Kingdom of the Congress

Genesis

The birth of the Kingdom of the Congress is largely due to the efforts of Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, Polish and Russian Foreign Minister , which wanted ressusciter the Poland as allied of the Russia. It obtains a very liberal Constitution for the kingdom, which strongly resembles the constitution of the duchy of Warsaw. Moreover, the Kingdom of the Congress has an army, a proper government, a diet. Officially, the Kingdom of the Congress is a Constitutional monarchy with the Tsar of Russia which carries the title of king de Pologne. The Diet can vote laws and is responsible in front of the governor (viceroy) representing the tsar. The December 9th 1815, a governor is indicated in the person of the prince Józef Zajączek (until its death the July 28th 1826). This one was more worried by its personal interests than of those of Poland and was supervised closely by a " police chief impérial" , Nicolas Novosiltsov. The Code Napoleon remains in force.

A gilded beginning

The first years of the kingdom are very rich: industry, urban development (textile industry,…), of the various services of the trade (creation of a produce exchange and currencies in Warsaw, creation of the Bank of Poland,…), of teaching (creation of the University of Warsaw, the academy of music of Warsaw, the Polytechnic school of Warsaw, development of the University of Vilnius and the college of Krzemieniec, creation of the agronomic Institute of Marymont,…), of the transport infrastructures. However, Servage maintains it and the feudal organization of the campaigns causes to slow down the development and the modernization of agriculture. A new social class emerges: intellectuals. The romantic Polish form part of it.

End of the illusions

The Kingdom of the Congress did not last more than 15 years. The problems started when Nicolas Ier became tsar. This one, which was a absolute Monarque in Russia, did not tolerate any restriction on its capacities in Poland. He named his young brother, the large-duke Constantin, viceroy of Poland. This one wanted to impose a Prussian discipline within the army of the kingdom. Soldiers started to conspire against him. Whereas the Russians planned to use the army of the kingdom to intervene against the revolutionary movements in France and Belgium, the second lieutenant Piotr Wysocki and his group try to assassinate Constantin the night of the November 29th 1830, which starts a general insurrection against Russia. In January 1831, the tsar is deposited by the Diet because it transgressed with many recoveries the constitution. The tsar counteracts by sending his troops to crush the Polish revolt (Insurrection of November).

Russianization

After a 11 month old war, Russia takes again the control of the Kingdom of the Congress. The constitution is abolished. Russia sets up customs tariffs between it and the Kingdom of the Congress to slow down the development of the economy of the kingdom. The Russian authorities close the universities and universities. The encyclical Cum primum of Gregoire XVI gives the papal blessing to Nicolas Ier and this one can liquidate in the Kingdom of the Congress all that the tolerance of Alexandre Ier had allowed. In 1832, the administration is entrusted to a military governor, the general Ivan Paskievitch, who will follow a policy of Russianization. In 1856, Mikhaïl Gortchakov succeeds to him and becomes the governor of the Kingdom of Poland (until the May 30th 1861).

Country of the Vistula

In 1863, a new insurrection bursts (Insurrection of January). After the defeat of the insurrectionists, a policy of total Russianization is installation. A process of administrative unification with Russia is engaged in order to liquidate the separate institutions of the Kingdom of Poland created in 1815. The Russian becomes the official language. In 1868, the territories of the Kingdom of the Congress purely and are simply incorporated in the Russian empire under the name of “Country of the Russian Vistula” (: Privislinsky Kray ). Throughout the 19th century, the name of Kingdom of the Congress continued to be used to indicate these territories although the political entity that it indicated did not exist any more.

In 1915, the Russian army must give up the Kingdom of the Congress to the German and the Autrichiens.

Some figures

Surface: 127.000 km ²
Population:

In 1816, Kingdom of the Congress, 2.770.000 inhabitants (including 243.000 Juif S which account for 9% of the population)
In 1897, Poland, 9.300.000 inhabitants (including 1.300.000 Jews which account for 14% of the population)

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