Discourses of tolerance and intolerance at the Four Years’ Sejm (1788-1792)

ENThere is no doubt that in a public forum the term “tolerance,” like “enlightenment,” had very positive connotations during the period of the Four Years’ Sejm. On the other hand, “intolerance” was equated with “fanaticism” and was viewed negatively. The attempts undertaken by some clergymen to give “this great word” a more restrictive and precise meaning were not bereft of logic but were ineffective. This “immoderate spirit of tolerance,” so lamented by some clergymen, was multifaceted. Apart from the brotherly love which was allowed by the bishops and a humanitarian aversion to persecution, there were also geopolitical and economic considerations. Sometimes, the Church’s policy was explicitly contrasted with the country’s policy. Historical arguments collided: the bringing up of the argument concerning the link between the heterodox and foreign powers was countered with the answer that it was the spread of “intolerance” that had forced the heterodox to seek succour from coreligionists abroad and the sovereign Commonwealth should not grant them less than foreign courts had bestowed. Some influence should be also ascribed to the spirit of the times. “Tolerance” had long been one of the main slogans of the “enlightened age.” The attractiveness of this term led to the broadening of its meaning. [Extract, p. 267]