National Discourses of the Polish Marxists at the turn of 19th and 20th Century: Patriotism of Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz against Internationalism of Rosa Luxemburg
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to compare two rival conceptions of socialism in Polish environment at the turn of the 19th and 20th century focusing on the national question. As the main theoretical leaders we can highlight Kazimier Kelles-Krauz as the exponent of so called patriotic socialism and Rosa Luxemburg as the defender of an internationalist conception.
In this respect it is necessary to analyse the impacts of these contradictory conceptions on the idea of national progress that could have been understood as equal to the aims of socialist revolution or as hostile to them. The first problematic issue was represented by the different interpretation of class consciousness.
Whereas Luxemburg preferred the immediate outbreak of socialist revolution and determined national feeling as a bourgeois facade, Kelles-Krauz emphasized the necessity of gradual revolutionary energy, which could have been achieved only by the comprehension between both classes through common language and harmonious consciousness. As another antagonistic question we can consider the theory of capital accumulation.
In this respect Luxemburg protested against the idea of independent Poland because of loss of access to the Russian market and consequent reduction of the extent of exploitation. Kelles-Krauz by contrast maintained the idea of the sovereign Polish state as a protector of Polish bourgeoisie that would accelerate the capital accumulation against Russian economical bullying.
The last difference in the national discourse was caused by the dichotomy between ethnic and political concept of nation. Whereas Luxemburg understood nation as an aggregate of typical cultural and physical features without political consequences, Kelles-Krauz interpreted nation as a community of common goals and values.