Piast Concept
The Piast Concept is a political and historical myth that emerged in the early 20th century, which framed the Polish state around its earliest territories under the Piast dynasty, emphasizing areas with a predominantly Polish population. It promoted the view that medieval Poland, centered largely on its western lands, was a coherent and Western-oriented polity that was "comparable" to other Western European states of the period, rather than being culturally or politically aligned with Eastern Europe.
For its supporters, the Piast Concept is closely associated with Westernization, a strong orientation towards Western Europe and its political and cultural traditions, and a pragmatic approach to international relations that emphasizes stable alliances and avoids expansionist ambitions further east. The concept has been criticized by some historians, who regard it as a retrospective construction or historical myth rather than an accurate reflection of medieval Poland.
Development of the Piast Concept
Jan Poplawski developed the Piast Concept in the 1890s. It formed the centerpiece of Polish nationalist ideology, especially as presented by the National Democracy Party, known as the Endecja, which was led by Roman Dmowski. The concept was also supported by Polish peasant parties.Jagiellon Concept
A rival Jagiellon Concept was endorsed by the interwar governments dominated by Józef Piłsudski. It looked to the grandeur of Poland under the Jagiellonian dynasty in the later Middle Ages, which linked Poland–Lithuania, Bohemia, and Hungary under Polish kings. The Jagiellon Concept focused on the underdeveloped eastern territories inhabited chiefly by Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and Belarusians.After 1940
Joseph Stalin at the 1943 Tehran Conference discussed with Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt new post-war borders in central-eastern Europe, including the shape of future Poland. He endorsed the Piast Concept to justify a massive postwar shift of Poland's frontiers to the West. After discussions over many months, Britain and the United States agreed with Stalin on the new borders, but the Polish government-in-exile remained opposed.After 1945 the Communist government adopted the Piast Concept, using it to support their claim that they were champions of Polish national interests. Calling the newly acquired formerly German territory the Recovered Territories, the Communist regime made an effort to justify the acquisition in terms of the Piast Concept.
After the Communist regime ended, Poland pursued a western-orientated foreign policy, in line with the ideas of the Piast Concept.
Criticism
Geoffrey Hosking and George Schöpflin argue that the Piast Concept "rested on a simple and persuasive historical myth". They summarize the essence of this "myth" as follows:Historian Norman Davies says that Dmowski based his vision of Poland on the "primitive" Piast period, "uncorrupted by alien influence".