In the political life of Poland at the time, a group of activists pushing the need for reform played an increasingly important role.

Great political writers, such as Stanislaw Staszic and Hugo Kollataj, called for strengthening the central government and granting more rights to the bourgeoisie and peasants. Some of the patriotic nobility also joined these demands. Sitting in 1788-1792, the Four-Year Sejm (also known as the Great Sejm) undertook the work of repairing the Republic.