Difference between revisions 11794858 and 16301444 on enwiki

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Western [[Poland|Polish lands]] had some [[Germanic]] residents since medieval times, for the first several centuries by invitation. Polish landowners had unproductive land and needed more workers. Germans from the [[Protestant]] [[Low Countries]] were recruited to reclaim wetlands of northern Poland. Additionally, groups of oppressed Protestants from areas that [[Catholics]] had won in southern [[Germany]] (e.g. [[Württemberg]]) migrated in significant numbers. As time progressed the settler came more from neighboring German lands. For quite some time, the Wwestern settlers were given complete freedom of religion, which was a major inducement to move, as   Western [[Europe]] was engulfed in a series of protracted and violent religious wars, which did not extend to Poland. Poland was the unique example of tolerance, thanks to [[Warsaw Confederation]], that guaranteed the [[religious freedom]] and internal peace.

==Counterreformation==
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Starting with the reign of [[Sigismund I of Poland]], the [[Sweden|Swedish]] king, himself a fervent Catholic, the religious conflict emerged in the form of the [[Counter-Reformation]]. While the king swayed back and forth, he found himself between the [[Roman Catholic cChurch]], which brought its influence to bear, and his own misgivings and those of many of the nobles. At one point, the bishop called a congress to enact strict rules, but so many nobles opposed the issue, that the effort failed at the time. 

In the 1600s and 1700s, but especially after [[Tthe Deluge]] period (Swedish invasions), the freedom to worship that had been guaranteed the protestant settlers was gradually removed, and a number of their churches destroyed, appropriated or forbidden to be used. Protestants were even required to support the Catholic church in some places. The exact nature of the revocation of   freedom of worship in Poland, varied over time and with the nature of the local nobles and officials. Some Protestant communities survived, while some others were forcefully converted. Some Protestants chose to [[emigrateion|emigrate]].

In the second half of the 1700s, new laws inspired by ideas of [[Tthe Enlightenment]] were enacted, which forced the bishops to relax the oppression. The second half of the 1700s was a time of increased [[Germany|German]] and [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[immigration]] to Poland, especially to [[Greater Poland]].

The tumble times of [[Bar Confederacy]] created a situation, when the foreign settlers sided on the government side, while some Poles sided with partisans.
For example, in [[Czarnkow]] region, settlers were attacked by roving bands of Polish militia.

==Partitions==

The tide turned in the late 1700s when the powerful neighbors carved Poland up in the three [[Partitions of Poland]]. Now the native Poles came under occupation, ruled by a foreigners and the minority Germans began to have the upper hand. The Prussian state determined to become stronger with the acquisition of the additional Polish lands. To ensure continued possession and a secure German presence, settlers were encouraged, German communities were assisted with gifts that built churches, provided bells and various other infrastructure improvements. Most notable was the creation of the canal between [[Bydgoszcz]] (German: ''Bromberg'') near the [[Vistula]] (German: ''Weichsel'') and [[Naklo]] (German: ''Nakel'') on the [[Notec]] (German: ''Netze''). The Prussian bureaucracy developed into a one machine and the 1800s introduced other machinery that brought about broad social changes as well.

==Napoleon==
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[[Napoleon I]]  temporarily turned the tables for about eight years, then the situation reversed again. (Add info about Polish involvement, French relations, Germans preventing French shipments on river barges, etc.)
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==Prussian times==

After the Napolean era, Prussia again '''received''' Great Poland. In total, 5 Prussian Provinces, included large Slavic[[Polish language|Polish speaking]] minorities (or majorities ?):
*[[Great Poland⏎
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*[[West Prussia⏎
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*[[East Prussi⏎
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*[[Pomerania⏎
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*[[Silesia⏎
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The autonomy of Great Poland was gradually limited. Thi]]

According to the [[Vienna peace congress]] results, Great Poland became the [[Grand Duchy of Posen]] (1815-1846), an autonomous province under [[Hohenzollern]] rule with the rights of ''"free development of Polish nation, culture and language"'', and outside the German Confederation.

However, contrary to these arrangements, Prussia gradually limited the autonomy of Great Poland and finally in [[1846]] renamed it to [[Province of Posen]]. All these actions naturally created a resistance, which sometimes erupted into uprisings, the most notable in [[1848]], in conjunction with other parts of Germany and Europe.
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In [[1811]], Prussian authorities performed abolition of [[serfdom]], in [[1823]] it also was performed in Great Poland. The outcome of Prussian reform was, that the group of rich farmers and landlords prospered. 

In the long term the abolition completely reverted the relations in the Polish provinces. Before that, the only Polish group were Nnobles, after that time peasants gradually took part in the Polish national movement, under leadership of Polish landlords.

==Germanization and the beginning of ethnic conflict==
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German national movement was perceived by some Poles as an ally against the great powers. German nationalists believed the Poles defend them from Russian tyranny. However, during revolution 1848, German democrats tried to annex to United Germany, Kurland, East Prussia, West Prussia and most of Great Poland. into United Germany

After [[1871]], the Prussian state combined the other German states into a German empire, and the Prussian overlords became more and more oppressive, coming to a position that they would always own these lands and that the Polish peoples must become [[Germanization|Germanized]]. German national liberals joined their former enemies from the Prussian court.  

Measures become more and more severe, and it was forbidden to use [[Polish language|Polish]] in public gatherings, including school and church. The government fought a losing battle to replace Polish land ownership with German settlers, through the Settlement Commission. 

However, the [[Kulturkampf]] united in opposition, Catholic Poles and Germance of the province. The outcome was, that many Catholics became Poles, even if their knowledge of Polish was limited. (see also [[Bambrzy]]).

==Brutality of the Prussian Regime==
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The economic development of the Prussian part of Poland followed entirely different lines than that of Russian Poland but in their political attitude toward the Poles the Prussians were not a whit superior to the  Muscovites. Extreme hatred of everything Polish is their historical tradition. The entire country which they claim is built on lands taken by force of arms from the Slavs, chiefly the Poles. Brandenburg, the nucleus of the State, was the first German outpost in Slavic territory. East Prussia, a Po(contracted; show full)rtists and writers have appeared in Prussian Poland, though there have been several notable exceptions. The cities in German Poland are well ordered and managed and the population prosperous. In spite of all the repressions, the number of daily Polish newspapers and the consumption of Polish literature in German Poland has increased. Even Silesia, which was separated from Poland in the XIVth century has recently seen an awakening and the people are becoming conscious of their true national affiliation.

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World War I and aftermath==
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Then came [[World War I]],  many Poles fought in the German forces, for the foreign case. Others prepared themselves for the defeat of Germany. With the defeat of Germany, it lost most of its territory in this area. While many Germans migrated west, especially military and administration staff, a relatively large amount of Germans remained, preferring to live and work their farms and businesses as Polish citizens. 
In general Poland guaranteed German minority national rights. However, many landestates that belong to German landowners were subject of parcelation and were sold to Polish peasants.

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==Warorld War II and atrocities==
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[[World War II]] brought the brutal repressions of [[totalitarism|totalitarian]] German state against Poles. Unspeakable [[attrocities]] touched every family in the WeEastern provinces of Great Germany  (see [[World War II atrocities in Poland]]).
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[[Category:Polish history]]