“Russian Issue” Solution by the Polish Separatists and Russian Revolutionaries” in 1861–1863

Abstract

In the article the author examines the issues related to the exposure of the ideological and political content and interdependence of the “Polish” and “Russian issues” in the years of 1861–1863. Thereupon the author analyzes the three approaches to the ideological and political solution of the “Russian issue”: that of the Polish separatists, Russian radicals and extremists in Russia and that of A.I. Herzen and the emigrants united around the “Kolocol” (“Bell”) magazine published in London. He reveals the ideological principles, strategic goals and tactical methods common for the three approaches employed to sole the “Russian issue” in the context of the concluded “Russian-Polish revolutionary union”. The author shows that te ideological and political commonness of that “union” was based on the recognition of the necessity of Polish separatism victory, Russian state destruction and disintegration of large Russian nation. And the instruments for reaching those goals besides the separatist uprisings in the Kingdom of Poland and Western Russia were the peasant revolts in Central Russia provoked by “revolutionary” propaganda. The scientifi c novelty of the research consists in revealing the threat for the Russian state and Russian nation security posed by the “Russian-Polish revolutionary union”. To conclude, the author shows the reaction of Western-Russian Orthodox population and the Great Russian nation to the threat of foreign intervention, the challenge of armed rebellion and methods of the “Russian issue” solving brought about by the members of the “revolutionary” union.