Time spent by Poland in the Russian Empire. Why Poland was part of Russia

In 1772, the first partition of Poland took place between Austria, Prussia and Russia. May 3, 1791, the so-called. The four-year Sejm (1788-1792) adopted the Constitution of the Commonwealth.

In 1793 - the second section, ratified by the Grodno Seim, the last Seim of the Commonwealth; Byelorussia and Right-Bank Ukraine went to Russia, to Prussia - Gdansk and Torun. The election of Polish kings was abolished.

In 1795, after the third partition, the Polish state ceased to exist. Western Ukraine (without Lvov) and Western Belarus, Lithuania, Courland went to Russia, Warsaw - to Prussia, Krakow, Lublin - to Austria.

After the Congress of Vienna, Poland was again divided. Russia received the Kingdom of Poland with Warsaw, Prussia received the Grand Duchy of Poznan, and Krakow became a separate republic. The Republic of Krakow ("free, independent and strictly neutral city of Krakow with its district") was annexed by Austria in 1846.

In 1815, Poland received the Constitutional Charter. On February 26, 1832, the Organic Statute was approved. Russian Emperor crowned king of Poland.

At the end of 1815, with the adoption of the Constitutional Charter of the Kingdom of Poland, Polish flags were also approved:

Naval standard of the Tsar of Poland (that is, the Russian emperor);

Yellow cloth depicting a black double-headed eagle under three crowns, holding four in its paws and beaks nautical charts. On the chest of the eagle is a crowned ermine mantle with a small coat of arms of Poland - a silver crowned eagle on a scarlet field.

Palace Standard of the Tsar of Poland;

White cloth depicting a black double-headed eagle under three crowns, holding a scepter and orb in its paws. On the chest of the eagle is a crowned ermine mantle with a small coat of arms of Poland - a silver crowned eagle on a scarlet field.

Flag of the military courts of the Kingdom of Poland.

A white flag with a blue St. Andrew's cross and a red canton, which depicts the coat of arms of Poland - a silver crowned eagle on a scarlet field.

In the Polish flag studies literature, the last flag is called the "flag of the Polish Black Sea trading companies XVIII century. "However, this statement raises very serious doubts. Most likely in this case we are dealing with falsification. The fact is that the St. Andrew's flag was used by Polish emigrants as a national one. Due to the very complex relations between Russia and Poland, Polish nationalists it was extremely unpleasant to realize that the national flag of the Poles was, in fact, the occupational Russian flag.As a result, the myth of "Polish trading companies" was born.

Other official flags of Poland from the time of her stay in the Russian Empire are not known.

Poland was another national region that initially had a broad state-legal status, which, after the annexation of the Duchy of Warsaw to Russia, received the name of the Kingdom of Poland.

In the 18th century, the core of the Polish problem was the Ukrainian and Belarusian lands, which were under the rule of the Commonwealth. But Russia has not yet set the task of returning these lands and even rejected the projects for the partition of Poland proposed by Austria, Prussia and Sweden. At the same time, in an effort to ensure its influence in the region, Russia actively intervened in the affairs of the “Polish heritage”. In the event of the death of August II, she wanted to see his son on the Polish throne. The 2nd contender for the Polish crown was Stanisław Leshchinsky, father-in-law of the French King Louis XY. By diplomacy and wars (almost until 1735), August III, a supporter of Russia, became the Polish king.

By decision of the Congress of Vienna, which completed the victory over Napoleon, in 1815, most of the Duchy of Warsaw, created by the French emperor from the Polish lands taken from Prussia, was transferred to Russia and was annexed to the Polish lands that were already part of it. Even earlier, according to the Treaty of Tilsit between Alexander I and Napoleon, the Polish Bialystok region ceded to Russia from Prussia.

