Trzy patriotyzmy po trzech dekadach
Trzy patriotyzmy [Three Patriotisms] after three decades

Summary/Abstract: Our article analyzes the Trzy patriotyzmy [Three patriotisms], one of the most important and most frequently commented texts by Andrzej Walicki. Walicki’s typology of patriotisms – loyalty to the will of the people, loyalty to the national idea and loyalty to the national interest – was employed to shed light on “Solidarity” and the Communist Party, and acquired the status of a classic in the Polish humanities. Referring to the integral theory of the nation and nationalism and the theory of mobilizing worldviews, we analyze: (a) the typology itself, (b) the historical narrative, and (c) structural relations, as constructed by the author. Referring to the impact of ideas on social change, Walicki considers “Solidarity” not as a social movement opposing state repression but rather as an irrational manifestation of the republican-romantic spirit. Accordingly, a “realistic patriotism of national interests” advocated by Walicki should be viewed as a form of legitimising the Communist regime rather than the continuation of the intellectual heritage of national democracy. The author was well aware of the implications of this thesis. In an effort to safeguard his position as an independent intellectual, who does not legitimize an oppressive regime, he chose to emigrate.

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