Andrzej Walicki and his triad: Russia – Poland – Marxism Cover Image

Andrzej Walicki i jego triada: Rosja – Polska – marksizm
Andrzej Walicki and his triad: Russia – Poland – Marxism

Author(s): Konrad Świder
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History, Political Theory, Political history, Social history, Recent History (1900 till today), Politics and society, History and theory of political science, Geopolitics
Published by: Instytut Europy Środkowej
Keywords: Russia; Russian idea; communism; Marxism; Poland

Summary/Abstract: : This article is dedicated to the memory of Professor Andrzej Walicki,who died in August 2020 – an outstanding Polish historian of ideas and Russian scholar. It is an attempt to summarize the enormous scientific achievements of a representative of the Warsaw school of the history of ideas. Hisscientific activity has gained wide recognition in the West, being an prominent Polish contribution to world Russian studies. The subject of the scientist’s research were Russia, Poland and Marxism. Andrzej Walicki explained toa wide audience in the West, Poland and Russia issues related to the formationof Russian ideas and philosophy, the development of various ideologies inRussia: imperialism, Marxism, liberalism, or the shaping of the platform andthe main problematic network of intellectual relations between Poland andRussia. He also researched Polish thought in response to the Russian question,and tried to participate in debates on Polish-Russian relations after the fall ofcommunism and the collapse of the USSR. He devoted much attention tothe reception of Marxism in Russia – to what extent it was an ideological import from the West, and to what extent it was based on the native ideologicaland religious tradition. In the context of Russia’s strong utopian predispositions, Andrzej Walicki showed Marxism as a utopia that transformed Russiainto its tragic testing ground and whose goals turned out to be unattainable.As a result, his led to the collapse of the moral legitimacy of the communistsystem and became the fundamental premise for the disintegration of theSoviet empire

  • Issue Year: 20/2022
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 263-281
  • Page Count: 19
  • Language: Polish