The Kingdom of Poland was proclaimed on this territory. In 1815, Alexander I approved the Constitutional Charter for Poland - the "Constituent Charter", according to which autonomy was introduced in Poland and the status of a kingdom was given. Alexander I even swore allegiance to the "Constituent Charter", and the Russian Emperor became at the same time the king of Poland. The presence of the Constitution in Poland created a peculiar situation, when the autocratic monarch in the empire became limited in its part. During the absence of the king in Poland, he was represented by the governor (Polish).

According to modern Polish researchers, the status of Poland within the Russian Empire after 1815 can be defined as a personal union.

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland was more liberal than the Constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw, granted to him by Napoleon. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland was generally the most liberal of the constitutions of the then Europe.

IN Central Europe Poland was the only state that had a parliament elected by direct elections by all social classes, although with a small participation of the peasants. Since 1818 he began to be elected legislative Seimas . The Sejm consisted of two chambers: the Senate and the Ambassador's hut of 128 deputies elected locally.

The Senate was made up of representatives of the nobility, appointed for life by the tsar, the embassy chamber (“hut”) was made up of the gentry and representatives of the communities (clay). Deputies were elected at voivodship sejmiks, in which only the gentry participated. The Sejm was convened in 1820 and 1825. The Sejm discussed bills submitted to it on behalf of the Emperor and the King, or the Council of State. The Seimas did not have legislative initiative (it was State Council), he could only accept or reject bills. The predominance of the nobility was ensured in the representative bodies.

Under Alexander I, the Sejm was convened three times - in 1818, 1820 and 1825, and even then there was a conflict between the constitutional institutions of Poland and the autocratic power.

During the absence of the king in Poland, he was represented by the governor (Polish). The Sejm did not enjoy the right of legislative initiative (the State Council had it), it could only accept or reject bills. The predominance of the nobility was ensured in the representative bodies.

executive power focused on hands viceroy , under him acted as an advisory body State Council . Poland was administered administrative council headed by the viceroy of the emperor and 5 ministries: military, justice, internal affairs and police, education and religion. It was the highest executive body, controlled by the governor.

The judiciary was separated from the administration. The irremovability of judges was proclaimed and city self-government was established. The territory of the Kingdom of Poland was divided into 8 provinces, which enjoyed self-government.

Freedom of the press was proclaimed.

The Kingdom of Poland retained its own army, Polish was the official state language, and the authorities were formed, as a rule, from Poles. There was a coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland, the Catholic religion was declared to enjoy "special patronage of the government." The civil legislation introduced in the Duchy of Warsaw in 1808, modeled on the Napoleonic Code, has been preserved. Freedom of the press was proclaimed.

Granting a constitution to the Kingdom of Poland, as well as other benefits, was a kind of consolation for the Poles, who had lost their independent state. For Russia, the inclusion of a new region in the empire turned out to be a source of concern; throughout the 19th and even 20th centuries. At the same time, one can hardly agree with the opinion of some authors that for Russia the accession of such an economically developed region at that time had no economic significance.

Even such broad rights that the Kingdom of Poland received did not suit, however, certain part Poles, mainly the gentry. She dreamed of restoring an independent Poland, moreover, within the borders of the Commonwealth, that is, with the inclusion of Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian lands in its territory.

It came main reason uprisings of 1830 - 1831 However, the uprising led to the loss of existing liberties. After the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1830 by Nicholas I was published (1832). They began to define legal status the edges. The "organic statute", which abolished many liberal privileges for territories with a Polish population: abolished the Polish constitution, and Poland was declared an integral part of the empire. The Polish crown became hereditary in the Russian imperial house.

The Sejm was abolished, and to discuss the most important issues meetings of provincial officials began to be convened.

In March 1832, a special governorship was formed there, headed by General I.F. Paskevich. He was endowed with dictatorial powers. In 1837, the Polish voivodships were transformed into provinces, office work was translated into Russian. From a state, the Kingdom of Poland turned into a province.

To manage the courts in Warsaw, two departments of the Imperial Senate were created. All education system transferred to the Ministry public education. Since 1839, Russian programs were introduced in the gymnasiums, the Russian language became compulsory in schools. Warsaw and Vilna universities were closed.

