Józef Pawlikowski, the author of the brochure entitled Can the Poles with their independence? (Czy Polacy mogą wybić się na niepodległość), came from an impoverished noble family from Vilnius. He was a lawyer, democrat, left-wing activist and one of the Polish Jacobins. Together with his party, he took part in preparations for the Kościuszko Uprising, the last Polish armed bid against the partitions before the complete dismantling of Poland. After the failure of the uprising, he emigrated to Paris, where he served as a personal secretary to Tadeusz Kościuszko. It is the opinions of the latter that Pawlikowski’s brochure represents.
The text describes material and human resources that could be used to organise resistance against the partitioners and the strategy the Poles should adopt to ensure the success of a future uprising. The most important thesis presented by Pawlikowski is that the Poles should pursue their independence on their own, without referring to support from other European powers. He recognised the strengths lying in the Polish peasantry as a means to achieve independence. It was precisely the peasantry that he considered the basis of future insurrectionary forces.
Many democratic and liberation reforms were needed in Kościuszko’s and Pawlikowski’s opinion, however, to convince the peasants to support the Polish cause. It is worth noting that attempts at reforms following that direction were made already during the Kościuszko Uprising, including especially the Proclamation of Połaniec issued on 7 May 1794. Pawlikowski’s brochure contains also words of criticism against the attitude of the nobles, who opposed the empowerment of peasants for the sake of the defence of their economic interests.
Can the Poles with their independence? is a founding text for the democratic trend, one of the main trends in the Polish thought in the 19th century. In accordance with the ideas included in Pawlikowski’s brochure, the trend postulated educating the Polish peasantry and rousing them to fight for Poland, a fight that would guarantee social and political reforms. This trend gave birth to other institutions, for example the Patriotic Association (Towarzystwo Demokratyczne) active during the November Uprising, the Polish Democratic Association (Towarzystwo Demokratyczne Polskie) and later on also the party of the “Reds” (Czerwoni) active before the January Uprising. Among the most distant heirs to those thoughts were such movements as the Polish Socialist Party (Polska Partia Socjalistyczna) or National Democracy (Narodowa Demokracja), which would significantly contribute to the restoration of the independence of Poland in 1918.
