Grand Duke Nicholas issues a proclamation to the Poles
- Category:
- Politics
- Front:
- Eastern Front
- Date:
- 14 August 1914
- Author:
- Łukasz Skowroń
On 14 August 1914 the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, issued a proclamation to the Poles. It was the first official announcement since the partitions by one of the partitioning powers that the Polish lands would be united after the war.
The text of the proclamation
The proclamation began by recalling that a century and a half earlier the living body of Poland had been torn to pieces, but that her soul had survived and lived in the hope of rebirth and of reconciliation with Russia. The Grand Duke announced that after victory Poland would be united under the sceptre of the Tsar and would be reborn, free in her faith, her language and her self-government. He called on the Poles to take up the fight at Russia’s side against the common enemy, Germany.
The struggle for the Poles
The proclamation was a response to a peculiar situation. The Poles lived in three partitions and served in three armies, which were now fighting one another. Each side tried to win their support. In Galicia, under Austrian rule, the Polish rifle units of Józef Piłsudski were already active; on 6 August they had marched into the Kingdom of Poland, and on 16 August the Supreme National Committee was founded in Kraków, supporting the fight alongside Austria-Hungary.
Russia, which for more than a hundred years had suppressed Polish national aspirations, had to offer something in return. The proclamation was meant to counter Austrian and German propaganda and to keep the rear of the front, which ran across Polish lands, quiet.
Reactions
The proclamation was greeted with enthusiasm by Polish politicians associated with Roman Dmowski, who regarded Germany as Poland’s main enemy and counted on cooperation with Russia. They soon formed the Polish National Committee, which supported the Russian cause. Others regarded it with distrust. The proclamation had been issued by the commander of the army, not by the Tsar or the government, and its promises were vague and did not provide for independence.
Significance
The Russian promises were never fulfilled. In 1915 the Russian army withdrew from the Kingdom of Poland, and these lands were occupied by Germany and Austria-Hungary. The Grand Duke’s proclamation was nevertheless an important moment: for the first time since the partitions the Polish question became the object of international rivalry, and the powers began to outbid one another with promises to the Poles. This rivalry opened the way to the recovery of independence in 1918.
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A voice from the front
“With an open heart and a hand held out in brotherhood, Great Russia comes to meet you. She believes that the sword which routed the enemy at Grunwald has not rusted. From the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Northern Seas the Russian hosts are on the march. The dawn of a new life is breaking for you.”
Translated · Original (pl)
Z sercem otwartem i bratersko podaną dłonią idzie do Was na spotkanie Wielka Rosya. Wierzy ona, iż nie zardzewiał miecz, który rozgromił wroga pod Grunwaldem. Od brzegów Oceanu Spokojnego do Mórz Północnych dążą hufce rosyjskie. Jutrzenka życia nowego świta dla was.
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Meanwhile
(04)Elsewhere in the same days.
- 13 August 1914 · Western FrontRoyal Flying Corps flies to FranceOn 13 August 1914 British air squadrons flew from Dover to France. They were the first units to cross the Channel by air.
- 13 August 1914 · Balkan FrontAustrians cross the Drina and begin the first invasion of SerbiaIn mid-August 1914 the Austro-Hungarian Fifth Army crossed the Drina and struck Serbia from the west. The first invasion of Serbia had begun.
- 15 August 1914 · Asia and the PacificJapan issues an ultimatum to GermanyOn 15 August 1914 Japan demanded that Germany withdraw its warships from Far Eastern waters and hand over the Kiautschou lease with the port of Tsingtao.
- 15 August 1914 · AfricaGermans occupy Taveta in British East AfricaOn 15 August 1914 a German detachment under Tom von Prince crossed the border of British East Africa and took Taveta at the foot of Kilimanjaro.
Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 4 December 1914 · Eastern FrontThe Puławy Legion is formedOn 4 December 1914 the first volunteers of a Polish Legion, raised with Russian consent and National Democrat backing against Piłsudski's, reached Puławy.
- 6 August 1914 · Eastern FrontAustria-Hungary declares war on RussiaOn 6 August 1914 the Austro-Hungarian ambassador in St Petersburg handed over the declaration of war. The monarchy's main front shifted to Galicia.
- 3 August 1914 · Eastern FrontGrand Duke Nicholas becomes commander-in-chief of the Russian armyAt the beginning of August 1914 Tsar Nicholas II entrusted the supreme command of the Russian army to Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich.
- 1 August 1914 · Eastern FrontFirst fighting on the border of the Kingdom of PolandOn 1 August 1914 the German-Russian border, running through Polish lands, became a front line. In the following days the Germans took Kalisz and Częstochowa.