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I.POLAND’SFOREIGNPOLICYBEFORE1989
Poland,srebirthasanindependentstatefollowinga123-yearabsencefromthe
mapofEuropewasfirstandforemostaconsequenceofWorldWarI,andmost
especiallythewayinwhichthatwarfinallylaidthepost-Napoleonicinternational
ordertorest.LetusatthesametimerecallthatthatpredecessorFirstRepublic
whichultimatelyfounditselfpartitionedoutofexistencehadcometosuchasticky
endprimarilythroughitsowninternalweaknesses.Theseincludedastatesystem
differentfromanyotherinEurope(involvingfreeelectionsplusaliberumveto),the
cultivationofspecificpoliticalhabitsbytherulingclass(involvingclientelismand
servilitytowardsforeigners)andpersistenteconomicbackwardness.Sincethefull
processofcollapseinfacttookaslongasacentury,itisclearthatthethenPolish
stateandpoliticalclasswerelackingintheinstinctforself-preservationtoadegree
unparalleledanywhereinEurope.Poland,sneighbours,whosepowerincreasedat
itscost,soughttoinfluencethecourseofboththeRepublic,sinternalaffairsand
itsforeignpolicy(totheextentthatthecountrycanhardlybesaidtohavehadthe
latteratallduringthe18thcentury),butinnowaycantheybesaidtohavebeen
gunningforitsfinaldismembermentanddisappearance.Letuslikewiseemphasise
thatthePolishcaseistheonlyoneofitskind,wherebyastatethatcouldclaimto
havebeenoneofEurope,smajorpowerstwocenturiespreviously1descendedto
thepointoffullandfinalcollapse.Hopesthatindependencemightberegained
bywayoftheNapoleonicWarscametonought,notwithstandingthedeathsof
largenumbersofPolishsoldiersservingthehegemonicinterestsofFranceonbat-
tlefieldsinSpainandevenHaiti.NordidstatehoodresumewitheithertheFrench
Emperor,sgifttothePolishpeopleintheformofthe1807DuchyofWarsaw,orthe
KingdomofPoland,subordinatedtotheTsar,thattheCongressofViennacalled
intobeingtoreplacethesaidDuchy(thelatterinanycasesuccumbingoncethe
JanuaryUprisingof1862–1864hadbeensuppressed).Indeed,withtime,thevery
absenceofPolandbecameanecessarycondition,ifthebalanceofpower–andthe
stabilityoftheinternationalorderestablishedbytheCongressandsupervisedby
"theConcertofPowers”–weretobemaintained.Itwasthereforeonlyadefini-
tivechangeintheconfigurationofthosepowers(andtheincreasinglyconflicting
intereststheypursued)thatcouldunleashthekindofdevelopmentaldynamiccapa-
1AlongsideFrance,England,theNetherlands,Spain,Portugal,HabsburgAustria,Swedenandthe
OttomanEmpire.(WemightnotethatthelistincludesneitherPrussianorRussia,forwhomroomwould
onlybefoundoncePolandfell).