Reading Tocqueville in Poland

This essay sheds light on the history of reading Alexis de Tocqueville’s writings among the Polish emigrants in 19th century Paris and in the circle of Warsaw philosophers and sociologists of late 20th century. From this later milieu many translations and commentaries on his writings have emerged. The author presents the main threads of their conversation with the author of Old Regime and the Revolution. Tocqueville’s thought was evoked by informal political groups of Polish emigrants and served as a memento for subjugated nations. The Frenchmen has been compared to Polish Romantics such as Zygmunt Krasiński and Adam Mickiewicz. In this context, cultural continuity and change have been the subject of reflection. On Democracy in America was also read and commented on before and after the fall of communism in 1989. Since then, the nature and condition of Polish democracy have been discussed in the context of this book. In the final paragraphs, the author reflects on the relevance of Tocqueville’s thought today.