In the shadow of abroad agents Tomasz Ciołkowski is the first part of the planned three-volume survey devoted to the fight of the national camp for Poland's independence. The beginning Tom of this series focuses on the period of captivity, showing the complex process of forming national thought in the realities of expanding force from abroad services and imperial interests of neighboring states.
The author focuses primarily on what usually remains in the shadow of large past – scenes, backroom activities, agents and political pressures, which had a real impact on the formation of independency environments. In this case, they are national environments, inactive little frequently present in the mainstream historical studies than socialist or Pilsudczyk movements. Ciołkowski tries to supplement this lack, but does not enter apologetics. Its communicative is based on an analysis of sources, reconstruction of events and an effort to capture not only the directions of actions, but besides the motivation of their participants.
Two threads dominate the book. The first is the improvement of the national thought – its formation within the National League, and later besides the influence of Roman Dmowski and the environments focused on the “Overview of All Poland”. The second subject concerns the agential actions carried out towards the Polish national movement by the possessive states – mainly Russia and Germany. The author shows how the interviews and political structures of these powers tried to influence the directions of the improvement of independency movements, infiltrate them and exploit them for their own purposes.
Ciolkowski avoids emotional narrative. Its kind is factual, based on sources and analyses, but at the same time clear and accessible. It is not a dry compendium or popular discipline literature – it is alternatively a conscious choice of form that allows both to scope the facts and to present them in an ideological and geopolitical context. The author wants to show that the fight for independency was not only held on barricades or as part of armed plots, but besides in the sphere of information, influence, surveillance and countering abroad interests.
The passages devoted to the mechanisms utilized by abroad agents in breaking up Polish national solidarity are peculiarly interesting. The author shows how tiny measures and long-term actions were able to influence social divisions and weaken patriotic initiatives. In comparison with the organizational weakness of the Polish society and limited national awareness of many layers of the population, these actions are of even greater importance.
The book besides includes a review of documents, analyses and many origin footnotes, making it useful besides for readers dealing with professional or academic history. At the same time, the layout and language make it possible to read besides by people curious in Polish past from a geopolitical and ideological perspective.
The publishing home plans for the next volumes to cover the period of planet War I and the time of reconstruction of the Second Republic. If they keep the substantive and analytical level of volume one, it may be 1 of the most crucial positions on the Polish national movement issued in fresh years.
In the shadow of abroad agents is simply a publication that organizes cognition about mechanisms of external influence on the improvement of Polish independency structures. It forms part of a broader interest in intelligence policy, service activities and geopolitics of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is simply a good proposal for those who want to look at national past not only through military actions, but besides through analysis of information, organizational and ideological influences.
