The Impact of Historical Politics on Polish-Lithuanian Relations

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of historical policy and its impact on mutual Polish-Lithuanian relations. The nature of these relations is determined by a number of diverse factors, one of which is the attitude to one’s own past and the ability to emphasize those moments of it that testify to the greatness of the nation and its achievements. The impact of history on the present day, however, is not through historical facts alone, but also, and perhaps above all, through the way they are interpreted and presented to the public, which can boldly be called historical policy. It goes without saying that each state tries to shape this policy in such a way that will allow it to emphasize its value, exaggerate events of fundamental importance to it, and at the same time marginalize or altogether relegate to oblivion everything which is a source of shame.

Thus, historical policy can either bring countries that have similar attitudes toward a shared history closer together or distance them when the assessment is diametrically opposed. In this sense, historical policy can either serve to nurture shared memory or to reinforce antagonism. This is of great importance, especially in this part of the world, where history, as perhaps nowhere else, has a tremendous impact on how we define ourselves, how we treat our homeland, how we perceive others and on what rules we base the relationships we build with them.

The purpose of this article is an attempt to show the impact of historical politics on Polish-Lithuanian relations. Contrary to popular slogans about “the best ever PolishLithuanian relations,” their actual picture is far from ideal. At the same time, the aim here is not to stoke bad emotions, but to show how relative the perception of common history is, even in the case of nations that for centuries formed a common state. The research was carried out using the methods of critical analysis, dogmatic-legal analysis, and observation of the way interactions are formed.