A lot of our problems can be traced back to Tsar Nicholas I. Russia has held power over Poland for a while and it's getting frustrating. Due to the Congress of Viena, Russia holds power over us. I guess they think that giving us a constitutional government would make us happy, but that couldn't be more false. We don't even run our own government. Alexander I and Nicholas I elected Grand Duke Constantine to run our government. It doesn't seem like it will work forever though, because the two tsars are constantly going against the constitution, and then starting problems with the Polish Diet, so I'm hoping change will soon arrive.
It seems like my hopes have been granted. A group of soldiers has seemed to initiate the start of what seems to be a revolution. Others have followed their example and other outbursts have occurred throughout Poland. It seems as though Nicholas is very agitated, because he sent troops to suppress the revolt after the Polish Diet voted to get rid of him. He even issued what was called the Organic Statute, which made Poland part of the Russian Empire. That doesn't change the fact that action is finally being taken by Poland to become independent. Russia doesn't respect our rights, so we'll have to take matters into our own hands.
Things aren't looking very good for the resistance. They thought they could get some help from France, but they refused to take part in the fight. They're not doing themselves any favors either because they are turning the peasants away by not abolishing serfdom. They could have a lot more help if they just did that one favor for the peasants. Since they couldn't get any help, the Russians had forced about 6,000 rebels into exile. Seems like they have zero tolerance for any kind of insubordination. As if that wasn't bad enough, Poland's Congress then had its constitution and army taken away. The rebels kept fighting, but to no avail. After many failed rebellions, Russia finally abolished Poland's Congress, and made Poland's citizens part of the Russian empire, which essentially put down a lot of hope for future resistance. It seemed like dspite our best efforts, Poland couldn't beat the monster that is the Russian empire.
The Polish revolt is similar to the Spanish revolt in that both kings seemed to put on a false show of liberalism. In Spain, Ferdinand VII ignored his initial promise of governing according to a written constitution. And although a constitutional government was established in Poland, the tsar Nicholas's brother, Constantine, took complete control over it. What made the situation even worse was that the tsar frequently infringed on the constitution and quarreled with the Polish Diet.
I think it's interesting how the news of the French and Belgian revolutions was a major catalyst for the Polish revolt. This really explains why certain people, like Metternich, wanted to suppress revolutions in other countries in fear of the liberal and nationalistic ideas possibly spreading to their own respective nation. The introduction of these "radical" ideas caused the Polish citizens to feel a connection with other liberals and nationalists and gave them the courage to revolt.
It is interesting to find out how Poland had their Constitution and army stripped away from them like a kid having his recess time taken away because he was bad. I think that Russia allowed Poland to create a constitution just to test their boundaries and give another reason to have someone there to see all that is going on and when one thing goes wrong it could be taken away. It also sparked the Polish nationalism when there were polish soldiers who wanted to fight for new reforms and make a difference in how they are to be ruled. Lastly it also gave the Belgian the advantage over the Netherlands when they wanted their independence because if the Russians weren’t occupied with this revolt Belgium would still be a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It seems like Poland is one of the few major countries that had to wait forever for their independence. They had everything they needed for reform: strong nationalism, a drive for change, a relatively stable economy. They could have been very successful on their own. But Russia’s hold on them was so powerful, none of that mattered, and I think that is really unique to the countries we’re discussing in this project. Like in Belgium, for example, David said their ferocity was so strong they were able to turn the army away, and eventually they were granted their independence. But no one really seemed to step up in Poland like the Belgians did, so Russia was able to step on them and keep them under its foot.
I did Russia as my blog story. I realized firsthand the misery that the Polish people were put through. It can be seen in modern times. The fact that Poland is not even on the map at times in history is astonishing. The paritition of Poland with Russia and Catherine the Great shows the strength of the government. It seems that the fight the Polish always put up is weak.I feel that Poland throughout history has fallen victim to two strong peoples, the Russians and Germans. However, the Polish always fight for their cause and country. The will of the Poles seems to be the one thing that can not be taken away from them.
I did the Congress of Vienna for my podcast and Poland was a huge aspect of my paper and Europe at the time. Everybody wanted a part of Poland. It was the hot commodity of the time and could help any country gain an edge over another especially during a time like that of the congress when there were much debating done to keep equal. Alexander really wanted all of Poland and was willing to give up Saxony to Prussia. Austria however, was unwilling to give up their share of Poland out of fear of Russia penetrating deeper into central Europe and Prussia’s power growing. France’s representative Talleyrand proposed that if the French, Austrians and British went against Alexander in sharp contrast, the weight would bear too much. It did indeed and Alexander only took a small part of Poland.
