POLAND
188
POLAND
ing mixed marriages, and the archbishop, fearlessly
defending the position of the Church, was imprisoned.
In Congress Poland Russian became the official
language; a large number of schools were closed. At
the same time an attempt was made to introduce
Russian settlers into Poland, but proved a complete
failure. In Lithuania the persecution of the Uniats
had indeed the desired effect, but it brought discredit
upon the Russian Goverrmient: in 1839, at the in-
stance of Bishop Siemiaszko, 1300 Uniat priests signed
a document announcing their desertion to the schism.
The Polish nation, unable to accomplish anything by
fair means, had recourse to conspiracies. A national
uprising in all the territories that had been Polish was
planned for February, 1846, but the insurrection was
not general, and wherever it made its appearance it
was promptly crushed. Cracow, where the manifesto
of the insurrection was published, was permanently
occupied by the Austrians; the Austrian Government
incited the peasants against the insurgents, and, as a
bounty was furthermore offered for every corpse, the
peasants attacked the residences of the nobility, set
them on fire, and inhumanly massacred "the lords"
(altogether 2000 nobles).
In the year 1848, when the long-expected revolution broke out in almost the whole of Western Europe, the Poles under Prussian rule also revolted, but without success. In April, 1848, serfdom was abolished in Galicia (in Prussia as early as 1823), and suitable com- pensation out of the public treasury was granted to the nobility. After 1848 the Polish districts in Prussia and Austria received the Constitution, as did the other districts subject to those Governments. In Galicia conditions began to improve, especially after the year 1860, when it was granted a certain degree of autonomy and its own diet. In Prussia, too, the Con- stitution gave the Polish inhabitants opportunity to develop their national resources independently. The educated clergy devoted themselves with whole- hearted zeal to elevating the morals of the people, and in this way helped to form a middle class that was both well-to-do and, from a national point of view, well instructed. The most unfortunately situated Poles were those under the Russian Government. Russian was the language heard in all the public offices, to fill which natives of Russia were introduced into the country in ever-increasing numbers. Under these adverse conditions Congress Poland steadily de- clined; in ten years (1846-56), the number of inliab- itants was diminished by one million. The Govern- ment, during the long-continued state of war (not suspended until 18.56), was of a desjiotic character. The clergy, however, constituted a force not to be neglected, for it amounted to 2218 priests, 1808 monks, and 521 nuns, in 191 convents, while the teachers and professors of every sort numbered 1800. The clergy exercised a vast influence over the people, and all the more so because the long struggle between the Gov- ernment and the Catholic Church had given the clergy the character of an opposition party.
Conditions in Poland generally improved after the year 1850, after Russia had been defeated in the Crimean War. The Government of Congress Poland was entrusted to the Pole Wielopolski, who, with the best intentions, attempted to check the revolutionary activity of the Polish youth by too severe measures. It was the purpose of the younger Poles to awaken the national spirit by means of pageants in commemora- tion of national events and by great parades of the people to give utterance to their protests. These manifestations acquired a religious character from their association with practices of piety, an association permitted by the clergy, who were hostile to the Gov- ernment. Prayers were continually offered in the churches "for the welfare of the fathcrliind". The clergy, with Archbishop Fijatkowski at (heir head, favoured these manifestations, upon the repetition of
which Russian troops entered the churches and ar-
rested, not without violence, several thousands of the
participants. By the bishops' orders, the churches
were closed. In January, 1863, an insurrection broke
out which was doomed to pitiful failure. About 10,000
men were involved, scattered in very small bands
throughout the whole country, and wretchedly armed.
Opposed to them was an army of 30,000 regular troops
with 108 field-pieces. In March, 1864, to keep the
peasants from joining the insurrection, the Russian
Government abolished serfdom, and the uprising
collapsed in May of the same year.
The Government now exerted all its energy to blot out Polish nationality, especially in Lithuania and Little Russia: Russian became the official language in all schools and public offices; Poles were deprived of their employments, and all societies were sup- pressed. Confiscated lands were distributed among Russians, and every pretext was seized to expropriate the Poles. A decree was even issued forbidding the use of the Polish language in public places. Peculiarly energetic measures were taken against the Catholic Church in Lithuania. Obstacles raised by the Gov- ernment to hinder vocations were so effective that in the seven years immediately following 1863 not more than ten priests were ordained in Lithuania. Public devotions, processions, the erection of wayside crosses, and the repair of places of worship were for- bidden; convents were suppressed; large numbers of the people forced to accept the schism. An attempt was even made, though unsuccessful, to introduce the use of Russian in some of the jiopular devotions. To remove all traces of Polish nationality in Lithuania and the Ukraine, the Polish place-names were changed to Russian; in the cities, inscriptions and notices in the Polish language were forbidden; the cabmen were obliged to wear Russian clothing and drive Great-Russian teams. In the Kingdom of Poland conditions were the same. Pupils were for- bidden to speak even a single Polish word in school. In addition, Congress Poland was completely stripped of its administrative independence.
In 1865 diplomatic relations were interrupted be- tween Russia and Pius IX, who was favourably dis- posed towards the Poles. The Uniat Church was attacked, and then the Government sought to organize a national Polish Church independent of Rome. The bishops were strictly forbidden to entertain relations of any kind with Rome. A college of canons of the most various dioceses was formed at St. Petersburg, to be the chief governing body of the Polish Church, in all Russia, but the bishops as well as the deans and chapters in Lithuania and Poland opposed this measure. Recourse was then had to violence and some of the high dignitaries of the Church were de- ported to Russia. The clergy, however, courageously held their ground and refused to yield. After the last defeat of 1863-64, a strong reaction set in among the Poles of all of the three neighbouring states. The clergy were active in inspiring the people with new courage. In Prussia the Polish clergy worked dili- gently to establish and maintain social and agricul- tural organizations, as well as societies and loan offices for artisans and labourers, industrial associations, etc.
The oppression of the Poles continued, especially after Bismarck became chancellor. The schools had to serve as instruments in the process of germaniza- tion; the Polish towns and villages received German names. Bismarck also began his conflict with the Catholic Church (see Kdlturk.\mpf). On the motion of Bismarck, the Pru.ssian Diet, in the year 1886, granted the Government one hundred million marks for the purjidse of buying up Polish lands and colon- izing them with German peasants and labourers. In 1905 Congress Poland was again the scene of an insur- rection, which w;is set on foot largely by workingnien,
