Refleksje i uwagi do książki Tomasza Chłopeckiego, „Myśl polityczna i prawna obozu rządzącego w Polsce w latach 1935–1939. Państwo — prawo — gospodarka”

The problems related to the political thought of Piłsudkiites — called the ruling camp by Tomasz Chłopecki — had already been a subject of numerous studies. The literature on the subject in ample and generally accessible. The author of the reviewed book decided to supplement the existent analyses of the political and legal thought in the subperiod 1935–1939, which — although significant for the interwar history — had been analyzed less extensively. I regard the choice of the subject legitimate and the analysis itself important, although not free from defects, mistakes and errors. Having read the book, I cannot fully support the author’s conclusions. The goal and the intention are one thing, and the execution another. As regards the latter, I wish to make two general remarks. Firstly, the factual sphere does not raise objections, although some substantial mistakes I had found should not have made it through the publishing process. Secondly, the interpretational scope with reference to the political and legal thought does raise objections, which I demonstrate in an extensive polemic review. Moreover, in my opinion, the book is confined strictly to one discipline: history.