The Polish Minority in the German Empire — the Agrarian Aspect of Government Policy and the Opposition of the Polish Population in the Late 19th — Early 20th Centuries

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the agrarian aspect of the opposition to the Prussian policy of Germanization of the Polish population of the provinces of Poznań and West Prussia from a historical perspective, with the main focus on the 1880s — 1900s. The publication of the Colonization Law in 1886 and the creation of the Colonization Commission marked the beginning of attempts by the Prussian government to change the ratio of the Polish and German population of the provinces in favour of the latter. The German side in 1886—1902 acted exclusively through centralized budget financing of the colonization structures, which increased from year to year. However, this did not lead to the achievement of the goals set. To counteract the Prussian activities, the Poles set up a system of credit institutions, the main role in which belonged to the Land Bank. These financial institutions took over the crediting of land deals and the support of Polish landowners and farmers. The Polish side chose a much more effective method, which allowed it to gain the upper hand over the German strategy. The process of Germanization in the agricultural sector in the late 19th and early 20th centuries went through several stages, always being a direct reflection of the general direction of German government policy: from the creation of internal unity under Bismarck, through Caprivi’s “Era of reconciliation”, to the “Weltpolitik” of Bulow, when Polish policy became a part of the common colonial trend.