarchy: Polish king's were elected and their position was very weak, with most of the powers in the hands of the parliament (Sejm). Polish reformes desired the elimination of laws that transformed their system into a near-anarchy, resulting from abuse of consensus voting in Sejm (liberum veto) that paralyzed the Commownealth, especially during the times of the Wettin dynasty, reducing Poland from a major European player to the puppet of its neighbours. Thus while men of the Enlightenment in France and Prussia wrote about the need for more checks and balances on their kings, Polish Enlightenment was geared towards fighting the abuses stemming from too much freedom.

Related Topics:
Western Europe - Absolute monarchies - Freedom - Montesquieu - Separation and balance of powers - Monarch - Polish king - Sejm - Anarchy - Consensus - Voting - Liberum veto - Wettin dynasty

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The differences did not end there. Townsfolk and burgeoise dominated Western Enlightenment movement, while in the Commonwealth most of the reformers came from szlachta (nobility). Strongly hierarchical and dominated by aristocracy West was starved for equality, the very notion of which was often considered treasonus (as can be seen in the unequal fight between Denis Diderot attempts to publish his Encyclopédie in France). But Commonwealth szlachta (forming the 10% of its population) considered the idea of equality to be one of the fundations of its culture, and reformers wanted fought to expand it towards other social classes. Religious tolerance, cause of many European wars, was another nearly untouchable fundation of the szlachta liberites. And while the West was being influenced by the Industrial Revolution and fought for overseas colonies, the mostly land-locked Commonwealth sunk into the dephts of the second serfdom.

Related Topics:
Szlachta - Aristocracy - Equality - Denis Diderot - Encyclopédie - France - Social classes - Religious tolerance - Industrial Revolution - Colonies - Second serfdom

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Ideas of that period led eventualy to one of the greates achievements of Poland, the Constitution of the 3rd May (second oldest world constitution) and other reforms (like the creation of the Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, first ministry of education in the worold) which attempted to transform the Commonwealth into a modern constitutional monarchy. Although attempts of political reform were thwarted by the civil war (Targowica Confederation) and military intervention of the Commonwealth neigbour, ending in the partitions of Poland, the cultural impact of that period perserved Polish culture for many years.

Related Topics:
Constitution of the 3rd May - Constitution - Komisja Edukacji Narodowej - Ministry of education - Constitutional monarchy - Reform - Civil war - Targowica Confederation - Partitions of Poland - Polish culture

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