Patriotism has always been an important political concept in Polish public discourse. During country's partitions (1795-1918) and under the communist rule it was one of the 'integrating forces' (Polakiewicz) and tools to maintain national identity and oppose the imposed regime. After 1989 its role becomes manifold. While multiple intellectuals still debate about its essence and usefulness in public sphere and try to elaborate a new patriotic formula for times of peace, increasingly the debates over its meaning become political. One could even conclude that it might be an 'essentially contested' concept (W.B. Gallie), or rather that actors from different ideological sides try to use it to their advantage and achieve their political goals with it. Labeling oneself 'the real patriot' and refusing this label to others in the process of monopolisation of patriotism (Bar-Tal) demonstrates how an allegedly subjective feeling can be used in the political realm, and how strong emotions such process can bring about. The analysis is based on a number of empirical debates about patriotism, e.g. the last up to date that occurred in 2010 after the crash of presidential aircraft in Katyn. The analysis will also compare whether more theoretical debates from the initial stage of the democratic transition had an impact on living the national mourning and expressing patriotism in the wake of such a national trauma.
