National Democracy

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"To be a Pole does not mean just to speak Polish or to feel close to other Poles, but to value the Polish nation above all else … [A Pole] must accept everything Polish, both good and bad, and must accept every period of the nation's history, both strong and weak."

National Democracy also called Endecja (clipping of Narodowa Demokracja) is a Polish democratic nationalist and conservative political movement.

Beliefs

Piast Concept

Piast Concept, or Piast Idea, is named after the Piast Dynasty - one founded by first ruler of united Poland, Mieszko the First. The idea sees medieval kingdom, populated by Polish majority, as great example of Westernization.

This concept was developed by Popławski and adopted by the National Democratic movement. Endecja's vision of Poland saw its place on the West, stated that the Polish state should include mainly lands with Polish majority and wanted Pomerania, Silesia and East Prussia to become parts of Poland.

Race and ethnicity

Although "Endecja" was inspired by Social Darwinist tendencies (popular in Europe at the time), it has never displayed racist views. National Democrats defined accepting national duties as main trait of a Pole. Many examples of this idea can be found in one of most famous books by Dmowski "Myśli nowoczesnego Polaka" (Thoughts of a Modern Pole). One of such quotes is:

"I am a Pole - in deeper understanding, this declaration means a lot. I am so not only because I speak Polish, not only because others speaking the same language are spiritually closer to me and much easier to understand, not only because some of my private affairs make me closer to them than to the strangers, but also because apart sphere of my personal, individual life, I also know the collective life of Nation (...)"

Thus, Endecja can be characterized as a cultural nationalist movement. Ignorance of national duties, as well as acting against the interests of Poland was the reason why the National Democrats criticized the noblemen of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. "Endecja" also saw polonizing peasants as one of most important goals during the partitions era. Protecting polish culture was one of reasons why "Endecja" opposed uprising and revolutions against partitioners, especially Russia. National Democrats saw the November Uprising as well as January Uprising as disastrous, due to both of them causing Russian repressions against Polish cultural institutions.

All-Polishness

The concept of All-Polishness was created by Jan Ludwik Popławski. It emphasized the need of unity between all Polish lands, then occupied by Germany, Austria and Russia. One of means to create such unity was developing a movement which will be equality active and influential in all three parts of former Poland. This concept differed Endecja from other movements - Polish Socialist Party was the strongest in Russian partition, peasant movement was mainly active in the Austrian partition while Christian Democracy's stronghold was Silesia.

An important part of All-Polishness was the individual's connection to whole nation and duties towards it. In Popławski's vision all members of the Nation were to have equal status, regardless of their social class.

Kraków School of Economics

Kraków School of Economics, or KSE, was a liberal economic school that was centred around Jagiellonian University. Its disputed how much it was connected to the National Democracy movement - some say only few members of the school were part of the movement, while others see the school itself as a part of the movement. Another dispute is about who exactly was member of the school - ones see Adam Krzyżanowski, Ferdynand Zweig and Adam Heydel as founders, while others think the founder of school was Włodzimierz Czerkawski, so his students are often counted as members too.

KSE was economically liberal and had ties to the Austrian School. However, KSE had different opinion on Methodenstreit - preferring empiric approach and deduction, rather than deduction alone. Kraków School supported lowering taxes, freedom of business, rule of law and minimalization of state's economic intervention.

Criticizing economic interventionism, KSE developed three types of anti-statist arguments:

  • Economic arguments - profitability of state companies is naturally lower; it is so due to flaws of human nature.
  • Political arguments - increasing level of statism limits freedom of the individual, thus can lead to totalitarianism.
  • Moral arguments - excessive government intervention can increase criminality due to perceived injustice of law.

The School broke up during World War II and was forgotten after it.

Adam Krzyżanowski

Adam Krzyżanowski was an Polish economist, profesor at Jagielloniam University and director of the Polish Academy of Learning, often described as a classical liberal. He predicted the Great Crisis and, together with Ferdynand Zweig, he wrote memorandum meant to protect Poland from consequences to the crisis. He translated Thomas Robert Malthus' "An Essay on the Principle of Population".

