Polish Party

The Polish group was from 1871 to 1918 representing the Polish minority in the German Reichstag. In the Prussian Landtag an association of Polish politicians since 1849 existed. This has been mentioned at least since the 1850s, Polish faction.

Structure

Since 1849, a Polish club in the Prussian Landtag. Since 1856 he gave a fraction statutes. For a total of about three million German citizens of Polish mother tongue formed the Polish faction in the Reichstag from 1871 to represent the interests. The fractions in the Reichstag and Prussian Landtag worked closely together and usually followed a line. Within the groups was the principle of unanimity.

The focus of the voters lived in the Prussian provinces of Posen, West Prussia and Upper Silesia. The number of mandates varied between 13 in 1887 and 20 in 1903.

The Group was particularly hostile to the anti-Polish policy and Germanisierungsversuche during the German Empire.

Inside, the composition of the group changed. Dominated at the beginning of aristocratic landowners and the Catholic clergy, occurred after 1900 increasingly bourgeois politicians with a Polish national and democratic orientation to the fore.

Relation to other political groups

Closely related was the fraction with the Centre Party. However, there were differences from the beginning. Thus, the Polish group has rejected the integration of the former Polish territories in the kingdom at Empire. But against the antitrust policy of the National Liberals and Conservatives, there was also time- wise to a collaboration with the left-wing liberals. Since the 1890s, there were between Polish faction and party center in Upper Silesia to a competitive situation. Local MPs joined since then, especially since 1903 strengthened the Polish faction instead of the center fraction of.

On the other hand, a "German stock " with the inclusion of the left-liberals began to form, which it to win election agreements with National Liberals and Conservatives managed mandates after the turn of the century in mixed areas.

Political development

In the early period, the Group had a total loyal to the monarchy and acted more defensively. This attitude began to fade into the background with the intensification of Germanization under Otto von Bismarck in particular since 1885/86. The Germanization about on the language issue, the establishment of the Settlement Commission or the expulsion of numerous Poland contributed unintentionally to the strengthening of the Polish national consciousness. In the time of Chancellor Leo von Caprivi, who pursued a moderate course in the Polish policy, also the attitude of the Polish politicians changed. Józef Kościelski even tried to make the Polish factions to support the governments of Prussia and the Reich. Since 1896, strengthened the anti-Polish policy again.

Between 1889-1918 Ferdinand von Radziwill was Chairman of the Group. Meanwhile, total state loyal attitude lost permanently influence in favor of a national attitude.