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Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905-1907)
Encyclopedia
The Revolution in the Kingdom of Poland (1905–1907) was a major part of the Russian Revolution of 1905 in Russian-partitioned Poland
(see Congress Poland
and Privislinsky Krai). One of the major events of that period was the insurrection in Łódź in June 1905. Throughout that period, many smaller manifestations, demonstrations and armed struggles between the peasants and workers on one side, and the government on the other, would take place. The demands of the demonstrators would include both the improvement of the workers living conditions, and political freedoms, particularly related to increased autonomy for Poland. Particularly in 1905, Poland was at the verge of the new uprising, revolution or a civil war. Some Polish historians even consider the events of that period a fourth Polish uprising against the Russian Empire
.
of 1901-1903) contributed to mounting political tensions in the Russian Empire
, including Poland
; the economy of the Kingdom of Poland was also being significantly hit by the aftershock
s of the Russo-Japanese War
; by late 1904 over 100,000 Polish workers had lost their jobs. Conscription
s to the Russian army, and ongoing russification
policies further aggravated the Polish population. News and attitudes of the 1905 Russian revolution
quickly spread from Saint Petersburg
(where demonstrators were massacred on January 22) across the Russian Empire
and into Russian-controlled Poland. This was capitalized on by factions in Russia and Poland that wanted more or less radical changes.
In the meantime, two factions among the Polish political leaders clashed. The wing
of the Polish Socialist Party
(Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) that was loyal to Józef Piłsudski believed that Poles must show their determination to regain independence through active, violent protests against the Russians. This view was not shared by Roman Dmowski
's National Democratic Party (endecja) nor by the PPS' own "Left" (or "Young") wing
. The National Democrats believed that the Poles should work together with the Russian authorities and increase their representation in the Duma
(Russian parliament), while the PPS Left wanted to work together with Russian revolutionaries to topple the Tsar and saw the creation of a socialist utopia
as more important than Polish independence.
and industrialized, and hence a stronghold of the socialist movement. Already before the January 22, 1905 workers in Łódź were striking
, and on January 31 tsarist police reported they carried placards with slogans "Down with the autocracy
! Down with the war!". Similarly in Warsaw
, former capital of Poland and another major industrial centers, manifestations and demonstrations were common. There was a general strike in Warsaw on January 14; there were over 90 fatalities in Warsaw over the next few days and on January 17 the Russian government declared that Warsaw was under the state of siege
.
On 28 January the socialists - both the PPS and the SDKPiL - called for a general strike; over 400,000 workers became involved in strikes
all over Poland, a strike that would last for four weeks. This would only be a prelude to an even larger series of strikes that would rock Poland over next year. In the years 1905-1906 close to 7,000 strikes and other work stoppages occurred, involving 1,3 million Poles. Protesters demanded both improved conditions for workers and more political freedom for the Poles. By February students at Polish universities have joined the demonstrations, protesting about the russification
and demanding the right to study in Polish language. They were joined by high school students and even some from the elementary schools. While the Russian government gave in and agreed to some concessions towards the Polish nationalist movement (removing some restrictions on the use of Polish in the classrooms), many - particularly the workers - were still unsatisfied. In some places in Poland, the school strike would last for close to three years. Major demonstrations occurred on May 1 (Labour Day
), and about 30 people were shot during a demonstration in Warsaw. Later that month, for a time, public order disintegrated in Warsaw during a spontaneous campaign against the criminal elements as well as Russian collaborators.
In mid-June 1905, Russian police opened fire on one of many workers' demonstrations in Łódź. The resulting Łódź insurrection would see several days of fighting within the cities and over two thousands of casualties including over hundred of fatalities among the civilians. Various protests and strikes would occur in major Polish cities under Russian control throughout the year - but as Polish journalist Włodzimierz Kalicki wrote the Łódź insurrection would be the most dramatic one. The Russian government would contribute to the chaos, by trying to incite some anti-Jewish pogrom
s. Another notable occurrence was the establishment of the Zagłębie Republic (Republika Zagłębiowska), a Polish socialist statelet centered around the region of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, that existed from October to November 1905. A similar socialist state of Ostrowiec Republic (Republika Ostrowiecka) around the city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski
existed from late December 1905 to mid-January 1906.
While majority of the unrest occurred in 1905, until 1906-1907 workers unrest, demonstrations and occasional armed clashes continued to occur in Poland. Strikes in Łódź would continue until mid-1906, when only the large Russian military presence and mass layoffs of striking workers from the factories would pacify the city. The unrest in Poland forced the Russians to keep an army of 250,000-300,000 soldiers there - an army even larger than the one fighting Japanese in the east.
