Realizm polityczny i imponderabilia. Józef Piłsudski i jego pojmowanie polskiej racji stanu na arenie międzynarodowej

The author tries to reconsider Marshal Piłsudski’s main ideas of Polish foreign policyafter the regaining of the independence (1918) and especially in the last nine years of hislife and dictatorship in Poland (1926-1935). During the Polish-Soviet war (1919-1920) heunsuccessfully promoted the “federalist solution” for Lithuanians, Belarussians, Ukrainiansas the “successor nations” of the ancient Jagiellonian Commonwealth. After the coup d’etatin May 1926 Piłsudski’s foreign policy was the “balance” strategy between two hostile GreatPowers: Germany and Soviet Russia. Under his guidance Poland wanted to remain disengagedin terms of co-operation with either Berlin or Moscow. Piłsudski’s strategy was a mixture ofRealpolitik and idealism. It is true that his conceptions cannot be understood in categories ofthe schematic opposition between his political romanticism and fidelity to the imponderabiliafrom the one side and the philosophy of Realpolitik from the other side.Key words: Marszałek Piłsudski, political realism, Poland, international relations, diplomacy