Stanisław Pijaj

Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski and the “Ruthenian question” in Galicia

Jerzy K. Czartoryski was the first member of the Czartoryski family to devote himself to Galicia; he became involved in Galician politics and in the problems of this province of the Habsburg Monarchy. He stood out among the other Polish politicians in Galicia with his attitude to the Ruthenians; he stressed the importance of the Ruthenian question in Galicia, and even believed it to be a “matter of life or death” for the Poles living there. Czartoryski was in favour of Polish-Ruthenian co-operation, recognised the Ruthenians’ national identity, which not all Polish politicians regarded as an obvious thing, and declared his willingness to enter into an agreement with them. He also supported efforts to develop the Ruthenian school system and Ruthenian social and cultural institutions. While recognising and supporting Ruthenian postulates on education, he opposed the political postulates formulated by the Ruthenians at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth century. His fear of the growing radicalism of the Ruthenian politicians brought him closer to the conservatives, the so-called Podolaks, and later to the National Democrats.

* Tekst powstał w ramach projektu OPUS 13, finansowanego przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki w Krakowie, pt. „Pomiędzy dwoma zjazdami w Pradze. Związki między Słowianami w Europie Środkowej i Południowo-Wschodniej w latach 1848–1908” (2017/25/B/HS3/00240, kierownik: prof. dr hab. Antoni Cetnarowicz).

Galicia: A legacy of the partitions

Galicia, a province of the Habsburg Monarchy established in the late 18th century, ceased to exist after the collapse of Austria-Hungary. Although many years have passed since its dissolution, it continues to attract interest, not only among historians. For some time, both in Poland and elsewhere, there has been a veritable renaissance of interest in Galicia. Its image has also changed. In the past, it used to be criticised; now it could be said that Galicia is being vindicated. The article explains what Galicia actually was and how its perception changed in the eyes of Poles in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski and the problem of Slav cooperation in the Habsburg Monarchy

Prince Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski (1828–1912) was known both as a lover of music and theatre and a politician. He went into politics quite late, not until the second half of the 1860s. It was then that he was given the nickname of “Federalist Prince”. Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski worked towards a closer cooperation between Poles and other Slavs in the Habsburg Monarchy, especially Czechs, and Ukrainians in Galicia. His endeavours in the 1870s were not particularly successful, but they earned him the position of a mediator between Poles and other Slavs in the Monarchy, which was frequently used in later years. The article identifies the sources of Jerzy Konstanty Czartoryski’s interest in Slav issues and presents his actions to support political cooperation among Slavs in the Habsburg Monarchy in the second half of the 19th c.

* Artykuł powstał w ramach projektu OPUS 13, finansowanego przez Narodowe Centrum Nauki w Krakowie, pt. „Pomiędzy dwoma zjazdami w Pradze. Związki między Słowianami w Europie Środkowej i Południowo-Wschodniej w latach 1848–1908” (2017/25/B/HS3/00240).

Nowości wydawnicze:
Roman Baron, Między Polską i Czechami. W optyce historyka z Brna, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Toruń 2009