Russian Governor of the Kingdom of Poland Ivan Fiodorovich Paskevich and his Reactions to the Ideas of the Hungarian Spring of Nations

Górak, Artur (2024) Russian Governor of the Kingdom of Poland Ivan Fiodorovich Paskevich and his Reactions to the Ideas of the Hungarian Spring of Nations. In: Fundamental Legal Transformations as a Consequence of the Springtime of Nations (1848). Studies of the Ferenc Mádl Institute, 3 (3). Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law, Budapest, pp. 153-169. ISBN 9786156356482

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Abstract

Paskevich had a completely unique position as governor of the Kingdom of Poland and military commander of the largest army of Russia. In 1849 he commanded the Russian forces during the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution (1848–1849). The aim of the article is to trace Paskevich’s reaction to the Hungarian independence movement, known as the Hungarian Revolution. What views led him to invade Hungary. Paskevich was very reticent to express his personal beliefs and political views. However, the research leads to the conclusion that his ideology is incorporated in the slogan – autocracy, Orthodoxy, folk. Paskevich believed in autocratic, absolute and supranational rule and that the so-called the rule of law is the best solution for people. Of course, he advocated the Russian Empire, and he despised the Austrian Empire as being weak and corrupt. Nevertheless Paskevich was against the intervention on the side of Austria. He believed that Austria did not deserve Russia’s help and would not show any gratitude. He had fears of an uprising in Poland that could trigger a lack of confidence in him in ruling the country. Unwavering faith in himself gave Paskevich an impulse to take further steps towards the abolishment of the autonomy of the Kingdom of Poland. Unification and russification reforms were introduced in education, communication, censorship and customs management. The elites of the Kingdom of Poland undertook actions similar to those of the Hungarians as early as 1831 – the war against Russsia and the dethronement of the tsar. The defeat of the Hungarians accelerated changes in the political tendencies among the Poles. Already in 1848, clear ideological discrepancies can be seen, and are fully revealed in the January Uprising of 1863-1864. The Poles strongly advocated the fight for the liberation of all nations from the rule of empires.

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