Good Organizations and Good Governance: A Critical and Doctrinal Introduction to the First Part of Stroynowski’s “Speech in Defense of the Constitution of 3 May 1791”

Abstract

The question of how to create good organizations and good government is a perennial one. The authors argue that both issues are addressed in the First Part of Hieronim Stroynowski’s Speech in Defense of the Constitution of 3 May, delivered on 1 July 1791. The Constitution of 3 May was an attempt both to modernize old ideas about human nature and human freedom and to establish new political institutions, namely a constitutional monarchy with a unique take on the tripartite separation of powers. However, like its American and French counterparts, the Constitution was not immediately and universally accepted. Its supporters therefore undertook extensive efforts to defend and promote it, not only among political elites but throughout society as a whole. The article is intended as a critical introduction to Stroynowski’s speech and presents the first full English translation of its first part, which focuses on questions of human nature, freedom, society, and government. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first full English-language translation of this section of the speech, which gives it significant historical value for scholars of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and of 18^th-century political thought. The authors contend, however, that the value of recovering and introducing Stroynowski’s work to a contemporary audience is not limited to historians. The text offers a number of important and timeless reflections on fundamental aspects of the human condition that are still resonant today.