All this caused discontent on the part of the Poles, created the conditions for new mass demonstrations. The vicegerency in the Polish lands lasted until 1874, then the Warsaw Governor General was established there, and the entire territory became officially known as the Privislensky region.

Finland, Poland and other western regions of the empire, being included in it, nevertheless did not become colonies of Russia. In my own way economic development they stood on the same level with Central Russia, and their economy continued to develop successfully as part of the empire.

Finland, Poland and other western regions of the empire, being included in it, nevertheless did not become colonies of Russia. In terms of their economic development, they stood on the same level as Central Russia, and their economy continued to develop successfully as part of the empire. The resettlement did not go to the newly annexed territories from the metropolis, but just the opposite - from the Baltic states and Belarus to the east, into the depths of Russia. The western regions of the empire did not become raw materials, but, on the contrary, the industrial base of the country.

Poland was part of the Russian Empire from 1815 to 1917. It was a turbulent and difficult period for the Polish people - a time of new opportunities and great disappointments.

Relations between Russia and Poland have always been difficult. First of all, this is a consequence of the neighborhood of the two states, which for many centuries gave rise to territorial disputes. It is quite natural that during major wars, Russia has always been drawn into the revision of the Polish-Russian borders. This radically influenced the social, cultural and economic conditions in the surrounding areas, as well as the way of life of the Poles.

"Prison of Nations"

The "national question" of the Russian Empire caused different, sometimes polar opinions. Yes, Soviet historical science called the empire nothing more than a "prison of peoples", and Western historians considered it a colonial power.

But in the Russian publicist Ivan Solonevich, we find the opposite statement: “Not a single people in Russia was subjected to such treatment as Ireland was subjected to in the times of Cromwell and the times of Gladstone. With very few exceptions, all the nationalities of the country were perfectly equal before the law.”

Russia has always been a multi-ethnic state: its expansion gradually led to the fact that the already heterogeneous composition of Russian society began to be diluted with representatives different peoples. This also applied to the imperial elite, which was noticeably replenished with people from European countries who came to Russia "to catch happiness and ranks."

For example, the analysis of the "Discharge" lists late XVII century shows that in the boyar corps there were 24.3% of people of Polish and Lithuanian origin. However, the vast majority of "Russian foreigners" lost their national identity, dissolving in Russian society.

"Kingdom of Poland"

Joining as a result Patriotic War 1812 to Russia, the "Kingdom of Poland" (since 1887 - "Privislinsky region") had a twofold position. On the one hand, after the division of the Commonwealth, although it was a completely new geopolitical entity, it still retained ethno-cultural and religious links with its predecessor.

And on the other hand, national self-consciousness grew here and the sprouts of statehood made their way, which could not but affect the relationship between the Poles and the central government.
After joining the Russian Empire, the "Kingdom of Poland" undoubtedly expected changes. There were changes, but they were not always perceived unambiguously. During the entry of Poland into Russia, five emperors were replaced, and each had his own view of the westernmost Russian province.

If Alexander I was known as a "polonophile", then Nicholas I built a much more sober and tough policy towards Poland. However, you will not refuse him the desire, in the words of the emperor himself, "to be as good a Pole as a good Russian."

On the whole, Russian historiography positively evaluates the results of Poland's centenary entry into the empire. Perhaps it was Russia's balanced policy towards its western neighbor that helped create a unique situation in which Poland, not being an independent territory, for a hundred years retained its state and national identity.

Hopes and disappointments

One of the first measures introduced by the Russian government was the abolition of the "Napoleon Code" and its replacement by the Polish Code, which, among other measures, provided peasants with land and improved the financial situation of the poor. The Polish Sejm passed the new bill, but refused to ban civil marriage, which grants freedom.

This clearly marked the orientation of the Poles to Western values. There was someone to take an example from. So in the Grand Duchy of Finland, by the time the Kingdom of Poland became part of Russia, it was already canceled serfdom. Enlightened and liberal Europe was closer to Poland than "peasant" Russia.

