Alexander Wielopolski knows that the Poles' fervent…
January 1863 CE
Alexander Wielopolski knows that the Poles' fervent desire for independence is coming to a head, something he wants to avoid at all costs.
The aim of the national movement is to liberate the Polish, Lithuanian, and Ruthenian lands from Russian occupation.
In an attempt to derail the Polish national movement, he has organized the conscription of young Polish activists into the Russian Army (for twenty-year service).
This decision is what provokes the January Uprising of 1863, that is, the very outcome Wielopolski wished to avoid.
The Tsar decides to make various limited concessions only when it is too late, and the streets of Warsaw are running with blood: "No constitution, no Polish Army, nothing like political autonomy; instead administrative freedoms with nominations for Poles, not excluding Russians".
