"Reactionary, Catholic and Despotic Poland."
<p> The Polish Insurrection demonstrates the extent to which American diplomacy prioritized a strong relationship with Russia during the Civil War. In January 1863, protests against conscription in Poland exploded into a general rebellion against Russian rule.<a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftn1">[1]</a> The official diplomatic response of the United States reveals both the geopolitical conception of Russia as an unofficial ally and the perception of Alexander II as a respectable and just ruler.</p>
<p> Since the <em>realpolitik</em> of European relations in the mid-19<sup>th</sup> century had already shaped the progression of Russo-American relations, unsurprisingly the relationships between Britain, France, the United States, and Russia would shape American policy regarding Poland. In May, Britain and France requested that the United States join an official statement of disapproval.<a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftn2">[2]</a> As discussed, Britain and France had become the unofficial counterbalance to the <em>de facto</em> alignment of the United States and Russia, and therefore the American refusal to intervene reinforced this friendship.</p>
<p> The language of American diplomats at that time, however, reveals that American unity was not simply a practical response to geopolitics. In his official response to the French, Secretary of State William Seward referenced the “enlightened and humane character” of Alexander II, so described for his emancipation of the serfs and “effective administration of justice.”<a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftn3">[3]</a> Such high language demonstrated the respect for Russia that the American government openly espoused, especially in light of its own recent emancipation. Somewhat less appealing was the private comment of Cassius Clay, minister to Russia. In a reply to Seward in June 1863, Clay contrasted “<em>liberal </em>Russia” with “<em>reactionary</em>, Catholic and despotic Poland.”<a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftn4">[4]</a> At least privately, enthusiasm for Russia both as an ally and a fellow emancipator could lead American diplomats to criticize the Polish insurrection as the enemy of progressive Russian rule.</p>
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<p><a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Joseph Wieczerzak, “American Reactions to the Polish Insurrection.” <em>Polish-American Studies</em> 22, no. 2. (Jul.-Dec., 1965): 92.</p>
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<p><a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftnref2">[2]</a> Benjamin Platt Thomas, <em>Russo-American Relations, 1815-1867</em>. (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1930)<em>, </em>136-137.</p>
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<p><a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftnref3">[3]</a> <em>Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs</em>. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1864), 667.</p>
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<p><a title="" href="file:///C:/Users/Samuel/Dropbox/Harvard/SW%2052/Final%20Project/Polish%20Item.docx#_ftnref4">[4]</a> “American Reactions to the Polish Insurrection,” 94.</p>
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Samuel Coffin
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<p><em>Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs</em>. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1864.</p>
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<p>Benjamin Platt Thomas, <em>Russo-American Relations, 1815-1867</em>. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1930.<br /><br />Joseph Wieczerzak, “American Reactions to the Polish Insurrection.” <em>Polish-American Studies</em> 22, no. 2. (Jul.-Dec., 1965): 90-98.</p>
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January 1863-1864
False Dmitrii I (Lzhedmitrii)
Poland, part 1
The figure of False Dmitrii I is, possibly, among the greatest mysteries of Russian history. His story is inherently related to the history of Russian-Polish struggle. False Dmitrii I, a pretender, who claimed to be the son of Ivan IV the Terrible, was, according to some versions, the former monk Grigorii Otrep'iev, according to others - a Polish peasant. It has been proven that False Dmitrii spent a long time living in Poland, and was married to the Polish Marina Mnishek. With the help of the latter's father, False Dmitrii gathered an army and, in 1605, established his short rule as the Russian Tsar. He was killed by the troops of Vasilii Shuiskii in May 1606.
The Neatline represents an approximate trajectory of Lzhedmitrii's victorious campaign through Oster, Moravsk, Tchernigov,Novgorod Severskii, and Tula, to Moscow, which he triumphantly entered on June, 20, 1605.
Group 2
Smuta v kulʹture srednevekovoĭ Rusi : ėvoli͡ut͡sii͡a drevnerusskikh mifologem v knizhnosti nachala XVII veka / D.I. Antonov. (Moscow: RGGU, 2009);Dimitry, called the Pretender, Tsar and Great Prince of all Russia, 1605-1606 [by] Philip L. Barbour. Illustrated with photos. and with maps and tables by Samuel H. Bryant. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966); Alexandr Pushkin. Boris Godunov (Moscow: Khudozhestvennaia Literatura, 1966).
RGGU Press; Houghton Miffin Publishing House; Khudozhestvennaya Literatura Publishing House.
17 May 1605 – 17 May 1606
Russian; English.
1863 Polish Uprising
Poland, Part 3
In 1863, many Poles rose up against the Russian government. One of the motivating factors was the religious difference: that Roman Catholic Poland was displeased with the control exerted by the Russian Orthodox Church. But when the uprising was crushed, Russian Orthodox suppression of the Roman Catholic church only increased.
Note that the borders portrayed are not Poland's modern borders, but the rough area of the uprising.
Group 2
Smitha, Frank. "Polish Resistance." Accessed 12 February 2014. 2003 http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h47-ru5.htm
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rok_1863_Polonia.JPG
Borders from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Podzia%C5%82_terytorialny_Rzeczypospolitej_1863.png
1863-1865
Pope John Paul II's Visit to Poland
Poland, Part 5
In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Poland and was greeted by massive crowds of Poles demanding to worship God. These crowds, in part for want of religious freedom, later contributed to the Solidarity movement that overturned the Communist government of Poland. This set the stage for the collapse of the Berlin Wall and then the fall of the Soviet Union.
Group 2
Bernstein, Richard. "Did John Paul Help Win the Cold War? Just Ask the Poles." Accessed 10 February 2014. 6 April 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/international/worldspecial2/06communism.html?_r=0
Noonan, Peggy. "'We Want God.'" Accessed 10 February 2014. 7 April 2005 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB122479408458463941
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pastoral_visits_of_Pope_John_Paul_II_outside_Italy (for image)
June 1979
Partitions of Poland
Poland, part 2
The Three Partitions of Poland took place in 1772, 1793 and 1795. These partitions erased an independent Poland from the world map for over one hundred years, dividing Polish territory up between Russia, Austria and Prussia. From the Russian perspective, Poland needed to be absorbed into Russia because, at this time, Poland was undergoing a process of national reform and democratization that threatened Russian power. The Three Partitions greatly increased Russian influence in the context of Eurasia.
Note that the borders shown on our map correspond to the borders of 1750, not the modern-day Polish borders.
Group 2
Congress, Library of. Ed. Glenn E. Curtis. "Poland: Historical Setting." About.com: Medieval History. About.com, 2014. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Partitions_of_Poland.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Religions_in_Poland_1750.PNG
1772-1795
Katyn Forest Massacre
Poland, part 4
The Katyn Forest Massacre occurred in 1940. Under orders from Josef Stalin, the Soviet NKVD executed approximately 20,000 Polish officers, landlords, officials and intellectuals whom they had previously been holding in prison camps. The victims were killed by a shot to the back of the head and dumped in mass graves in the Katyn Forest, which is near present-day Smolensk, Russia. The Nazi forces discovered the mass graves in 1943 and used the discovery of the crime as a form of propaganda against the Soviets. The Soviet government, in turn, blamed the massacre on the Germans. It was not until the early 1990s that the government in Moscow acknowledged Soviet culpability for the massacre in the Katyn Forest.
Group 2
Geldern, James von. "1943: Katyn Forest Massacre." Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. MATRIX, 2014. Web. 8 Feb. 2014.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Katyn_massacre_5.jpg
April and May 1940