The Great Emigration is an emigration of political elites from Poland from 1831–1870.

Since the end of the 18th century, a major role in Polish political life has been played by people who have carried out their activities outside the country as émigrés.

Their fate is a consequence of the Partitions of Poland, which had completely divided the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria.

Because of this emigration of political elites, much of the political and ideological activity of the Polish intelligentsia during the 18th and 19th centuries will be done outside of the lands of partitioned Poland.Most of the political émigrés are based in France.

The most important wave of emigration comes after the November Uprising of 1830–1831.

These Poles later fight and provide valuable support during the 1846 and 1848 revolutions in Poland.

Their resistance is not limited to Polish revolutionary activity, as they also participate in various lands during the Revolutions of 1848, including France, the small principalities of Germany and Italy, Austria, Hungary, and the Danubian principalities Wallachia and Moldavia; the South American countries Argentina and Uruguay (participating in the "Guerra Grande"); and later, the War of Crimea.

Additional waves of émigrés come after the failures of the attempted 1848 revolution and the January Uprising of 1863–1864.