I was very interested in your story about Poland. As Jackie said, Poland was one of the few countries that didn’t gain independence right away, which I was unaware of at first. The fact that Poland was trying to fight Russia was crazy to me. Russia is a huge country compared to Poland, and Poland had really not true plan to take on Russia. Russia had taken complete control of Poland politically by having Nicolas and Alexander place Constantine to run their government. With Poland’s government under Russia’s grip, they had lost a lot of their hope right then and there. Russia knew how to take over a country by force, that’s for sure.
The Polish had a strong sense of determination though, despite the fact that had lost many to the Russians. That is what led them to finally gaining independence in 1918, after having to live under control of countries such as Russia, Austria, and Prussia, for nearly hundreds of years. The Second Polish Republic that was established following Poland’s official independence,seemed to have a hard time facing the problems that arose the following years to come,many of which were associated with the future world wars involving Germany.
I also was fortunate enough to learn more about the situation in Poland, as I also did Russia for the blog. Chris and I met and we discussed the horrific treatment of the Poles. They were treated like property, their land and lives constantly being shuffled around at meetings, like the Congress of Vienna, and partitioned between much larger empires.
Just as Alex mentioned in his narrative, which was super duper btdubs, Nicholas I was the primary source of oppression for the Poles. The situation in Poland only went from bad to worse thanks to his conservative paranoia. The puppet government that was ultimately run by Russia naturally ignited the nationalistic sentiments of the people. They wanted their own nation, one with determined borders and an autonomous government.
You know what makes me even more upset?! Soon after the Congress of Vienna resolutions were signed, Russia ceased to respect the Poles. Yay, the great meeting fixed all the problems of Europe, right? NO. Not even close. Alexander abandoned liberty of the press and introduced censorship, as he had done in Russia. In order to suppress any uprising and silence opposition, the Russian secret police was introduced. They persecuted Polish clandestine organizations, ending rebellious thoughts before they transformed into action.
Nicholas then went on to make only matters worse. I don’t understand why he just didn’t let Poland be. Seriously. The iron will of the poles withered the Organic Statute and would continue to fight for their independence. Like Chris mentioned, the Poles had to face the crushing force of Russia and endured more challenges than is imaginable. Earlier in the week, we were talking about “Russification,” the policy in which Nicholas I forced Russian culture on the Polish, which included language and cultural traditions. Not only was Russia dictating their governmental affairs, it was also in control of their thoughts through censorship and belief system. The Polish were beaten down physically in battle, and mentally in their everyday lives by Tsar Nicholas I. As everyone mentioned before, this is what makes their nationalistic passion and unwavering determination all the more miraculous and their independence all the more deserved.
I liked how Michael Hong made a connection with thepoland revolution to others, which goes back to my previously stated comment on how certain nations aren not very different in terms of what they were fighting for. Again, i did Haiti, and really these two nations weren't very different at all: -both fought a much larger country -both felt mistreated and misused -both felt opressed and had a nationalistic feeling of their country -both fought many rebellions. Unfortunately Poland lost while Hait won, which shows the realities of the world. People won't always get what they want and sometimes desreving people don't always win. :(
It is insane to me that Russia was just recently a nation of a bunch of tribes but now is crushing down other nations. I agree with Jose on the importance of Michael Hongs comment on the liberalism being false in both this revolution and the Spanish revolution. Chris commenting on the abuse of Poland makes it sad that they had to endure so much by Russia yet still could not achieve their own independence.
Sometimes in history, things just don't work out like the people want them to. Just like Spain, the Polish had an unsuccessful revolt. I was interested in the idea of "a false show of liberalism" that Mike Hong brought forth. This reminded me of Hitler. Hitler told the people that he would bring change to the nation, that he would rebuild the nation and change it for the better. Obviously, this did not happen. Hitler instead took over and became an absolute ruler and completely restricted the people's rights. This theme of deception happens way too much in history..
