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Archiver > POSEN > 2001-12 > 1007405349


From: Gerd Schmerse <>
Subject: [POSEN] Poles and Germans in the Grand Duchy Posen in the spring of 1848 (5/7)
Date: Mon, 03 Dec 2001 19:49:09 +0100
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Poles and Germans in the Grand Duchy Posen in the spring of 1848
(part 5 of 7)
by TATJANA STUDENIKINA
translated from Russian by Johanna Klein
translated from German by Gerd Schmerse

Kozlowski says that the committee was expanded by including of agents of
the civil service, who held to their constitutionally - monarchist
views. This explained in his view the change to be observed end of March
of the position the DNK facing the Polish national liberation movement
as well as the reinforcement of antipolish moods.[56]

With the final completion of the DNK in the last days of March of the
year 1848 the German national movement in the grand duchy was formed
organizationally. The DNK became the leading executive and claimed to be
exclusive representative of interests of all Germans. From many cities
delegations of German inhabitants came to Posen to set up relations with
the DNK. In some cities DNK - committees emerged, which acknowledged the
leading role the Posen DNK. The Posen DNK worried also about the repre-
sentation of his interests in Prussia. Assessor v. Dazur and Professor
Loew were sent as deputies to Berlin (Loew went soon after to
Frankfurt/Main, where the Parliament discussed the Polish question).[57]
The social basis of the movement led by the DNK was formed by the trade
- and crafts society of the German population. In their leading executi-
ves however the civil servants played the determining role, especially
agents of the medium civil servant like assessors, councillors of justi-
ce or Board of Health, teachers. This German movement emerged later than
the Polish one, their organizational formation devellopped more
slowly.[58] Probably the national struggle for independence of the Poles
has catalyzed the political awakening of the German bourgeoisy in the
grand duchy. Unquestionably the process of their consolidation as part
of an independent national organization was accelerated by the DNK's
refusal to form a mixed Polish - German committee, which would have been
able to conduct the democratic movement in the Posen principality. Like
the "Deutsche Konstitutionelle Blatt" wrote somewhat later (in April
1848), the German population had to form their own national committee
after the Poles had rejected their "brotherly hand offered to them".[59]

Already in the first days of its existence the DNK in continuation of
the efforts of the addresscomitee had undertaken a new attempt to het in
contact with the Poles. On March 23rd, 1848, in a missive to the PNK the
hope of a union of the efforts of both committees was expressed , "to
assure the brotherly understanding of all inhabitants".[60] Simulta-
neously some German citizens of Posen expressed the wish, as newspaper
"Zeitung des Großherzogtums Posen" reported, the DNK should, like the
Polish committee, hold its meetings in the premises of the city hall. In
their opinion the work of both committees in one building at the citi-
zens would call forth trust in the mutual relationships.[61] However the
situation in the grand duchy was extremely tense and consequently not
suitable for the propagation of a Polish - German democratic union.

The creation of armed Polish units on initiative of the PNK as well as
the activity of county commissioners ("Kreiskommissare") for the prepa-
ration of the national riot called forth the mistrust of the German.
Interesting is the attempt, to prevent the flaring up of national enmity
in different circles of the grand duchy. So the disturbed unity of the
German and Polish inhabitants was restored through the efforts of Poppe
and Kaatz in Schwerzenz and Brachvogels in Schroda and Gnesen "".[62]

The first open anti-polish remark of German citizens was the reaction on
the royal decree over the "national reorganization" of March 24,
1848,[63] that became known in the grand duchy on March, 26th. In this
decision of the Prussian government the Posen Germans saw a direct
threat of their economic interests. Petitions of German inhabitants of
the province with the request, to revise the decision over the reorgani-
zation and to change most of all the composition of the reorganisation
commission were sent to Berlin.[64] According to the decree the reorga-
nisation commission consisted only of the persons chosen by the PNK.
Therefor most of their members were Poles (8 of 10). As agents of the
German population Oberpräsident v. Beurmann as chairmen and another
German citizen with consulting voice joined the commission.[65]

Most active against the reorganization were the Germans of the Netzedis-
trikts . Immediately they demanded the exclusion of their county from
the territory determined for reorganization and its union with the
German League. The German citizens of Bromberg aspired this with a
petition already on March, 27th.[66] Magistrate and city council of
Bromberg authorized three agents, to submit the petition to the king. On
March 29th a second petition of the same content was set up.[67]

Altogether there was a particular situation in the northern and western
(Silesia bordering) counties of the grand duchy in spring 1848. The
revolutionary events only completely insignificantly touched this area,
where the only old "prerevolutionary" Prussian administration had com-
pletely maintained power.[64] The support of the Prussian administration
there was the local German bourgeoisy. The politics of the German in the
northern and western cities in April and May 1848 was directed at the
preserving of the available Prussian economic and political dominion.
Sympathy with the Poles and all the more the idea of a Polish - German
union were never popular there. In that the resident German bourgeoisy
from the beginning took up antidemocratic positions in the Polish que-
stion, it put itself apart from the revolutionary movement of the spring
1848.

