The Administrative Act: Yesterday and Today (Reflections on the Thoughts of Stanisław Kasznica)

The book of Stanisław Kasznica: The Polish Administrative Law. Concepts and Basic Institutions, Poznań 1947, may be treated as the synthesis of achievements related to the contemporary scientific thought but at the same time it can be a “lodestar” determining the tendencies of research. It was a serious challenge at least for the part of scientific society as regards the conditions of creating the basis of socialism. They faced a dilemma: whether and to what extend the concepts worked out in the legal systems respecting universal ideas of liberty and the Rule of Law are to be adapted in the different political and constitutional reality. Life provided a clear answer to that question. This what constitutes a product of legal culture of many countries and the truth about them have survived and they have even created solid foundations for the further development of the science of public law in Poland. The concept of the administrative act, presented by the author have undergone several modifications resulting from the transformation of administration itself, technological advancement and new tasks of the country. However, it is still a source of inspiration and reference for research conducted contemporary.