Wizerunek Sejmu Ustawodawczego w opinii politycznych przedstawicieli społeczeństwa polskiego okresu II Rzeczypospolitej
The Legislative Sejm in the opinion of political representatives of the Polish society in the period of the Second Republic of Poland

Summary/Abstract: One of the greatest mysteries, which the time was to solve, was the political, systemic, economic and social form of the state resulting from the processes accompanying the summoning of the Legislative Sejm. An argument may be propounded that the way the Sejm was perceived had been decisivel influenced by the atmosphere of the electoral campaign, which differed considerably from the Poles’ general enthusiasm expressed less than three months earlier. When Józef Piłsudski ceremonially opened the sitting on 10 February 1919, the opinion on the Sejm had already been established. When the Chief of State declared that he “is honoured to open the Polish Sejm, which shall again be the sole master and host of its homeland”, he was evoking a vision rather than reality. The divisions established during the rivalry for Deputies’ mandates caused the reception of the Sejm by the society to be conditioned not on the authority of the legislative body formed by the sovereign’s will, but rather on political support of the voters of individual parties and the reaction to success (or failure) of the supported party. For those supporting the left, the parliament elected in January 1919 was not peasant enough. For the national right, especially when the Deputies’ chamber was joined by minority representatives, it was not consistent with the Poles’ national interests. Particularly disappointed were all those, whose representatives had not been elected, especially representatives of the radical intelligentsia. The disappointment with the election results greatly affected the social reception of the re-established parliament.

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