At this example an important tendency of the civil movement of the year
1848 reveals: The inconsistency at the solution of the national question
locked the way to the revolutionary start for the bourgeoisy and obliga-
torily led them to the union with the class enemy, the feudal absolu-
tism.

Centers of the antipolish movement of the German bourgeoisy in the north
and west of the grand duchy became Bromberg, Meseritz, Lissa, Rawitsch
and Fraustadt.[69] Already at the beginning of the third decade of March
the activity of the Bromberg PNK was completely paralysed by the active
resistance of the German population. In the city a leaflet was issued
which read: "We are Germans and want to remain Germans. It is necessary
that we appear as men, worthy of the German name, and firmly unite, man
to man, place to place. Let the banner of a millennial fame stream from
our towers, a visible sign of our serious will."

Units of armed Bromberg citizens eliminated Polish national symbols
appearing in the streets, and they "planted the Prussian and the German
flag onto the public buildings and the towers". Soon the agents of the
Polish National Comitee had to leave the city.[70]

In the central areas of the grand duchy the strengthening of antipolish
efforts among the German citizens had not become as evident as in Brom-
berg county. However the protest of the Posen Germans against the plans
of the national reorganization shows a change of their positions in the
Polish question. A new form was to be noticed in the appeal of the DNK
of March 26th. The Poles were accused of injury of the German national
interests, the abuse of power and of the emerging of a situation in the
principality held responsible to threaten the property and life of the
German.[71] Although the committee called the Germans to trust the
Poles, and in the first petition to the king of March 27th was pointed
out that the intensified national contradictions in the province had to
be solved peacefully, in "heartfelt relationship" of the Poles with the
German,[72] such ideas already no more corresponded to the efforts of
most German citizens.

The DNK was bound to lose its influence. Probable this was the primary
cause of its reelection, which, as already stated, to place on March
28th on initiative of v. Schreeb. Now antipolish efforts became prevai-
ling even in the DNK itself. On March 30th the committee called the
Posen Germans to the creation of a protection guard ("Schutzgarde");[73]
two days later a deputation under direction of R. Hepke was send to
Berlin: it had the task "to perceive the interests of the German popula-
tion in the grand duchy Posen at the reorganization - question, to
support the wishes of the Polish population, as far as they do not
offend our rights, but most of all to insist on a prompt settlement of
this question."[74] With this in the beginning of April the German
national movement entered a new phase, in which now antipolish nationa-
listic tendencies prevailed.

Meanwhile the struggle for independence of the Poles grew in the pro-
vince. The local committees existing since the first days of the uneasi-
ness formed the organizational supports; the armed sections were the
main force of the Poles. In many counties head district administrators
were dismissed, police departements disarmed, cash registers of the
Prussian administrations confiscated and the Prussian heraldic eagle
replaced demonstratively by the Polish one.[75]

On April 5th, 1848, the royal commissioner General von Willisen arrived
in Posen. The Prussian government by this fulfilled a request of the
deputation of the DNK, which had been sent to Berlin end of March.
According to the instructions of the Secretary of the Interior it was
Willisen's task, to take in conversations with the PNK about the condi-
tions of the national reorganization, to ascertain, in which counties
the German population dominated and to maintain there the Prussian
administration, i. e. to exclude these counties from the
reorganization.[76] In this way in the instructions of the commissioner
reflected the demand of the Posener Germans for territorial limit of the
national reorganization. On April 6th Willisen with an appeal addressed
to the population. He strengthened the assurance of the king to grant
independence for the Poles, to acknowledge the Polish and the German
language likewise and to allow the formation of national Polish troops.
Thereby Willisen explained the readiness, to support each arbitrary
candidacy, which would lead to the appeal of a Pole to the top of the
administrations. The appeal of Willisen[77] however did not placate the
local population. In the evening of the same day the commissioner wrote
to the Secretary of the Interior Auerswald: "...the conditions here have
come to full anarchy; the respect of the government extends nowhere
further than the arm of the military power."[78]