Even though he was opposed to Sanation's interventionism , he was also member of the Sejm from BBWR party. He left it in 1931 protesting against imprisonment of politicians of opposition. After German aggression, Krzyżanowski was one of intellectuals arrested during Sonderaktion Krakau and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was released and returned to Poland. After war, he was again member of Sejm. This time from Democratic Party.

He died in 1963 in Kraków.

Adam Heydel

Adam Heydel was a Polish economist and supporter of economic liberalism. He criticized statism and economic interventionism, adopting methodology similar to that of the Austrian School. He was also familiar with views of Friedrich von Hayek. Heydel was the chairman of National Club in Kraków.

For his criticism of the Sanation government, he was removed from the economics department at the Jagiellonian University. During World War II, he was arrested by SS as part of Sonderaktion Krakau. Then, he was released due to international pressure. Later, he joined the Union of Armed Struggle but was arrested by Gestapo. After refusing to sign Volkliste, he was sent to Auschwitz and murdered in a mass shooting.

National Egoism

Developed mainly by Zygmunt Balicki, idea of National Egoism stated that greater good of the Nation was to be put above morality or ethics. In his 1903 book, titled "National Egoism and Ethics", he wrote: "The Nation, as living organism, has moral right to expand, not only on expense of passive, mindless and socially amorphous elements, but even at the expense of other nations, as long as this expansion is natural and not based on brutal force, coercion and exceptional laws."

The idea was soon adopted by some National Democrats, including Dmowski. Propagating the idea, he was critical of Christian ethics seeing it as incompatible with National Egoism. Dmowski saw the idea as being necessary attitude towards international affairs - he saw these as Darwinist fight, with "strong' nations conquering the "weak' ones.

Balicki's ideas, including National Egoism, were inspiration for ZLN, but rather less important one. National Party further distanced itself from the ideas, with "young faction" fully refusing it. National Egoism was later replaced by Catholic Nationalism.

The Great Poland

The Great Poland was concept created during the Partitions' period, it was idea of future character of Polish state. Future Poland was to be made of conscious people, loyal to their nation - way to achieve this was polonizing peasants and propagating nationalist ideas among Polish society. The Great Poland was to include all lands with Polish majority.

Incorporation concept

Incorporation concept, or incorporationist concept, was idea proposed by Roman Dmowski after First World War. It supported incorporation of many lands into Poland together with assimilation of national minorities. National Democrats preferred unitary and culturally homogeneous country.

It opposed the federalist concept of Józef Piłsudski, which preferred multicultural state over a unitary one.

Dmowski's Line

Dmowski's Line as presented at Paris Peace Conference.

Dmowski's Line was proposed border of Poland, presented by Roman Dmowski during Paris Peace Conference. Future borders of Poland were to include: Pomerania, Upper Silesia (including Danzig), Warmia and Masuria, Lithuania (with Memel), Podolia, Volhynia, large part of Belarus (including Minsk) and Polesia. The proposal was rejected during the conference.

Dmowski later withdrawn the proposal, during negotiations of peace treaty ending Polish-Bolshevik war.

History

In 1887, a group of Polish emigrants gathered in Switzerland and created the Polish League. At first, organisation was liberal-democratic and supportive of uprisings as method to fight partitioners. However, in 1893, the league was taken over by young members - among them Roman Dmowski, Jan Ludwik Popławski and Zygmunt Balicki. Then, it was transformed into the National League (LN), thus becoming first organisation of new political movement - National Democracy.

Partitions period

Three years later, in 1897, members of LN decided to create a party - National-Democratic Party, or SND. The party opposed other Polish movements, like the Polish Socialist Party (PPS), as it preferred negotiation over revolution as path to, first, autonomy and then independence. Endecja gained seats in parliaments of all three partitioning powers - in Russian State Duma it created Polish Club (dominated by National Democrats); the same was Endecja's situtation in Germany. In 1904, SND was founded in Galicia (part of the Austrian partition) as Democratic-National Party.

