Sensy Września 1939 wedle Kazimierza Wyki

Abstract

The article presents a distinguished historian and literary critic, Kazimierz Wyka, not only as a philosopher of history, but also in a new role of an expert in military craft. A careful reading of Wyka’s essays allowed the author to reconstruct the evolution of the critic’s views (as he was engaged in the aspects of military system not only during the war, but he recalled this theme during the following anniversaries) concerning the causes of the Polish defeat in September 1939. Wyka analysed the military, economic, propagandist, political and social issues. As a literary scholar, he was also interested in these problems being discussed — unfortunately, not thoroughly enough — by writers. Subjectively, he emphasised Polish moral claims that determined the fundemental sense of the “Polish September”.