The Development of Polish Nationalism in the Period 1815-1864 after the Fourth Partition of Poland

Abstract

Under Metanarratives that typically portray post-Napoleonic Poland as a region of uprisings and underground revolts, Polish nationalism is generally seen as radical and largely overseas. Generally speaking, this kind of narrative is not wrong, but Polish nationalism in the post-Napoleonic era and after the Crimean War actually evolved to a considerable extent different from the traditional impression. Based on the analysis of historical facts from 1815 to 1864, by referring to Zamoyskis Poland: A History and Cambridges A Concise History of Poland and other new achievements in the past two decades, the paper summarizes the development of Poland before the uprising broke out in 1863. It also aims to identify variations and main features of nationalism, and explores how these differ over time and from other nationalist cultures of the time.