During the Russian revolution of 1905, Endecja didn't support the revolutionaries - on contrary to PPS, seeing cooperation with Russian authorities as more beneficial for Poland than revolting. Dmowski himself was deputy to State Duma.

World War I

During the Great War, national democrats created the Polish National Committee (KNP), with headquarters in Warsaw and then Petrograd. KNP supported creation of Puławy Legion - Polish military formation. Legion was dissolved in 1915, while the Committee ceased to exist two years later. Then, Dmowski moved to Paris and recreated the Committee. New KNP supported creation of Blue Army, led by General Józef Haller.

Committee was recognized by Entente as legitimate representation of the Polish nation. Thus, KNP's leaders, Roman Dmowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski, represented Poland during the Paris Peace Conference. Then, Committee recognized authority of Polish government. In 1919, SND party was transformed into Popular-National Union (ZLN).

Interwar Poland

In 1920, ZLN supported the government of Wincenty Witos. In 1921, ZLN opposed Chief of State Józef Piłsudski. One year later, the ZLN was part of Christian Union of National Unity (ChZJN or Chjena) coalition of christian-democratic, national-democratic and conservative parties.

The same year, Sejm was about to elect the President. Due to no one being elected at first time, only two candidates remained - Maurycy Zamoyski, supported by national democrats; and Gabriel Narutowicz, supported by liberal, leftist and minority parties. Narutowicz have won and was assassinated few days later by Eligiusz Niewiadomski, a (former) supporter of National Democracy.

In 1923, Chjena signed the Lanckorona Pact, creating an alliance with Witos' Polish People's Party "Piast" and Christian-National Workers' Party. Coalition, commonly known as "Chjeno-Piast", managed to form the government. It was led by Witos and ceased to exist in December due to few deputies seceding from 'Piast'.

However, the "Chjeno-Piast" coalition was recreated in 1926. This time it managed to form a stable government, once again led by Witos. But soon Piłsudski gathered his supporters and launched a coup against the government.

The National Party

Two years after the coup, ZLN was transformed into the Camp of Great Poland (OWP). Said organisation later became part of National Party (SN). Newly founded party was the largest party opposing sanation regime - it had 200 000 members. The party was national-conservative one, supportive of parliamentarism and emphasizing strong role of Catholic Church. The OWP was more radical than SN - supporting authoritarianism, corporatism and National Catholicism.

There was strong division between old and young nationalists which soon caused the movement to split. In 1933, government banned OWP. This caused some of young nationalists to create their own organisation - National Radical Camp (See: National Radicalism). Five years later, in 1938, following the death of the original founder Roman Dmowski, the party underwent a, albeit informal and the party retained its unity, split. One faction, the more radical, led by Jędrzej Giertych, supported active military support to Czechoslovakia against Germany following the Munich Agreement, and a more moderate one, headed by party leader Tadeusz Bielecki. However, the whole party opposed the annexation of Zaolzie region and proposed military assistance to Czechoslovakia.

World War II

Following the invasion of Poland and the collapse of the Second Polish Republic, the National Party created its own resistance movement - National Military Union (NOW). It did not merge with Service for Poland's Victory / Union of Armed Struggle, but recognized authority of Polish government-in-exile. Leadership of SN party resided in London, while the NOW was managed by party's Military Department. First commandant was General Marian Januszajtis-Zegota but he was arrested by NKVD in Lwów. Next commanders were colonels Aleksander Demidowicz-Demidecki and Boleslaw Kozubowski.

In 1940 and 1941, NOW's structures in Pomerania, Lesser Poland and Warsaw were targets of mass arrests by Gestapo. Structures of NOW were soon re-created and leader of SN, Stefan Sacha, named Józef Rokicki new commander of the organisation. In September 1942 units from Radom and Warsaw decided to join Home Army (AK). In May, Stefan Sacha contacted leader of AK, Stefan Rowecki. In November, NOW merged with AK. Yet, several members disagreed with the decision, thus the organisation split into two factions.

National Armed Forces

Polish flag with NSZ cross.

