The Motive of “Full” Sovereignty in the Political Thought of the National Party in Emigration in the Years 1945-1989

Abstract

From the early post-war years on, the political activity of Polish émigrés was driven by the desire to see Poland regaining its full sovereignty. Polish politicians in exile were of the opinion that, as a result of the 1945 Yalta Conference, Poland lost its sovereignty and became a Soviet-dependent state. Moreover, the political agenda of the Warsaw-based “puppet” government led to the deepening of the state of dependence on the USSR. Given the foregoing, the main political objective was to “undo Yalta,” restore sovereignty, and strengthen the bonds of national identity. The research aim of the article is to explain the concept of “full sovereignty” and to expose its missing elements as a driver of the political strategy of Polish émigrés. The research covers the analysis of factors that shaped the nature of the struggle for Poland’s political independence abroad, among them, the Cold War between East and West and European integration. The nature of the sources used, mainly materials highlighting the life of the National Party in emigration, narrows the content of the research objective to the area of political thought of the legalistic camp; its leaders unanimously supported the strategy of regaining full sovereignty. The results of the research justify the conclusion that the idea “full sovereignty” laid the foundations of the information campaign launched immediately after WW2 and aimed to galvanize the immigrant community into political action.