After the “Alexandrov freedoms”, the time of the “Nikolaev reaction” came. In the Polish province, almost all office work is translated into Russian, or into French for those who did not speak Russian. The confiscated estates are complained to by persons of Russian origin, and all the highest positions are replaced by Russians.

Nicholas I, who visited Warsaw in 1835, feels a protest brewing in Polish society, and therefore forbids the deputation to express loyal feelings, "in order to protect them from lies."
The tone of the emperor's speech strikes with its uncompromisingness: “I need deeds, not words. If you persist in your dreams of national isolation, of the independence of Poland and similar fantasies, you will bring upon yourself the greatest misfortune ... I tell you that at the slightest disturbance I will order to shoot at the city, turn Warsaw into ruins and, of course, I'll fix it."

Polish riot

Sooner or later, empires are replaced by national-type states. This problem also affected the Polish province, in which, on the wave of the growth of national consciousness, political movements gain strength, which have no equal among other provinces of Russia.

The idea of national isolation, up to the restoration of the Commonwealth within its former boundaries, embraced ever wider sections of the masses. The dispersal force of the protest was the students, who were supported by workers, soldiers, as well as various strata of Polish society. Later, part of the landlords and nobles joined the liberation movement.

The main points of the demands made by the rebels are agrarian reforms, democratization of society and eventually the independence of Poland.
But for Russian state it was a dangerous challenge. On the Polish uprisings 1830-1831 and 1863-1864, the Russian government responds sharply and harshly. The suppression of the riots turned out to be bloody, but there was no excessive harshness that Soviet historians wrote about. The rebels preferred to be sent to remote Russian provinces.

The uprisings forced the government to take a number of countermeasures. In 1832, the Polish Sejm was liquidated and the Polish army was disbanded. In 1864, restrictions were placed on the use Polish and movement of the male population. To a lesser extent, the results of the uprisings affected the local bureaucracy, although there were children of high-ranking officials among the revolutionaries. The period after 1864 was marked by an increase in "Russophobia" in Polish society.

From dissatisfaction to benefits

Poland, despite the restrictions and infringement of freedoms, received certain benefits from belonging to the empire. So, during the reign of Alexander II and Alexander III Poles began to be appointed more often to leadership positions. In some counties their number reached 80%. The Poles had the opportunity to advance in the civil service by no means less than the Russians.

Even more privileges were given to Polish aristocrats, who automatically received high ranks. Many of them oversaw the banking sector. Profitable places in St. Petersburg and Moscow were available for the Polish nobility, and they also had the opportunity to open their own business.
It should be noted that, in general, the Polish province had more privileges than other regions of the empire. So, in 1907, at a meeting of the State Duma of the 3rd convocation, it was announced that in various Russian provinces taxation reaches 1.26%, and in the largest industrial centers of Poland - Warsaw and Lodz, it does not exceed 1.04%.

Interestingly, the Privislinsky Krai received 1 ruble 14 kopecks back in the form of subsidies for each ruble given to the state treasury. For comparison, the Middle Black Earth Territory received only 74 kopecks.
The government spent a lot in the Polish province on education - from 51 to 57 kopecks per person, and, for example, in Central Russia this amount did not exceed 10 kopecks. Thanks to this policy, from 1861 to 1897 the number of literate people in Poland increased 4 times, reaching 35%, although in the rest of Russia this figure fluctuated around 19%.

At the end of the 19th century, Russia embarked on the path of industrialization, backed by solid Western investment. Polish officials also received dividends from this, participating in railway transportation between Russia and Germany. As a result - the emergence of a huge number of banks in major Polish cities.

The year 1917, tragic for Russia, ended the history of “Russian Poland”, giving the Poles the opportunity to establish their own statehood. What Nicholas II promised has come true. Poland gained freedom, but the union with Russia so desired by the emperor did not work out.

