Lengyelország első felosztása az erőegyensúly-diskurzus tükrében a kortárs londoni hetilapok véleménycikkeiben
The First Partition of Poland in the Light of the Balance-of-Power Discourse in Contemporary Opinion Pieces of London Weeklies

Summary/Abstract: As most English press reports on the first partition of Poland, the author of an opinion piece in the Public Advertiser under the pseudonym Tullius believed that of the three powers dividing Poland, the Prussian interest could be the most dangerous, both for the English national interest and for the future of the European balance of power. It is significant that, as in Tullius’s opinion, in almost all cases where the interests of Britain and the question of intervention were invoked in opinion pieces, the defence of the continent’s political balance appeared as a strong argument. Through a critical discourse analysis of relevant opinion pieces published in London weekly newspapers between 1772 and 1774, I point out how the authors used similar or different balance-of-power rhetoric, while occasionally deeper, polemical balance-of-power discourse to reflect their views. I illustrate that the authors of these articles have applied the concept essentially along three themes: (1) the ‘diabolical alliance’ of the partitioning powers, (2) the issue of English intervention, and (3) the criticism of the idle English government. One of the main conclusions of my analysis is that the balance-of-power discourse is most prominent on the third issue, sometimes even leading to a general questioning of the legitimacy of the contemporary balance-of-power policy.

• Details
• Contents