Wielowiekowe trudne sąsiedztwo polsko-niemieckie skłania do refleksji nad wzajemną akulturacją, mającą swoje pozytywne i negatywne skutki, splataniem się w naszych dziejach wielkiej polityki i mikrohistorii, ludzkich losów wpisanych w dzieje obu narodów. W przeszłości relacje polsko - niemieckie kreowali nade wszystko intelektualiści i politycy, oni narzucali je społeczeństwom. W niemieckiej praktyce politycznej zagadnienie geopolityki łączyło się z pojęciami: Lebensraum (przestrzeń życiowa), Grossraum (wielka przestrzeń), Blut und Boden (krew i ziemia), Grossraumwirtschaft (gospodarka wielkiej przestrzeni) oraz Mitteleuropa (Europa Środkowa). Ta ostatnia koncepcja, głoszona przez ideologów i polityków niemieckich, miała bardzo istotne znaczenie, dotyczyła stworzenia zdominowanego przez Niemcy obszaru gospodarczego i geopolitycznego. Geopolityka to problem globalny, dotyczy każdego niemal państwa jako organizacji politycznej, której celem jest zapewnienie bezpieczeństwa swym obywatelom. W przypadku Polski, położonej w sercu Europy, realia geopolityczne miały od wieków także bardzo istotny aspekt globalny, który stanowi część rozważań w prezentowanej pracy. Podstawą myślenia geopolitycznego był realizm polityczny, reprezentowany przez środowiska konserwatywne i narodowe. Do nurtu tego zaliczyć należy myśl polityczną ks. Adama Jerzego Czartoryskiego, Aleksandra Wielopolskiego, oraz tradycję krakowskich stańczyków.

Poles and Germans in Geopolitical Reality in the 20th Century

Long, difficult Polish-German neighborhood is an inspiration to reflect upon the mutual acculturation, which has both positive and negative outcomes, and to reflect on how the great politics and micro-history overlapped across our history. It is also aimed to consider individual histories inscribed in the history of both nations. In the past, Polish-German relations were primarily created by politicians and great intellectual minds. They imposed those relations onto society. In the German politics, the notion of geopolitics was related to the notions of Lebensraum (living space), Grossraum (the great space), Blut und Boden (blood and soil), Grossraumwirtschaft (the economy of the great space) and Mitteleuropa (Central Europe). The last one, advocated by some German ideologists and politicians, was of primary significance. It was about creating a German-dominated economic and geopolitical area. Geopolitics is a global issue, it concerns almost every state – a political organization – which aims to provide security for its own citizens. In the case of Poland, a country located in the heart of Europe, for centuries, geopolitical reality has had an important global aspect, which is part of the discussion in the article. Political realism was the foundation of geopolitical thought, and it was represented by the conservative and national circles, e. g. political thought of father Adam Jerzy Czartoryski and Aleksander Wielkopolski and the tradition of Stanczyks from Cracow.

Long, difficult Polish-German neighborhood is an inspiration to reflect upon the mutual acculturation, which has both positive and negative outcomes, and to reflect on how the great politics and micro-history overlapped across our history. It is also aimed to consider individual histories inscribed in the history of both nations. In the past, Polish-German relations were primarily created by politicians and great intellectual minds. They imposed those relations onto society. In the German politics, the notion of geopolitics was related to the notions of Lebensraum (living space), Grossraum (the great space), Blut und Boden (blood and soil), Grossraumwirtschaft (the economy of the great space) and Mitteleuropa (Central Europe). The last one, advocated by some German ideologists and politicians, was of primary significance. It was about creating a German-dominated economic and geopolitical area. Geopolitics is a global issue, it concerns almost every state – a political organization – which aims to provide security for its own citizens. In the case of Poland, a country located in the heart of Europe, for centuries, geopolitical reality has had an important global aspect, which is part of the discussion in the article. Political realism was the foundation of geopolitical thought, and it was represented by the conservative and national circles, e. g. political thought of father Adam Jerzy Czartoryski and Aleksander Wielkopolski and the tradition of Stanczyks from Cracow.