Marcin Maciuk

This article concerns the issues connected with shaping patriotism among young Poles living in exile in Siberia while Poland was on the verge of regaining independence. The matter is analysed on the basis of eleven lectures given by Roman Dyboski, a specialist in English, which he delivered in the years 1918–1921 in Khabarovsk, Novonikolayevsk and Krasnoyarsk for Polish prisoners of war. These lectures are stored in his legacy in the Archives of PAN and PAU in Krakow. According to Dyboski, the basic foundation of patriotism is the feeling of a bond with one’s own nation. He saw the lack of a united nation in society as one of the key threats for a reborn Poland. Therefore, he also tried on many occasions to remind his countrymen about the historical foundations of the Polish national identity. Through the tales of, among others, the glorious times of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the victories of the great Hetmans Stanisław Żółkiewski and Karol Chodkiewicz, and the fame of Fryderyk Chopin, Dyboski wanted to arouse a feeling of pride in the prisoners, to make them aware that they are part of a great living nation, heirs of the wonderful achievements of their predecessors. He showed the companions of hardship that patriotism was a great responsibility for the achievements of their forefathers, he wanted to highlight that they inherited the testament of the war and an independent fatherland. A patriot in the times of an independent Republic according to Dyboski was aware of this identity, responsible for the country, an active citizen, who should be unswerving and steadfast during service for a good cause, even in the most difficult moments and conditions. He believed that the unity of the whole nation based on an active, civil, morally-based attitude of patriotism enabled the rebirth of Jagiellonian Poland – a powerful country in Central-Eastern Europe, with historical and geographical roots, a world power, to carry out important tasks.