Sejm a sejmiki. Studium z dziejów łagodnej rewolucji
Streszczenie
In the old Polish political culture a deputy was regarded not as a representative of
the whole nation (genUy)but as a mandataIy of a local diet obliged to follow the
binding instruction he received from the diet (imperative mandate). At the end of the
18th century it was necessary to change this situation. This problem was to be solved
by the Great Seym (1788-1792), which in this article is associated with the notion of
a mild revolution. The Polish mild revolution was a great social movement dominated
by the enlightened landed gentry, who strongly believed in the fundamentallegislative
role of the Seym convened in Warsaw in 1788. This Seym became confederated Seym
(taking decisions on all questions by a simple majority vote) and permanent governing
Seym (combining legislative and executive powers and permanently in session). The
great role of the permanent Seymwas that it elevated the middle genUy to the position
of the real sovereign of the Commonwealth. Owingto this the enlightened provincial
gentry was able to identify with the deputies debating in Warsaw as far as political
reforms were concerned. The enlightened landed gentry greatly appreciated the
legislative activity of the Seym, thanks to which the prestige of the deputies as real
representatives of the interests of the provincial gentry was increasing. At the same
time the landed gentry became more and more disappointed in the binding instruction.
During the local diets in February and November 1790 the landed gentry realized
that the local diets were dominated by political forces which made it impossible for the
enlightened provincial genUy to fully politically identify with the Seym debating in
Warsaw. Hence the provincial genUy started to distrust the binding instruction and
began to accept the idea of a deputy as a representative of the whole gentry. The new
concepts of the gentry concerning the relations between the Seym and local diets were
shaped not on the theoretical grounds but in the course of political events dominated
by the mild revolution. These changes in the consciousness of the provincial gentry
made it easier for the king, who was the opponent of the binding instruction, to
introduce to the Third of MayConstitution the decision that a deputy is a representative
of the nation. The new relations between the Seym and the local diets were shown
by the fact that local diets played the role of a specifically understood referendum
expressing moral and political opinions and not taking binding decisions. Mter the
Third of May Constitution local diets were reduced to the role of constituencies.
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