Bolesław Limanowski wobec problemu odrodzenia narodowego na Górnym Śląsku

Abstract

Bolesław Limanowski’s interest in the matter of national renascence dates from the closing years of the XIX century. This conception was most fully presented in the book "National renascence and the development of Polish nationality in Silesia", written tó promote this idea, which was published in Kraków in 1911. The specific conditions of the Silesian situation, according to Limanowski, were created by the separation of the region from the Polish homeland for several hundred years, which presented the possibility of analysis of the influence of a modern state on the formation of a community of nations. Since the greater part of the population of Upper Silesia was formed by the working class, hence to this class belonged the deciding voice in the national renascence, and to its role in this process the nestor of Polish socialism devoted most of his attention. In the works of B. Limanowski may be discerned a distinct division into two parts; scientific and publicist. His considerations sometimes, however, bear the marks of eclecticism and dogmatism. Also in his writings on Upper Silesia he endeavoured to force certain occurrences into the framework of his own conceptions. Belief in the justice of the struggle for independence caused him to realise a day by day publicist policy, and did not lead to. profound scientific analysis.