Jerzy Malec

Remarks on the Book by Michał Gałędek, Concepts and Projects of the New Administrative System for the Future Kingdom of Poland. Studies on the History of Administrative Thought (Sopot 2017, 544 pp.)

The work discussed here fiils in an important gap in the research on the history of administrative thought in the Polish territory from the 18th to the 20th century. It must be emphasised that the book offers a competent and comprehensive study of the years 1813–1815. The goal of the author of the dissertation was to analyse the views on the form of the newly created administrative system, expressed along the progress of works – partially official – performed under the authorisation of Alexander I in 1813–1815, that is until the moment of providing constitutional regulations to the Kingdom. In accordance with the principles followed by the author, with which I entirely agree, the scientific analysis has comprised all the projects which had been drafted in that time (in particular: normative acts) as well as the opinions of the administrative system reform creators formulated in the course of works. In fact, this is how administrative thought should be interpreted, to be differentiated from the analysis of specific system solutions accepted as binding legislation. The source base constitutes a very strong point of the reviewed monograph. The author has used materials which had never been explored before. One must agree with the research conclusions included in the final passage. In his thesis, the author has confirmed the earlier ascertainments of legal historians: namely, stating that the works performed in 1813–1815 referred mostly to the solutions and experiences from the period of the Duchy of Warsaw, whereas references to the administrative system of the 18th-century Poland were visible only in a small minority of the reform creators.