Seym and Local Diets A Studyon the History of the Mild Revolution

Abstract

In the old Polish political culture a deputy was regarded not as a representative of the whole nation (gentry)but as a mandataIy of a local diet obliged to follow the binding instruction he received from the diet (imperative mandate). At the end of the 18^th century it was necessary to change this situation. This problem was to be solved by the Great Seym (1788-1792), which in this article is associated with the notion of a mild revolution. The Polish mild revolution was a great social movement dominated by the enlightened landed gentry, who strongly believed in the fundamental legislative role of the Seym convened in Warsaw in 1788. This Seym became confederated Seym (taking decisions on all questions by a simple majority vote) and permanent governing Seym (combining legislative and executive powers and permanently in session). The great role of the permanent Seymwas that it elevated the middle gentry to the position of the real sovereign of the Commonwealth. Owing to this the enlightened provincial gentry was able to identify with the deputies debating in Warsaw as far as political reforms were concerned. The enlightened landed gentry greatly appreciated the legislative activity of the Seym, thanks to which the prestige of the deputies as real representatives of the interests of the provincial gentry was increasing. At the same time the landed gentry became more and more disappointed in the binding instruction. During the local diets in February and November 1790 the landed gentry realized that the local diets were dominated by political forces which made it impossible for the enlightened provincial gentry to fully politically identify with the Seym debating in Warsaw. Hence the provincial gentry started to distrust the binding instruction and began to accept the idea of a deputy as a representative of the whole gentry. The new concepts of the gentry concerning the relations between the Seym and local diets were shaped not on the theoretical grounds but in the course of political events dominated by the mild revolution. These changes in the consciousness of the provincial gentry made it easier for the king, who was the opponent of the binding instruction, to introduce to the Third of May Constitution the decision that a deputy is a representative of the nation. The new relations between the Seym and the local diets were shown by the fact that local diets played the role of a specifically understood referendum expressing moral and political opinions and not taking binding decisions. After the Third of May Constitution local diets were reduced to the role of constituencies.