Opinion: A foundation for patriotism

Proponents call the philosophy behind these initiatives "political history," while its critics call for "critical patriotism" and say history must celebrate all cultures, not just Polish culture. While the former view risks racism, the latter is relativistic: both views are immoral and self-defeating.

The view espoused by the museum's opponents is self-defeating because it leaves us with historical relativism, which, although calling for tolerance of different cultures, has no arguments for defending the culture of tolerance against the cultures of intolerance. The alternative offered by the government's project is a deification of the 'nation' - placing the foundation of Polish freedom on Polish 'blood', thereby defining freedom as the right of one race over another and excluding Poles of different nationalities, races and religions from citizenship.

They are immoral because freedom is only true, and therefore moral, if we accept a view of man that goes beyond history; a view of man that looks to man's nature and sees that all men are created free and equal. This is not a historical position, but a universal claim open to deliberation.

There have been three regimes constituted on this view, with radical variations on its' interpretation: France, the US and the Soviet Union. Of these three, the last has fallen, the second is carrying this view into the world with the sword, and the first is refusing to unsheathe its sword, holding to de Gaulle's Cambodian maxim that "in taking a path so true to the Western genius" it shall "recapture from one end of the world to the other" an audience for peace and freedom. Poland's Solidarity Movement also took this view, expressed by Pope John Paul II. The government praises the late Pope; its cultural policy should emulate his teaching.

Peter S Rieth, Zbigniew Raszewski Theatrical Institute