The next division of the Polish lands took place during the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815. Despite the declared autonomy of the Polish lands as part of Prussia, Austria and Russia, in reality this autonomy was realized only in the Russian Empire. At the initiative of the liberal-minded Emperor Alexander I, a Kingdom of Poland, which received its own constitution and lasted until 1915.

This led to the creation of a legal opposition in the Sejm and the emergence of secret political societies.

The uprising that broke out in Warsaw in 1830 and was brutally suppressed by Nicholas I led to the abolition of the constitution of 1815.

After the death of Emperor Nicholas I, the liberation movement is gaining momentum. new strength. Despite its division into two warring camps (“whites” - aristocrats and “reds” - social democrats), the main demand is the same: to restore the constitution of 1815. The tense situation leads to the introduction of martial law in 1861. The liberal-minded governor of Poland, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, is unable to cope with the situation. To stabilize the situation, it was decided to conduct a recruitment in 1863, sending "unreliable" youth to the soldiers according to pre-compiled lists. This served as a signal for the beginning of the “January Uprising”, suppressed by the tsarist troops, which resulted in the introduction of a military regime of government in the Kingdom of Poland. Another result of the uprising was the peasant reform in order to deprive the rebellious gentry of social support: the Decree on the Organization of the Peasants of the Kingdom of Poland, adopted in 1864, eliminated the remnants of serfdom and widely endowed Polish peasants with land. At the same time, the tsarist government began to pursue a policy aimed at eliminating Polish autonomy and closer integration of Poland into the Russian Empire.

When Nicholas II ascended the Russian throne, there was new hope for a more liberal Russian stance towards Poland. However, despite the refusal to further Russify the Poles, no real shift took place in the attitude of the tsarist government towards them.

The creation in 1897 of the National Democratic Party of Poland (it was organized on the basis of the "People's League") led to new round the rise of national consciousness. The party that set itself strategic goal restoration of Poland's independence, made every effort to combat Russification laws and sought, above all, to restore Polish autonomy. Over time, she established herself as a leading political force Kingdom of Poland, and also took an active part in the Russian State Duma, forming the Polish Kolo faction there.

The revolution of 1905-1907 did not bypass Poland, which was swept by a wave of revolutionary uprisings. During this period, the formation of the Polish Socialist Party falls, which organized whole line strikes and strikes. The leader of the party was Jozef Pilsudski, who, in the midst of Russo-Japanese War traveled to Japan, where he tried to obtain funding for the all-Polish uprising and the organization of the Polish army, which would have acted in the war on the side of Japan. Despite the opposition of the National Democrats, Piłsudski achieved some success, and in subsequent years, the Fighting Organization of the Socialist Party was created with Japanese money. Its militants in the period from 1904 to 1908 committed dozens of terrorist acts and attacks on various Russian organizations and institutions.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION SYMBOLS OF RUSSIA

Poland within the Russian Empire

Banners of Polish units in the Russian army

In 1772, the first partition of Poland took place between Austria, Prussia and Russia. May 3, 1791, the so-called. The four-year Sejm (1788-1792) adopted the Constitution of the Commonwealth.

In 1793 - the second section, ratified by the Grodno Seim, the last Seim of the Commonwealth; Byelorussia and Right-Bank Ukraine went to Russia, Gdansk and Torun to Prussia. The election of Polish kings was abolished.

After the Congress of Vienna, Poland was again divided. Russia received the Kingdom of Poland with Warsaw, Prussia received the Grand Duchy of Poznan, and Krakow became a separate republic. The Republic of Krakow ("the free, independent and strictly neutral city of Krakow with its surroundings") was annexed by Austria in 1846.

In 1815, Poland received the Constitutional Charter. On February 26, 1832, the Organic Statute was approved. The Russian Emperor was crowned Tsar of Poland.

At the end of 1815, with the adoption of the Constitutional Charter of the Kingdom of Poland, Polish flags were also approved:

Naval standard of the Tsar of Poland (that is, the Russian emperor);

Yellow cloth depicting a black double-headed eagle under three crowns, holding four nautical charts in its paws and beaks. On the chest of the eagle is a crowned ermine mantle with a small coat of arms of Poland - a silver crowned eagle on a scarlet field.