Part of NOW which didn't join Home Army, continued independent activities. In 1942 NOW and Military Organisation Lizard Union (military wing of ONR-ABC) created National Armed Forces (NSZ). Organisation was led first by colonel Ignacy Oziewicz and then by colonel Tadeusz Kurcyusz. National Armed Forces were third largest among resistance organisations (after Home Army and Peasant Battalions).

In March 1944 NSZ split into two factions - one which joined AK and the second, known as NSZ-ZJ. In August the same year NSZ units subordinate to AK were among ones who formed Chrobry II Battalion. The battalion took part in Warsaw Uprising. One of battalion's platoons was led by Witold Pilecki. Chrobry II was also accused of murdering Jews who had emerged from hiding. This outraged commander of the uprising, Antoni Chruściel who ordered to start an investigation. As a result, only one person was arrested. Then, investigation stopped due to deaths of all alleged murderers. Accounts after the war proved the battalion to be innocent. Furthermore, it turned out that one of Chroby II's senior officers was one to expose the crime.

NSZ-ZJ engaged in fights against communist partisans and upcoming Red Army.

During Communism

Soldiers of NSZ were large part of post-war anti-communist resistance. They fought against newly-created communist authorities as well as Soviet NKVD and SMERSH. Communist propaganda slandered NSZ by faking the documents and producing false evidence of alleged robberies done by NSZ.[25]

Soon, the internal conflict arose in SN party as one faction, led by Tadeusz Bielecki and Adam Doboszyński, opposed any agreement with Soviet Union, while the second faction, led by Jędrzej Giertych, supported limited cooperation with Soviets. Giertych even supported Martial Law, and his son, Maciej, was member of Advisory Council - made up of opposition members and communist party officials to give advice to the government.

SN in London refused to recognize the new SN founded in 1989 in Poland. London SN dissolved itself in 1992 transferring its wealth to National-Democratic Party, founded one year earlier.

Modern

Following the collapse of the Polish People's Republic, the National Party was recreated by Leon Mirecki, Jan Matłachowski and Napoleon Siemaszko - all were members of interwar SN. Another National Democratic parties created after fall of communism were: National-Democratic Party, National Party "Fatherland" (split from SN), Polish National Party, Catholic Electoral Action and Homeland Patriotic Movement.

Most significant National Democratic party in 80s and 90s was Christian National Union (ZChN). Its leader, Wiesław Chrzanowski, was Marshal of Sejm in 1991-1993. Later ZChN was part of Jerzy Buzek's government.

All-Polish Youth

The All Polish Youth (MW) is a ultranationalist youth organization in Poland that was formed in 1989 by Roman Giertych, then student at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. The MW's purpose is to promote Catholic nationalist and patriotic values among the Polish youth population. The organizations 1989 manifesto states: "One's country is the greatest earthly good. After God, your foremost love belongs to the Homeland, and foremost after God you must serve your own country."

The MW is fiercely opposed to secularism, liberalism, LGBT, abortion, and communism. The organisation opposed Poland's accession to European Union in 2004 and calls for Poland's withdrawal since then. Economically, the organisation supports common private property and opposed buyout of national wealth by foreign capital. MW supports national solidarism and economic nationalism.

League of Polish Families

The League of Polish Families (LPR) was founded in 2001 by merger of the National Party, National-Democratic Party and few other minor parties. The party was National Catholic, anti-communist, and national-conservative, while economically protectionist and welfarist. At first, it was supported and promoted by Radio Maryja as well as other media of Father Tadeusz Rydzyk. LPR opposed Poland's accession to European Union. All-Polish Youth was the party's youth organisation.

In 2001 elections, LPR gained 8% of the votes - giving it 38 seats in Sejm and 2 in Senate. In elections to the European Parliament three years later, LPR won 10 seats out of 54 reserved for Poland. These elections were the most successful in party's history, making LPR the second largest party after Civic Platform. In 2005 presidential elections, LPR's candidate was Maciej Giertych (son of Jędrzej and father of Roman). He withdrawn from elections, officially supported PiS' candidate, Lech Kaczyński. In parliamentary elections in the same year, LPR once again gained 8% - this time it gave party 34 seats in Sejm and 7 in Senate.