On April 7th conversations began with members of the Polish national
comitee. On April 9th a compromise was achieved, on April 11th Willisen
and the agents of the PNK, Stefanski and Libelt, signed the so-called
agreement of Jaroslawiec. This convention under many other contained
also following conditions: The Posen principality receives an autonomous
administration; the places for higher civil servants in the administra-
tion are reserved exclusively for Poles; the troops of the principality
will consist of the militia ("Landwehr") and Polish divisions; all non-
regular sections are dissolved, only four military camps remain with not
more than 2800 persons. Deadlines for the fulfillment of the regulations
were determined only for the fourth point of the convention (until April
15th, 1848).[79]


[56] B. Grze´s/J. Kozlowski/A. Kramski, Niemcy, p. 82.

[57] ZStA Merseburg, Rep. 77, Tit. 343 A, Adh. U, Nr. 1, p. 39; H.
Wuttke, Städtebuch, p. 244.

[58] In this context the conclusion of S. V. Slavin, the Germans would
have tried from the first days of the revolution to limit the Polish
riot and/or to make it dependant, appears incorrectly, cf. S. V. Slavin,
Polskoe vosstanie, p. 92. The Germans simply were not prepared for the
revolution, as little as in the followup they were for an active support
of this movement.

[59] DKB, No. 10, 27. 4. 1848.

[60] ZGP, No. 72, 25. 3. 1848.

[61] ZGP, No. 74, 28. 3. 1848: "Part of the German inhabitants has
expressed the wish to see the German comitee take its seat similarly,
like the Polish comittee, in the rooms of the city hall. The applicants
have been conducted by the sight, that the working side by side of both
comittees in the same building will procure the inhabitants with the
reassuring conviction of the variously doubted combination of both
comittees to the collective purpose of quiet and safety."

[62] ZGP, Nr. 74, 28. 3. 1848: "So the gentlemen Poppe, Katz have suc-
cessfully been engaged
to achieve the disturbed unity between the German and Polish inhabitants
of Schwerzenz on the spot; in similar way has been worked reassuring by
Mr. Brachvogel in the Schroda and Gnesen county."

[63] This decree, which proclaimed the intent of the king, to begin the
reorganization in the very near future, was the answer to the petiton of
the Polish delegation.

[64] ZStA Merseburg, Rep. 77, Tit. 503, No. 22, Adh. 5.

[65] K. Rakowski, Powstanie pozna´nskie, S. 116; C. Meyer, The Germans
of the province Posen facing the Polish riot in the year 1848, Lissa i.
P. 1905, p. 9.
[66] ZStA Merseburg, Rep. 77, Tit. 503, No. 22, Adb. 11, Bl. 1,4.

[67] Ibid., Bl. 5.

[68] W. Kohte, German movement and Prussian politics in country Posen
1848-1849, Posen 1931. p. 25 ff.; H. Wuttke, Städtebuch, p. 241 f.

[69] B. Grze´s/J. Kozlowski/A. Kramski, Niemcy, S. 91; cf. C. Meyer, The
Germans, p. 10 f.

[70] Leaflet, cit. after: C. Meyer, The Germans, p. 10.

[71] Text of the appeal in: R. Hepke, The Polish riot, p. 40.

[72] Text of the petition ibid., p. 48-50.

[73] Contrary to the citizens' guard these consisted exclusively of
Germans.

[74] The new leaders of the DNK assumed, that the decision on the natio-
nal reorganization had come into being in Berlin in ignorance of the
real situation in the principality. R. Hepke, The Polish riot, p. 50 f.

[75] Memorandum, p. 7 ff.

[76] W. Willisen, Files and remarks on my delegation to the grand duchy
Posen in the spring 1848, Berlin 1849, p. 17 II.

[77] text of the appeal ibid, p. 20 ff.

[78] Ibid, p. 23, report Willisens to Auerswald on 6. 4. 1848.

[79] ZGP, No. 88, 13. 4. 1848; cf. C. Voigts-Rhetz, Display of files of
the Polish insurrection in the year 1848 and enlighting the political
and military questions emerged from it, Posen 1848, p. 19 f., in Polish
translation: K. Rakowski, Powstanie pozna´nskie, remarks, p. 33 ff.

[80] Also the Poles did not took in the regulations with enthusiasm,
however for other reasons: For the national reorganization no exact
deadlines were determined, but the immediate dissolution of the Polish
sections was demanded.



Gerd
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