Piłsudski's Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party
, founded in 1904, and which contributed to escalation of some of the hostilities, would only become more active during the next few years, starting its campaign of assassinations and robberies mostly from 1906, although they would grow much weaker near the end of the decade. Piłsudski's faction was temporarily weakened, and PPS split, although by 1909 Piłsudski's faction would again regain prominence on the Polish underground political scene. Piłsudski would eventually succeed in securing Polish independence, and would become an important political figure in interwar Poland.
Another consequence was the evolution of Polish political parties and thought. National consciousness had risen among the Polish peasants. Despite the failure of the most radical of conceptions, the Russian government conceded to some of the demands, both in the social and in the political science, counteracting the defeatist feelings among many Poles who were still reminiscent about the total defeat of the previous uprisings; in particular, russification
was partially reversed in education in Poland.
Russian partition
The Russian partition was the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that were acquired by the Russian Empire in the late-18th-century Partitions of Poland.-Terminology:...
(see Congress Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
and Privislinsky Krai). One of the major events of that period was the insurrection in Łódź in June 1905. Throughout that period, many smaller manifestations, demonstrations and armed struggles between the peasants and workers on one side, and the government on the other, would take place. The demands of the demonstrators would include both the improvement of the workers living conditions, and political freedoms, particularly related to increased autonomy for Poland. Particularly in 1905, Poland was at the verge of the new uprising, revolution or a civil war. Some Polish historians even consider the events of that period a fourth Polish uprising against the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
Background
Worsening economic conditions (the recessionRecession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction, a general slowdown in economic activity. During recessions, many macroeconomic indicators vary in a similar way...
of 1901-1903) contributed to mounting political tensions in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, including Poland
Congress Poland
The Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
; the economy of the Kingdom of Poland was also being significantly hit by the aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
s of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
; by late 1904 over 100,000 Polish workers had lost their jobs. Conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
s to the Russian army, and ongoing russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
policies further aggravated the Polish population. News and attitudes of the 1905 Russian revolution
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
quickly spread from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
(where demonstrators were massacred on January 22) across the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and into Russian-controlled Poland. This was capitalized on by factions in Russia and Poland that wanted more or less radical changes.
In the meantime, two factions among the Polish political leaders clashed. The wing
Polish Socialist Party - Revolution Faction
The Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction, also known as the Old Faction was one of two factions into which the Polish Socialist Party split in 1906...
of the Polish Socialist Party
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
(Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) that was loyal to Józef Piłsudski believed that Poles must show their determination to regain independence through active, violent protests against the Russians. This view was not shared by Roman Dmowski
Roman Dmowski
Roman Stanisław Dmowski was a Polish politician, statesman, and chief ideologue and co-founder of the National Democracy political movement, which was one of the strongest political camps of interwar Poland.Though a controversial personality throughout his life, Dmowski was instrumental in...
's National Democratic Party (endecja) nor by the PPS' own "Left" (or "Young") wing
Polish Socialist Party - Left
Polish Socialist Party – Left also known as Young Faction was one of two factions into which Polish Socialist Party divided itself in 1906...
. The National Democrats believed that the Poles should work together with the Russian authorities and increase their representation in the Duma
State Duma of the Russian Empire
The State Duma of the Russian Empire was a legislative assembly in the late Russian Empire, which met in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It was convened four times between 1906 and the collapse of the Empire in 1917.-History:...
(Russian parliament), while the PPS Left wanted to work together with Russian revolutionaries to topple the Tsar and saw the creation of a socialist utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
as more important than Polish independence.
The revolution
Łódź had in the 19th century become a major Polish industrial center, heavily urbanizedUrbanized
Urbanized is a 2011 documentary film by Gary Hustwit released on 26 October 2011 and considered the third of a three-part series on design known as the Design Trilogy, the first being Helvetica about the typeface and the second being Objectified about industrial design.The documentary discusses...
and industrialized, and hence a stronghold of the socialist movement. Already before the January 22, 1905 workers in Łódź were striking
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, and on January 31 tsarist police reported they carried placards with slogans "Down with the autocracy
Autocracy
An autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...
! Down with the war!". Similarly in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, former capital of Poland and another major industrial centers, manifestations and demonstrations were common. There was a general strike in Warsaw on January 14; there were over 90 fatalities in Warsaw over the next few days and on January 17 the Russian government declared that Warsaw was under the state of siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
.