In the same year, LPR signed stabilisation pact with PiS and Samoobrona. Later, it supported governments of Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz and Jarosław Kaczyński. Giertych, the Minister of Education, distanced himself from Dmowski's legacy. One year later, LPR severed ties with MW and created new youth organisation - LPR Youth Movement (it was led by young member of the party and then member of Sejm, Krzysztof Bosak).

The coalition collapsed in 2007. LPR party briefly created a coalition with Samoobrona. Later, both parties ended cooperation and Giertych retired from politics. Since 2007 the party won no seats - neither in Sejm nor in Senate.

Next, the party softened and became pro-European, national liberal and social conservative.

National Parliamentary Club

National Parliamentary Club (NKP) was parliamentary club represented in Sejm and Senate. It was created by MPs who defected from LPR party. In 2006, NKP joined coalition with Law and Justice party. Said coalition was later joined by LPR and Self-Defense. In newly-formed government NKP's leader, Bogusław Kowalski, became vice-minister of transportation. In September 2006 NPK deputies joined National-Popular Movement (RLN) parliamentary club. Besides NKP deputies, majority of members of RLN were politicians of Self-Defense opposing party's decision to leave the ruling coalition. RLN took part in negotiations to create a new government, again with PiS and LPR. Next, deputies of former NKP joined Law and Justice party.

Stylistic Notes

If you are drawing in WWI, he will be pragmatically pro-Russian, but still nationalist.

If you are drawing in the interwar period, add a banner, armband with the Polish flag or dark-blue beret with Szczerbiec (sword wrapped three times in a white-and-red ribbon).

If you are drawing a member of the NSZ, he may be seen shooting Nazis, Ukrainian nationalists, Soviets or Polish communists.

How to Draw

Flag of National Democracy
  1. Draw a ball.
  2. Fill the left half white and the right half red.
  3. Draw a black letter N on the white side.
  4. Draw a white letter D on the red side.
  5. Add the eyes.
  6. (Optional) Draw it upside-down (as a reference to Polandball)

Szczerbiec variant

Flag of National Democracy

Szczerbiec flag is based on this artwork (https://www.deviantart.com/peterschulzda/art/Poland-Flag-National-Party-Variant-2-1011612162)

  1. Draw a ball.
  2. Fill it with green.
  3. Draw Szczerbiec
    • Draw a sword, its blade down.
    • Paint hilt with yellow.
    • Draw three white-red flags onto the sword.
  4. Draw white laurel wreath around the sword.
  5. Add eyes.

Personality and Behaviour

Natdem is very nationalist, and doesn't like Germany. He memorised all of Dmowski's books and likes to be a member of marches. His favourite food is Kielbasa. He was a member of the NSZ, but was captured and sent to POW camps and tried to escape 33 times (a reference to Jedrzej Giertych, who did do so). He is hated by many, especially Pilsudzki's followers but that does not bother him.

He is very religious, and if under arrest he may be seen lying down in a position on a cross for the whole night. If not, he will go to church every day and sing Polish religious songs like "Boże, coś Polskę".

In interwar period, his allies are PSL and Christian Democracy. Contemporary NatDem can easily align with Alt-Lite, Korwinism, Braunism and Paleoconservatism.

His closest friends are National Conservatism and Catholic Theocracy.

