Polityka historyczna – od refleksji politycznej do racji stanu (Ogląd z perspektywy polskiej)

THE ARTICLE DISCUSSES such questions as relations between political thought and political behavior culture, curiosities of historical politics, political thinking and decision process in the area of historical politics, the reasons of State, their requirements and taking decisions in historical politics, as well as the question of scientific reflection on political history. There is a relation between political thought and political culture, and historical politics which depends on referring to the knowledge of the past. Advocates of retrogressive thinking who approve of traditional, or closed and even parochial political culture demonstrate a tendency to use a historical argument. The expression historical politics is mainly understood as “the politics of memory”. It is most frequently used not only as a political science category, but rather as a journalistic expression which is quite freely interpreted. A lot of misunderstandings and controversies arose about it leading to polarization of attitudes: approving and negating, which is largely reflected in the views of many professional historians and political scientists. Historical politics may be examined in the national dimension as well as in international relations, often polarizing ethnic communities. It is conducted in different ways by particular countries depending on their systems: democratic, autocratic or totalitarian. References to the past are frequently made in reflections on the reasons of State when gaining independence is concerned, or due to stimulating evolutionary processes of changes accelerated by new geopolitical decisions. Then, the historical and situation-geopolitical aspect of the reasons of State requirements turns out to be very important. This may determine the choice of a definite concept of historical politics. Historical politics problems are frequently the topic of heated political discussions in Poland in which professional historians and political scientists, as well as journalists who formulate subjective opinions take part, because there are historians who are involved in current historical discourse. Some of them, taking roles of lobbyists of one or another political option, outline a definite direction of historical politics.