Adam Schaff was one of the most important Marxist philosophers in
Poland. His work well documents the time, when Marxism was an
'official philosophy', burdened with political responsibilities and
problems of strategy. The text is a critical analysis of Schaff's political
writings. It highlights the most specific traits of his often paradoxical
position, that was termed in literature as 'orthodox-revisionism'. Schaff
tried to meet double and often conflicting requirements: tried to
develop Marxist theory by posing problems unforeseen by the classics,
and to stay faithful to what he understood as strategic interests of
socialist countries at the same time. It will be argued, that even in its
theoretical shortcomings, his writings are still among the most
important resources for reflection on complex and tragic history of the
Left in 20th Century
