Abstrakt: | Wincenty Skrzetuski’s political views place him among the followers of the
designers of the reform of the 18th century Republic of Poland. In his work
on The Political Right of the Polish Nation, Skrzetuski described the principles
according to which the Polish Parliament (Sejm) of those times
functioned. Polish piarist made interesting historical digressions which
showed some of the weak points of the solutions functioning in the parliamentary
practice of the First Republic of Poland. Skrzetuski, discussing
a procedure of parliamentary sessions, ammended in the period of
Stanisław August Poniatowski, did not always clearly emphasise the solutions
aiming at simplifi cation and acceleration of the course of the parliamentary
sessions. It needs to be emphasized that describing the problem
of parliamentary clearances, he referred to disastrous parliamentary
practices and was in line with some drafters of the reforms in the gentry
Republic of Poland which demanded radical changes in the clearance
procedure or even in its total abolishment.
Skrzetuski pointed to the fact that the senat is one of the three governing
organs, the most important tasks of which is to serve and advice the
king, as well as support him in performing some of public duties, including
justice administration, being in charge of state unity as well as laws
and citizenship freedom and mediating between a monarch and free gentry
nation. Skrzetuski was among those who were fi rst to advocate the necessity of
building a strong modern state. In his work on Speeches on major political
matters he often warned that delaying reforms, such as introduction of
the succession to the throne or maintaining the liberum veto principle,
would lead to a decline and ultimate fall of the Republic. |