Content area
Full text
Rewolucja: Russian Poland, 1904-1907
ROBERT E. BLOBAUM, 1995
Ithaca: Cornell University Press
pp. xv + 300; $34.95
Rewolucja presents a broad analysis of revolution in the Russian sector of Poland during the years 1904-7. Blobaum faces the same dilemma as all Americans doing Eastern European history-how to appeal to specialists in the field, as well as to general readers. Blobaum opts for broad synthesis, rather than in-depth study. Labor history, then, forms only a part of the book. The book first provides a broad introduction to Russian Poland in the second half of the 19th century. Russian Poland was "undergoverned," a reluctant member of the Russian Empire, subject to Russification, and economically underdeveloped.
Blobaum provides an effective analysis of the immediate background to the revolution. The year 1904 was a period of increasing unrest, triggered by the Russo-Japanese War, which provided a structure for anti-war activity and contributed to the economic decline that promoted labor unrest. Increasingly nationalistic, peasants were becoming alienated from the government, while students formed the most vocal and extreme opposition to Russian rule.
Diving in to the complexities of rural history, the author suggests that the gina (community or township) was the most revolutionary form of action in the countryside. During the revolution, the gniiny issued resolutions calling for an end to Russification and Russian political control. Not content with words, they drove pro-Russian officials from office (not emphasized by Blobaum), ignored Russian law and authorities and acted increasingly independent of the Russian government. In the absence of effective police power, rural Poland exploded in violence, crime, and peasant vigilantism. In the countryside, Russian rule diminished greatly and in many cases simply disappeared. The study concludes that the revolution led to the politicization of the peasantry and a clear rejection of Russian authority. However, the author down-plays the revival of gentry influence also made possible by the revolution.
As one might expect, the educational system was the scene of intense conflict. Students initiated strikes at universities, secondary schools, commercial-technical schools, teacher-training institutes and some elementary schools. Schools closed in late winter 1905 and remained closed for the 1905-6 school year. Next, Poles (and Lithuanians too) greatly expanded...