 In the prewar years , the history of Poland was contested terrain as different ideological forces pulled Polish nationalists in opposite directions , represented by Dmowski and Piłsudski . Throughout his career , Dmowski deeply disliked Piłsudski and much of what he stood for . Dmowski came from an impoverished urban background and had little fondness for Poland 's traditional elitist social structure . Instead , Dmowski favored a modernizing program and felt Poles should stop looking back nostalgically at the old Polish @-@ Lithuanian Commonwealth , which Dmowski held in deep contempt and should instead embrace the " modern world " . In particular , Dmowski despised the old Commonwealth for its multi @-@ national structure and religious tolerance . He saw the ethnic minorities in Poland as a direct threat to the cultural identity , integrity and ethnic cohesion of Poland , directly in competition with the Polish petit bourgeoisie with which he identified . Dmowski argued that good citizens should only have one allegiance to the nation , and there is no middle ground . In his ideal Poland there would be no ethnic minorities , they would either be polonized or forced to emigrate . The success of his nationalistic ideas , also adopted and propagated by nationalists in other countries ( such as Lithuania and Ukraine ) contributed to the disappearance of the tolerant , multicultural Polish @-@ Lithuanian identity . 