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
all over Poland, a strike that would last for four weeks. This would only be a prelude to an even larger series of strikes that would rock Poland over next year. In the years 1905-1906 close to 7,000 strikes and other work stoppages occurred, involving 1,3 million Poles. Protesters demanded both improved conditions for workers and more political freedom for the Poles. By February students at Polish universities have joined the demonstrations, protesting about the russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
and demanding the right to study in Polish language. They were joined by high school students and even some from the elementary schools. While the Russian government gave in and agreed to some concessions towards the Polish nationalist movement (removing some restrictions on the use of Polish in the classrooms), many - particularly the workers - were still unsatisfied. In some places in Poland, the school strike would last for close to three years. Major demonstrations occurred on May 1 (Labour Day
Labour Day
Labour Day or Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for...
), and about 30 people were shot during a demonstration in Warsaw. Later that month, for a time, public order disintegrated in Warsaw during a spontaneous campaign against the criminal elements as well as Russian collaborators.
In mid-June 1905, Russian police opened fire on one of many workers' demonstrations in Łódź. The resulting Łódź insurrection would see several days of fighting within the cities and over two thousands of casualties including over hundred of fatalities among the civilians. Various protests and strikes would occur in major Polish cities under Russian control throughout the year - but as Polish journalist Włodzimierz Kalicki wrote the Łódź insurrection would be the most dramatic one. The Russian government would contribute to the chaos, by trying to incite some anti-Jewish pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
s. Another notable occurrence was the establishment of the Zagłębie Republic (Republika Zagłębiowska), a Polish socialist statelet centered around the region of Zagłębie Dąbrowskie, that existed from October to November 1905. A similar socialist state of Ostrowiec Republic (Republika Ostrowiecka) around the city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski
Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski
Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski is a town in south-central Poland with 74,211 inhabitants .Main industry is metallurgy. Ostrowiec is the capital city of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski County, part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously it belonged to Kielce Voivodeship .- History:The oldest testimonies of...
existed from late December 1905 to mid-January 1906.
Aftermath
Piłsudski's Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party
Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party
The Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist Party , also translated as Fighting Organization of the Polish Socialist Party; also known as bojówki ; Organizacja Spiskowo-Bojowa PPS ; Koła Bojowe Samoobrony Robotniczej and Koła Techniczno-Bojowe The Combat Organization of the Polish Socialist...
, founded in 1904, and which contributed to escalation of some of the hostilities, would only become more active during the next few years, starting its campaign of assassinations and robberies mostly from 1906, although they would grow much weaker near the end of the decade. Piłsudski's faction was temporarily weakened, and PPS split, although by 1909 Piłsudski's faction would again regain prominence on the Polish underground political scene. Piłsudski would eventually succeed in securing Polish independence, and would become an important political figure in interwar Poland.
Another consequence was the evolution of Polish political parties and thought. National consciousness had risen among the Polish peasants. Despite the failure of the most radical of conceptions, the Russian government conceded to some of the demands, both in the social and in the political science, counteracting the defeatist feelings among many Poles who were still reminiscent about the total defeat of the previous uprisings; in particular, russification
Russification
Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attributes by non-Russian communities...
was partially reversed in education in Poland.
External links
REWOLUCJA 1905 - 1906 NA ZIEMIACH POLSKICH.Further reading
- Robert E. Blobaum, Rewolucja: Russian Poland, 1904-1907, Cornell University Press, 1995
- Academic reviews: http://www.jstor.org/pss/2170269, http://www.jstor.org/pss/2500989, http://www.jstor.org/pss/131928
- Robert Blobaum, The Revolution of 1905-1907 and the Crisis of Polish Catholicism, Slavic Review, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Winter, 1988), pp. 667–686, JSTOR
- Richard D Lewis, Revolution in the countryside : Russian Poland, 1905-1906, Center for Russian and East European Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 1986
- Miaso J., he Struggle for National School in the Kingdom of Poland in the Years 1905-1907 (A Centenary of the School Strike), Rozprawy z Dziejow Oswiaty (Studies in the History of Education), year: 2005, vol: 44, number: , pages: 75-103, http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?06PLAAAA01032370
- Andrew Stanislaus John Pomykalski, The Polish Insurrection of 1905 during the Russian Revolution of 1905, Thesis (M.A.)--San Jose State University, 1982., Stanisław Wiech (ed.), Rewolucja 1905-1907 w Królestwie Polskim i w Rosji, KOBD, 2005
- Andrew Kier Wise, Aleksander Lednicki : a Pole among Russians, a Russian among Poles : Polish-Russian reconciliation in the Revolution of 1905, Columbia University Press, 2003