Palace Standard of the Tsar of Poland;

White cloth depicting a black double-headed eagle under three crowns, holding a scepter and orb in its paws.

On the chest of the eagle is a crowned ermine mantle with a small coat of arms of Poland - a silver crowned eagle on a scarlet field.

Flag of the military courts of the Kingdom of Poland.

A white flag with a blue St. Andrew's cross and a red canton, which depicts the coat of arms of Poland - a silver crowned eagle on a scarlet field.

In Polish flag studies literature, the last flag is called "the flag of the Polish Black Sea trading companies of the 18th century." However, this statement raises very big doubts.

Most likely in this case we are dealing with falsification. The fact is that the Andreevsky flag with an eagle was used by Polish emigrants as a national one. Due to the very complicated relations between Russia and Poland, it was extremely unpleasant for Polish nationalists to realize that the national flag of the Poles was, in fact, the occupying Russian flag. As a result, the myth of "Polish trading companies" was born.

Other official flags of Poland from the time of her stay in the Russian Empire are not known.

section map

Based on materials from vehillographia

Poland in the Russian Empire

According to the constitution, Poland could independently elect the Sejm, the government, and also have its own army. However, over time, the initial provisions of the constitution began to be limited. This led to the creation of a legal opposition in the Sejm and the emergence of secret political societies.

The uprising that broke out in Warsaw in 1830 and was brutally suppressed by Nicholas I led to the abolition of the constitution of 1815.

After the death of Emperor Nicholas I, the liberation movement gained new strength. Despite its division into two warring camps (“whites” - aristocrats and “reds” - social democrats), the main demand is the same: to restore the constitution of 1815. The tense situation leads to the introduction of martial law in 1861. The liberal-minded governor of Poland, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, is unable to cope with the situation. To stabilize the situation, it was decided to conduct a recruitment in 1863, sending "unreliable" youth to the soldiers according to pre-compiled lists. This served as a signal for the beginning of the “January Uprising”, suppressed by the tsarist troops, which resulted in the introduction of a military regime of government in the Kingdom of Poland. Another result of the uprising was the implementation of a peasant reform in order to deprive the rebellious gentry of social support: the Decree on the Organization of the Peasants of the Kingdom of Poland, adopted in 1864, eliminated the remnants of serfdom and widely endowed Polish peasants with land. At the same time, the tsarist government began to pursue a policy aimed at eliminating Polish autonomy and closer integration of Poland into the Russian Empire.

The creation in 1897 of the National Democratic Party of Poland (it was organized on the basis of the "People's League") led to a new round of the rise of national self-consciousness. The party, which set itself the strategic goal of restoring the independence of Poland, made every effort to fight the Russification laws and sought, above all, to restore Polish autonomy. Over time, it established itself as the leading political force of the Kingdom of Poland, and also took an active part in the Russian State Duma, forming the Polish Kolo faction there.

The revolution of 1905-1907 did not bypass Poland, which was swept by a wave of revolutionary uprisings. During this period, the formation of the Polish Socialist Party falls, which organized a number of strikes and strikes. The leader of the party was Jozef Pilsudski, who, at the height of the Russo-Japanese War, visited Japan, where he tried to obtain funding for an all-Polish uprising and the organization of the Polish army, which would take part in the war on the side of Japan. Despite the opposition of the National Democrats, Piłsudski achieved some success, and in subsequent years, the Fighting Organization of the Socialist Party was created with Japanese money. Its militants in the period from 1904 to 1908 committed dozens of terrorist acts and attacks on various Russian organizations and institutions.

Time spent by Poland in the Russian Empire. Why Poland was part of Russia

RUSSIAN FEDERATION SYMBOLS OF RUSSIA

Poland within the Russian Empire

More interesting articles:

Poland in the Russian Empire