Relationships

True Poles

Frenemies

  • National Capitalism - Great economic policy, but too authoritarian, undemocratic and racist. But you have a lot of advantages!
  • Korwinism - Polish right-winger compatriot and coalition partner... But you should be more nationalist and less..... well, less cringe.
  • Braunism - O Grzegorz Braun! O Grzegorz Braun! Kto zgasić świece tak będzie umiał..... Calm down, please - antisemitism is bad for PR!
  • Zionism - HOW DARE YOU NOT ASSIMILATE INTO OUR CULTURE, WE HAVE BEEN PROTECTING YOU FROM ABSOLUTE COUNTRIES! We sheltered you from the Nazi scum though.
  • Austrian School - Heydel was great. Yet, you're too liberal.
  • National Agrarianism & Industrialism - "A balance should be sought between agricultural and industrial production." - Roman Rybarski.
  • Japan LDPism & Ilminism - Friends from the Far East but War interventionism isn't a smart idea... Btw, why are you American puppets!
  • Liberalism - Listen "friend", love free-speech, don't have anything against liberalism and I am friends with some but opening borders for masses won't make any ones lives in Poland better. Be more like them rather than them . Ignore my disdain for liberal democracy.
  • National Radicalism - I denounce your support for dictatorship, political radicalism and many other things, but.... you are great friend. Thank you for helping me during WWII, attending Independence March and creating National Movement
  • Putinism - You may be a scum and a Katyń praiser but you did stomp on degeneracy and we need gas to prosper.
  • Paternalistic Conservatism - I like to say I'm not keen on you but many some of my followers supported expanded welfare state.
  • Gaullism - Bielecki supported you after WWII, but nowadays.... your followers are just fake conservatives supporting IV Reich!
  • Protestant Theocracy - He is The most trustworthy. But Chojecki is based but he still toades to America.
  • Orthodox Theocracy - For a non-Catholic, I never sore such a devotion to Faith!

Honorless Scums

Further Information

Texts

(Note: Most texts about the national democratic movement aren't translated)

Roman Dmowski

Other authors

Works from outside perspective

Articles

Wikipedia

Parties

People

Videos

Channels

Gallery

Citations

  1. NSZ members made large part of post-war Polish anti-communist resistance, commonly known as "cursed soldiers" or "indomitable soldiers".
  2. Kościoł, naród i państwo (Church, Nation and State)
  3. Gospodarka narodowa (The National Economy), Adam Doboszyński
  4. Upadek myśli konserwatywnej w Polsce (The Fall of Conservative Thought in Poland), Roman Dmowski
  5. Polityka i gospodarstwo (Politics and Economics), Roman Rybarski)
  6. Roman Rybarski, Damian Koniarek]
  7. Adam Heydel – polski „austriak” w metodologicznym boju, Wojciech Paryna
  8. Pre-2007 LPR.
  9. At first, LPR was supported by Father Rydzyk but later he distanced himself from the party and later criticized it.
  10. In 1912 he took up a post as the inspector in Farmer's Association.
  11. He was member of an aristocratic family.
  12. He was member of Sejm from Christian Union of National Unity.
  13. He was elected head of Labor Party's Principal Board.
  14. In one of Jakubiak's passport applications he declared, that he belongs to PZPR, but in later time he declared, that he never belonged to PZPR
  15. Giertych returned to Poland in 50s and spoke against anti-government opposition.
  16. Although Giertych was member of "young faction" he did not join ONR and instead stayed in SN. Moreover, he condemned these who left National Party to create ONR, he said they were never true nationalists. Yet, his own views were close to National Radicalism.
  17. He once said: "We [young faction] rather grew up as a reaction against the spirit of the 19th century, whose most classic effects were socialism, liberalism, parliamentarism."
  18. Korfanty was editor-in-chief of various newspapers.
  19. He opposed autonomy of the Silesian Voivodeship.
  20. Party itself was not a monarchist one but often took loyalist stances towards Habsburg monarchy.
  21. It was headed by Witos but supported by Popular-National Union.
  22. Similarly to Witos' second government, the third one was also formed with Popular-National Union as major partner.
  23. Christian National Union was part of it.
  24. LPR was part of the ruling coalition.
  25. In reality, many of said robberies indeed happened but were committed by communist partisans.
  26. "Kumpel" in Polish means "Buddy". Kumpel = Buddy, Kumple = Buddies.
  27. "Beat Bolshevik in his every form, 'cause this is your greatest enemy today." - A fragment of a Polish anti-Bolshevik song; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQdiSpA8h60
  28. Krzysztof Bosak Quote.

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