Polish Club
Poland associations were associations in the area of the German Confederation at the beginning of the 1830s to support the Polish November uprising of 1830 and, after its failure, to take care of the refugees migrating through Germany. They were important for the development of the liberal and democratic opposition movement.
history
The struggle of the Poles in the November uprising against Russia in 1830 met with a strong support movement among the liberal forces of Europe. For them it seemed to be a fundamental dispute between the constitutional Poles, who wanted to enforce their national self-determination, and autocratic Russia, which was seen as one of the main forces of absolutism in all of Europe. The opposition bourgeoisie in Germany saw a victory for the Polish freedom movement as decisive for the success of the German opposition. If the Poles won, this would contribute to the success of the movement in Germany; if the Russians remained victor, this would mean a setback for the freedom movement in Europe as a whole.
There were numerous support rallies among the liberal public in Germany. If in the 1820s philhellenic Greek associations, such as the Bergisch-Märkische Greeksverein , were founded to support the Greek struggle for freedom , now Polish associations emerged. When the fighting in Poland was still going on, a total of 70 doctors from Germany moved to Poland to provide assistance. Her motto was: "We are going to Poland for our freedom and that of Poland."
The Polish clubs were dominated by the educated and economic bourgeoisie. But they reached all social classes and also included women. The movement also met with a strong response from the fraternities . Members of the associations sent solidarity addresses and demands to the state parliaments and the federal assembly in Frankfurt in favor of the Poles.
After the defeat of the Poles, the defeated rebels were enthusiastically celebrated and supported on their march through Germany into French and English exile until 1833. The associations collected money, housed and looked after the emigrants. Balls and banquets were held in her honor in numerous cities. More than a thousand Polish songs, which were popular at times, were written during this time.
A high point of enthusiasm for Poland in those years was the Hambach Festival of 1832. In addition to the black, red and gold flag and the French tricolor, the Polish national flag also waved. The Poles were also honored in speeches for their commitment. “Because without Poland's freedom there would be no German freedom! Without Poland's freedom, there would be no lasting peace, no salvation for all European peoples, ”said the Hambach Festival.
With the intensification of political repression in Württemberg and Baden from 1832 onwards, enthusiasm for Poland subsided and the associations quickly disbanded under state pressure.
Of lasting significance was that they had helped create a modern political public. In this respect, the Polish clubs were important organizations for the development of the opposition movement in the German Confederation. There were also close personal connections to the Press and Patriotic Association .
literature
- Gabriela Brudzyńska-Němec: Polish clubs in Baden. Help from southern German liberals for the Polish freedom fighters 1831–1832 . Winter, Heidelberg 2006, ISBN 3-8253-5117-3 , (also: Toruń, Univ., Diss., 2004).
- Gabriela Brudzyńska-Němec: Enthusiasm for Poland in Germany after 1830 , in: European History Online , ed. from the Institute for European History (Mainz) , 2011, accessed on: November 28, 2011.
- Jörg Echterkamp: The Rise of German Nationalism (1770-1840) . Campus-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1998, ISBN 3-593-35960-X .
- Thomas Urban : Poland . 2nd Edition. Beck, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-406-57852-6 , ( The Germans and their Neighbors 5), p. 143f.
