The National Polish Day is an opportunity to reflect on how western values of liberty are still important in nowadays era. Both the USA and the EU need to foster liberty worldwide following the example of Polish and US first liberal Constitutions in the World
“Welcome, Sunrise of May” were the word used in May 3th 1791 by the Polish parliament immediately after the proclamation of the Constitution. This document was the first Constitution written in Europe following the liberal imprinting of the July 26th 1788 USA one.
The Polish Constitution realized the main principles of the Enlightment: slavery was abolished, former slaves obtained the same political rights as the Nobility, Poland became a modern Constitutional Monarchy after the nobles had detained the all control of Polish political system during several centuries.
Unfortunately, the Sunrise of May was the beginning of a quite short day of liberty. The proclamation of the liberal Constitution provoked an irritated reaction by Prussian and Russian empires, which invaded Poland and canceled the Polish State from the political map of Europe.
In a short perspective, absolutism defeated the first representative democracy in Europe. However, May 3th Polish Constitution represented a model for the Rise of Nations in the middle of the XIX century , and, later, during the reconstruction of Europe after World War Two.
May 3th Polish Constitution also forged Poles’ political mentality, moving the Polish People to fight for freedom against Russian and German domination during all the XIX Century, and the first half of the XX.
May 3th Polish Constitution also built an ideological bridge between Poland and the USA, where a Liberal Constitution was approved just three years before. This circumstance moved both Poland and the USA to support of democracy in the World.
The USA had been extremely active in supporting the rise of freedom in Latin America, Philippines and Europe, considering the existence of a world crowded by democratic countries as a priority to ensure US national security.
On the other hand, Poland always engaged in the spread of liberty in Eastern Europe, in particular after the end of communism. Since 1989, Warsaw has been the main supporter of democratic transitions in Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia.
Nowadays, the birth of a new multipolar world dominated by new world powers as China, Brazil and South Africa moved both the USA than Poland to interrupt the engagement in the diffusion of democracy, and give priority to internal issues.
The USA, which is facing China’s strong concurrence, is now engaged in several important internal measures as the reforms of health and immigration systems.
Poland is more and more interested in playing a role to strengthen the EU internal integration, thanks to an excellent relationship with Germany and a stronger economic situation than other EU members as Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy.
Despite of the difficulties of nowadays era, the common constitutional background of the Poles and the Americans, and more in general the democratic and liberal values the USA, Poland and the EU are based on, are fundamental elements the Western should nowadays defend.
In order to enforce their position in the world from the political, economic and social point of view, both the USA and the EU need to going on in supporting democracy worldwide, even if dictatorships in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, Cuba, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria and other world countries still try to silent the bell of Liberty the American and the Poles played for the first time in the history respectively in 1788 and 1791.
Matteo Cazzulani
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Matteo Cazzulani
Free Lance Journalist
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m.cazzulani@gazeta.pl
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http://matteocazzulani.blogspot.com/
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E' uscito il mio libro "La Democrazia Arancione, Storia dell'Ucraina dall'Indipendenza alle presidenziali 2010" ed. LibriBianchi. Parte dei proventi finanzia l'associazione AnnaViva.
Є в книгарнях мною написана книжка "Помаранчева Демократія. Політична Історія України від Незалежності до президентських виборів 2010ого року". Видавницьво ЛібріБіанкі. Частина доходів фінансує асоціацію АннаВиву
5 maggio 2013
