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After
the defeat of Prussia in 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte created
a small Grand Duchy of Warsaw from the areas around Poznan
and Warsaw, formerly under Prussian partition. This Duchy
revived the Polish state, however, when Napoleon lost
his war with Russia in 1812, Poland was again partitioned.
In
1815, diplomats from all over Europe gathered in Vienna
at a famous Congress to decide what to do with the ruins
of Napoleon's Empire. "The Polish Question"
dominated discussions at the Congress. Congress established
Kingdom of Poland and Russian tsar became its king. At
the beginning the Russian Tsar Alexander approved liberal
constitution for Kingdom but soon the constitution was
violated by tsar and his heirs. For a while, there was
hope that the tsar would allow some form of association
with the Congress Kingdom of the Polish lands beyond the
Bug (the river which marked Poland's eastern frontier).
This hope died when Tsar Nicholas I, the "gendarme
of Europe," acceded the throne. Russian rule became
increasingly heavy-handed and on November 29, 1830, an
uprising erupted, sparked by the Polish cadets. But the
November Insurrection was quickly crushed by Russians
and followed by a campaign of bloody retribution, launching
a period of vicious Russification that devastated Polish
life in the Russian part of Poland.
The
rebellion was in Poles hearts and in 1863 the second uprising
broke out. The January Insurrection of 1863 was the most
desperate. In contrast to the prior insurrection the insurrectionists
were forced to resort to guerrilla warfare tactics and
clandestine structures. Finally in 1964, the Russians
troops, stronger and better armed, defeated the Polish
guerrillas.
Severe reprisals against the Poles, such as public executions
or deportations to Siberia, led many Poles to abandon
armed struggle and turn instead to the idea of "organic
work" - the economic and cultural self-improvement. |
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