People love a good underdog story but sometimes it doesnt work like that. The polish people thought they had a chance but the government showed that in the real world Goliath always wins. They were promised change and progress but peoplpe lie
A lot of our problems can be traced back to Tsar Nicholas I. Russia has held power over Poland for a while and it's getting frustrating. Due to the Congress of Viena, Russia holds power over us. I guess they think that giving us a constitutional government would make us happy, but that couldn't be more false. We don't even run our own government. Alexander I and Nicholas I elected Grand Duke Constantine to run our government. It doesn't seem like it will work forever though, because the two tsars are constantly going against the constitution, and then starting problems with the Polish Diet, so I'm hoping change will soon arrive.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like my hopes have been granted. A group of soldiers has seemed to initiate the start of what seems to be a revolution. Others have followed their example and other outbursts have occurred throughout Poland. It seems as though Nicholas is very agitated, because he sent troops to suppress the revolt after the Polish Diet voted to get rid of him. He even issued what was called the Organic Statute, which made Poland part of the Russian Empire. That doesn't change the fact that action is finally being taken by Poland to become independent. Russia doesn't respect our rights, so we'll have to take matters into our own hands.
ReplyDeleteThings aren't looking very good for the resistance. They thought they could get some help from France, but they refused to take part in the fight. They're not doing themselves any favors either because they are turning the peasants away by not abolishing serfdom. They could have a lot more help if they just did that one favor for the peasants. Since they couldn't get any help, the Russians had forced about 6,000 rebels into exile. Seems like they have zero tolerance for any kind of insubordination. As if that wasn't bad enough, Poland's Congress then had its constitution and army taken away. The rebels kept fighting, but to no avail. After many failed rebellions, Russia finally abolished Poland's Congress, and made Poland's citizens part of the Russian empire, which essentially put down a lot of hope for future resistance. It seemed like dspite our best efforts, Poland couldn't beat the monster that is the Russian empire.
ReplyDeleteThe Polish revolt is similar to the Spanish revolt in that both kings seemed to put on a false show of liberalism. In Spain, Ferdinand VII ignored his initial promise of governing according to a written constitution. And although a constitutional government was established in Poland, the tsar Nicholas's brother, Constantine, took complete control over it. What made the situation even worse was that the tsar frequently infringed on the constitution and quarreled with the Polish Diet.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting how the news of the French and Belgian revolutions was a major catalyst for the Polish revolt. This really explains why certain people, like Metternich, wanted to suppress revolutions in other countries in fear of the liberal and nationalistic ideas possibly spreading to their own respective nation. The introduction of these "radical" ideas caused the Polish citizens to feel a connection with other liberals and nationalists and gave them the courage to revolt.
It is interesting to find out how Poland had their Constitution and army stripped away from them like a kid having his recess time taken away because he was bad. I think that Russia allowed Poland to create a constitution just to test their boundaries and give another reason to have someone there to see all that is going on and when one thing goes wrong it could be taken away. It also sparked the Polish nationalism when there were polish soldiers who wanted to fight for new reforms and make a difference in how they are to be ruled. Lastly it also gave the Belgian the advantage over the Netherlands when they wanted their independence because if the Russians weren’t occupied with this revolt Belgium would still be a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Poland is one of the few major countries that had to wait forever for their independence. They had everything they needed for reform: strong nationalism, a drive for change, a relatively stable economy. They could have been very successful on their own. But Russia’s hold on them was so powerful, none of that mattered, and I think that is really unique to the countries we’re discussing in this project. Like in Belgium, for example, David said their ferocity was so strong they were able to turn the army away, and eventually they were granted their independence. But no one really seemed to step up in Poland like the Belgians did, so Russia was able to step on them and keep them under its foot.
ReplyDeleteI did Russia as my blog story. I realized firsthand the misery that the Polish people were put through. It can be seen in modern times. The fact that Poland is not even on the map at times in history is astonishing. The paritition of Poland with Russia and Catherine the Great shows the strength of the government. It seems that the fight the Polish always put up is weak.I feel that Poland throughout history has fallen victim to two strong peoples, the Russians and Germans. However, the Polish always fight for their cause and country. The will of the Poles seems to be the one thing that can not be taken away from them.
ReplyDeleteI did the Congress of Vienna for my podcast and Poland was a huge aspect of my paper and Europe at the time. Everybody wanted a part of Poland. It was the hot commodity of the time and could help any country gain an edge over another especially during a time like that of the congress when there were much debating done to keep equal. Alexander really wanted all of Poland and was willing to give up Saxony to Prussia. Austria however, was unwilling to give up their share of Poland out of fear of Russia penetrating deeper into central Europe and Prussia’s power growing. France’s representative Talleyrand proposed that if the French, Austrians and British went against Alexander in sharp contrast, the weight would bear too much. It did indeed and Alexander only took a small part of Poland.
