Bolesław Limanowski (; 18 October 1835 – 15 February 1935) was a Polish socialist politician, as well as historian and journalist and advocate of

Agrarianism Agrarianism is a social philosophy, social and political philosophy that advocates for rural development, a Rural area, rural agricultural lifestyle, family farming, widespread property ownership, and political decentralization. Those who adhere ...

. He was one of the first people to promote socialist ideas in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Political activism

He began to be politically active during his studies in Wilno and was arrested by Russian police in 1861 for expressing patriotic views. He was still in prison, when the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

began in 1863, so he couldn't take part in the fighting. Released from prison in 1867, he moved to

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, where he was working as a journalist, expressing socialist views and became the secretary to Rudolf Günsberg, Professor of Applied Chemistry for one year. In 1878 he emigrated to

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where he was publishing, together with Stanisław Mendelson, Kazimierz Dłuski and , one of the first Polish socialist newspaper, "Równość" (Equality). He was a founder of Stowarzyszenie Socjalistyczne Lud Polski ( Socialist Association "Polish People"), which goal was fighting for independence of Poland and socialism. His views were supported by

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ;"Engels"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. As the oldest participant, he became a chairman of the talks. He became one of the founding members of the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) established there. After the division of the Party, he supported Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction, led by

Józef Piłsudski Józef Klemens Piłsudski (; 5 December 1867 – 12 May 1935) was a Polish statesman who served as the Chief of State (Poland), Chief of State (1918–1922) and first Marshal of Poland (from 1920). In the aftermath of World War I, he beca ...

. Limanowski was a proponent of the Polish nation and never accepted internationalism of the radical left-wing organizations and communists.

Senator of independent Poland

He was present in Poland during the difficult first years of independence. In 1922 he was elected a senator for the first time. After Piłsudski's coup in 1926, Limanowski strongly advocated democracy and opposed the Sanacja authoritarian government. Despite his age, he remained active and was serving as a senator until his death at the age of 99.

Political thought

Bolesław Limanowski was the first Polish socialist writer and political thinker. In his works, he always expressed that the main goal of every Polish political party is to regain independence. He saw a strong connection between a struggle for nation sovereignty and social reforms. As a historian, he focused his attention especially on Poland during and after the times of partitions – national uprisings, revolutions and development of modern political thought and political parties. For his achievements on that field, he was awarded the title of doctor honoris causa of the University of Warsaw in 1934.

Agrarianism

Though not his party's official spokesman on agrarian matters, he thought deeply about

and worked out an eclectic program that fit Polish conditions. His practical experience as a farm manager combined with socialist, "single-tax," and Slavic communal ideas shaped his world view. He proposed a form of agrarian socialism with large state farms to counteract the inefficiency of very small holdings. In independent Poland he advocated expropriation of gentry estates. His observation of with peasant individualism convinced him that Poland should combine voluntary collectivism and individual possession of the leased land. His pragmatism left room even for private peasant ownership, despite his Marxism.Cottam (1973)

Works

* ''O kwestii robotniczej'' (On Workers' Issue) (1871) * ''Historia demokracji polskiej w epoce porozbiorowej'' (The history of Polish democracy in the after-partitions period) (1901) * ''Demokracja w Polsce'' (Democracy in Poland) (1903) * '' Emilia Plater'' (1910) * ''Studwudziestoletnia walka narodu polskiego o niepodległość'' (The 120 Years Fight of the Polish Nation for Independence) (1916) * ''Rozwój polskiej myśli socjalistycznej'' (Progress of Polish Socialist Thought) (1929) * ''Pamiętniki'' (Memoirs) (1961)

Political activism

Senator of independent Poland

Political thought

Agrarianism

Works

Footnotes

References

Further reading