‘“Russian-Polish Dispute Resolved by History”: The Polish Question in the Liberal Projects of the Basic Law of Russia at the Beginning of the 20th Century

Abstract

The paper considers the process of the evolution of the “Polish question” in the Russian legal liberal thought of the early 20th century. The specificity of this period lies in the attempts to transfer purely theoretical projects to the practical sphere during the formation of proto-party organizations and the development of drafts of the Fundamental State Law of Russia. The national component of these documents has largely remained beyond the scope of scholars’ interests, which explains the focus of the paper. The research relies on archival records and, on the one hand, aims to evaluate the contradictions with regard to this issue within the liberal camp , and on the other hand, to trace the complex process of reaching a compromise between representatives of Russian liberalism and the politically active Polish public in the context of growing opposition.to Russian autocracy. In an effort to keep the Russian Empire united and indivisible, representatives of the new liberalism were gradually beginning to perceive the “Polish question” as one of the directions for finding allies in the struggle to establish a constitutional law and order in the country. The main outcome of the examination by Russian liberals of the “Polish question” within the framework of the drafts of the Fundamental Law of Russia was their acknowledgment of the need to make the problem of Polish autonomy a separate item in the political program as well as to develop its borders in details.