ReplyDeleteI was very interested in your story about Poland. As Jackie said, Poland was one of the few countries that didn’t gain independence right away, which I was unaware of at first. The fact that Poland was trying to fight Russia was crazy to me. Russia is a huge country compared to Poland, and Poland had really not true plan to take on Russia. Russia had taken complete control of Poland politically by having Nicolas and Alexander place Constantine to run their government. With Poland’s government under Russia’s grip, they had lost a lot of their hope right then and there. Russia knew how to take over a country by force, that’s for sure.
ReplyDeleteThe Polish had a strong sense of determination though, despite the fact that had lost many to the Russians. That is what led them to finally gaining independence in 1918, after having to live under control of countries such as Russia, Austria, and Prussia, for nearly hundreds of years. The Second Polish Republic that was established following Poland’s official independence,seemed to have a hard time facing the problems that arose the following years to come,many of which were associated with the future world wars involving Germany.
Poland just can’t cut a break.
ReplyDeleteI also was fortunate enough to learn more about the situation in Poland, as I also did Russia for the blog. Chris and I met and we discussed the horrific treatment of the Poles. They were treated like property, their land and lives constantly being shuffled around at meetings, like the Congress of Vienna, and partitioned between much larger empires.
Just as Alex mentioned in his narrative, which was super duper btdubs, Nicholas I was the primary source of oppression for the Poles. The situation in Poland only went from bad to worse thanks to his conservative paranoia. The puppet government that was ultimately run by Russia naturally ignited the nationalistic sentiments of the people. They wanted their own nation, one with determined borders and an autonomous government.
You know what makes me even more upset?! Soon after the Congress of Vienna resolutions were signed, Russia ceased to respect the Poles. Yay, the great meeting fixed all the problems of Europe, right? NO. Not even close. Alexander abandoned liberty of the press and introduced censorship, as he had done in Russia. In order to suppress any uprising and silence opposition, the Russian secret police was introduced. They persecuted Polish clandestine organizations, ending rebellious thoughts before they transformed into action.
Nicholas then went on to make only matters worse. I don’t understand why he just didn’t let Poland be. Seriously. The iron will of the poles withered the Organic Statute and would continue to fight for their independence. Like Chris mentioned, the Poles had to face the crushing force of Russia and endured more challenges than is imaginable. Earlier in the week, we were talking about “Russification,” the policy in which Nicholas I forced Russian culture on the Polish, which included language and cultural traditions. Not only was Russia dictating their governmental affairs, it was also in control of their thoughts through censorship and belief system. The Polish were beaten down physically in battle, and mentally in their everyday lives by Tsar Nicholas I. As everyone mentioned before, this is what makes their nationalistic passion and unwavering determination all the more miraculous and their independence all the more deserved.
*withered = weathered. - my b.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Michael Hong made a connection with thepoland revolution to others, which goes back to my previously stated comment on how certain nations aren not very different in terms of what they were fighting for. Again, i did Haiti, and really these two nations weren't very different at all:
ReplyDelete-both fought a much larger country
-both felt mistreated and misused
-both felt opressed and had a nationalistic feeling of their country
-both fought many rebellions.
Unfortunately Poland lost while Hait won, which shows the realities of the world. People won't always get what they want and sometimes desreving people don't always win. :(
It is insane to me that Russia was just recently a nation of a bunch of tribes but now is crushing down other nations. I agree with Jose on the importance of Michael Hongs comment on the liberalism being false in both this revolution and the Spanish revolution. Chris commenting on the abuse of Poland makes it sad that they had to endure so much by Russia yet still could not achieve their own independence.
ReplyDeleteSometimes in history, things just don't work out like the people want them to. Just like Spain, the Polish had an unsuccessful revolt. I was interested in the idea of "a false show of liberalism" that Mike Hong brought forth. This reminded me of Hitler. Hitler told the people that he would bring change to the nation, that he would rebuild the nation and change it for the better. Obviously, this did not happen. Hitler instead took over and became an absolute ruler and completely restricted the people's rights. This theme of deception happens way too much in history..
ReplyDeletePeople love a good underdog story but sometimes it doesnt work like that. The polish people thought they had a chance but the government showed that in the real world Goliath always wins. They were promised change and progress but peoplpe lie
ReplyDelete